TMA Survey Results Show Market Optimism

August 13, 2008 | Posted by: Elizabeth Shea

Thanks to everyone who participated in the TMA marketing survey. We received 33 completed responses during the April-May survey window. In general, the majority of respondents cited a positive outlook in 2008 as evidenced by increased marketing budgets, increased outsourcing of marketing services and cautious optimism about the economy.

I've summarized some of the highlights for you here.

• 48% of respondents said their marketing budget is more than 10% higher this year than in 2007.
• Almost half of respondents (48%) indicated that their biggest challenge is hiring the right people. Numbers two and three on this list were Aligning with Sales Initiatives (45%) and Seeing a Return on Investment (33%).
• TMA members are feeling bullish on the economy. Approximately 42% describe themselves as optimistic, with 33% feeling cautious. Only 18% say the economy is limiting their ability to execute on their marketing plans.
• 67% of TMA respondents claim that they'll be outsourcing more to agencies and freelancers this year.
• The most frequently outsourced tasks are public relations and design work (both 61%), followed by SEO/SEM (42%) and Website design (39%).
• The election is not seen as a contributing factor to marketing strategies; 79% of respondents say the election will not affect their marketing strategies or plans at all.
• The demographics of the respondents: 64% startup or small business, 18% mid-market and 18% large business or publicly traded companies.

If you're interested, take a look at the entire report.

If you have any questions about the survey, don't hesitate to reach out to Elizabeth Shea. Thanks again for your participation.