Marketers anticipate budget increases in 2012, survey says

Eighty  percent of 231 attendees at the Direct Marketing Association’s 2011 conference said they anticipate that their marketing budgets will increase in 2012, according to a survey conducted by Pitney Bowes Inc.

The response comes in a year that marketing overall held its own against the budget chopping block. According to a report released by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), marketers will spend $163 billion on direct marketing during 2011, a 5.6% increase compared with last year.

“Our customers are using customer communications management to drive revenue growth,” said Leslie Abi Karam, executive vice president of Pitney Bowes Inc. and a DMA board member.

“Marketers today are investing in customer interactions by creating relevant personalized messages across digital and physical channels.”

Nearly all, 94 percent, of survey respondents agree that multi-channel marketing is more effective than a single-channel approach. Call center conversations, live chat on a Web site, direct mail, search engine optimization, SMS and QR code marketing activities can all be aligned with data analysis and application that delivers dynamic personalized interactions throughout the customer experience.