Online marketing 'has accountability benefits'

The measurability of online marketing means companies are able to easily assess the effectiveness of such campaigns, an expert has argued.

Eva Berg-Winters, senior manager and new media specialist at PricewaterhouseCoopers, noted that it is far easier to judge the success of web-based marketing when compared to other channels.

"With search spend you can see how many clicks you have received and how many people are coming through your website or even buying your products," she remarked, something that may be of interest to companies that are considering using online advertising as part of a lead generation campaign.

She noted that online marketing is "much better at drawing a line between ad spend and sales", as other methods, such as television advertising, only allow firms to analyse audience numbers.

Ms Berg-Winters also explained that the economic downturn has had an impact on how marketing budgets are spent, with the recession pushing companies to "look for accountability and measurability".

According to recent research by eMarketer, spending on online advertising will increase by 0.9 per cent in year-on-year 2009, however investment in other areas will fall by between five per cent and 18 per cent.

The study also forecast that investment in the sector will begin to increase next year and will reach ten per cent year-on-year growth in 2011.

Written by Julian Poulter and Copyright "Selling People 2009"