20 surprising digital marketing stats every accom marketer should know

We painstakingly compiled these updated 20 digital marketing nuggets to help you validate and benchmark your digital marketing efforts. You’re welcome.

Email marketing

Despite all the attention given to social media and mobile marketing, email marketing still holds a place at the big kids’ table, as one of the most continually successful online marketing platforms, in terms of both reach and ROI (return on investment). Here are some numbers to consider:

1. As of 2018, there were 3.8 billion global email users. That number is expected to reach to 4.4 billion users by 2023 (Statista, 2019).
2. More than 50 percent of US users check their personal email more than ten times per day. It is also, by far, their preferred means of receiving brand updates (HubSpot, 2019).
3. 49.1 percent of email is opened on mobile devices (IBM, 2018).

Digital display advertising

Display ads are one of the oldest forms of online accom advertising, going all the way back to the humble banner ad. However, today’s audiences have a different opinion and level of patience with digital ads, requiring an evolved set of tactics. Here’s what you should know before putting together a plan for online advertising:

1. Display ads have only three seconds to convey their intended brand message (The Manifest, 2018).
2. The average click-through rate of display ads is 0.05 percent across all formats and placements (Smart Insights, 2019).
3. Retargeting campaigns are 76 percent more likely to receive clicks than standard display ad campaigns (Remarketing.com, 2019).
4. Global digital ad spending is predicted to reach $333.25 billion in 2019, comprising roughly 50 percent of the total global ad market for the first time in history (eMarketer, 2019).
5. When asked to name the most challenging barriers to success, 49 percent of digital marketers said “increasing customer engagement,” 46 percent said “increasing customer acquisition,” and 40 percent responded “increasing sales prospects/leads” (Ascend2, 2019).

Social media marketing

According to Statista, 79 percent of Americans have a social networking profile as of 2019, representing 247 million domestic social media users.

By providing an intimate, engaging means of communicating with customers, social media has drastically changed how hotels interact with and captivate their target audiences.

Here are some key stats to keep in mind when putting together your accom’s social media strategy:

1. 55 percent of users buy products online after discovering these products through social media (Kleiner Perkins, 2018).
2. 73 percent of consumers want to see social media posts concerning discounts and sales. Further, 60 percent of consumers want to see posts showcasing new products and services. Also, 59 percent of consumers want to see posts that are educational (SproutSocial, 2019).
3. There are now over one billion active monthly Instagram users, including 500 million who access their stories daily (Instagram, 2019).

Mobile marketing

Consumer reliance on mobile devices increases each day, with smartphones now the world’s primary internet access device. That’s why optimising your accom marketing efforts for mobile devices should be one of your top priorities. Consider the following:

1. Roughly two billion people worldwide use their smartphone as their lone internet device, representing 51 percent of global mobile users. That number is expected to reach 72.6 percent in 2025, comprising 3.7 billion users (World Advertising Research Center, 2019).
2. Some three out of five consumers check their email via mobile, and 75 percent say they use smartphones most frequently to check email (Fluent, 2018). Meanwhile, nearly 80 percent of the time spent on social media sites occurs on mobile devices (Lyfemarketing, 2018).
3. The average click-through rate (CTR) for Google search ads on mobile is 4.1 percent, nearly a full percentage point higher than the 3.17 percent average CTR for desktop ads (WordStream, 2018).
4. 60 percent of Google searches are performed on mobile devices. Five years prior, that number was just 34 percent (Statista, 2019).

SEO

As the rules and algorithms driving search engine optimisation (SEO) continue to evolve each year, it’s more crucial than ever for accom marketers to stay up-to-date on the latest SEO developments and techniques to increase their property’s online search rankings. Here’s some food for thought:

1. 72 percent of marketers say that relevancy—including the building of relevant content—is the primary factor for improving SEO (SEO Tribunal, 2019).
2. Voice search is expected to account for $40 billion in retail sales in the US by year-end 2022, and another $5 billion in the UK (Voicebot.ai, 2018).

Content marketing

Creating compelling destination and hotel content (blogs, videos, visitor guides, “insider” tips, etc.) has the power to attract, engage and inform travellers and meeting planners, while also establishing your property as a unique experience provider. Here are some vital stats to frame your content strategy:

1. Companies that publish 16 or more blog posts per month receive nearly 3.5 times more traffic than companies that publish between zero and four posts per month (HubSpot, 2019).
2. Inbound marketing delivers 53 percent more leads into the marketing funnel than traditional outbound marketing tactics (HubSpot, 2018).
3. 83 percent of users still prefer article and video content over trendier content formats such as podcasts and infographics (Contently, 2019).

Tambourine Blog

Tambourine is a US-based marketing, booking and distribution service that helps hotel and travel marketers sort it all out. It delivers a 360º program that reduces stress and increases revenue.

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