Skyline Marketing Ltd Warn Measuring Digital Marketing Near Impossible

Research conducted by Pew Internet reveals 86% of internet users have tried to minimise the visibility of their digital footprints. Skyline Marketing warns that data complied via digital marketing may not reflect true consumer behaviour.

A digital footprint consists of the sum total of online media and identity presence for an individual or entity and includes digital inputs such as status updates, bookmarks, reviews, search results and any other content created by consumers. Skyline Marketing express concern over how realistic reported figures for digital marketing are considering that digital footprints are integrated with the Social Web and provide marketers insight into how consumers are reacting to particular brands.

With consumers skipping adverts, blocking pop-up advertising and hiding their digital footprints in an attempt to preserve their identities online, Skyline Marketing warn that the data complied via digital marketing may not reflect true consumer behaviour.

‘We focus on offline marketing and this is largely due to the higher ROI it offers our clients. But what is it that makes our direct form of marketing more effective than digital marketing? We like to believe it is the personal approach we provide consumers but I think this recent study into consumer’s online activity could provide further information. If consumers are covering up their browsing activity online how can a digital marketing strategy be measured correctly?’ commented Managing Director of Skyline Marketing, Jamie Talbot.

Skyline Marketing is the Midlands leading outsourced sales and marketing firm. Based in Birmingham, Skyline Marketing has successfully increased customer acquisitions and retention rates for their clients since their establishment in 2011.

When reviewing ‘who’ online users try to avoid online, advertisers came second with 28% of adult users saying that they have used the internet in a certain way to avoid being seen. This statistic supports the claim held by Skyline Marketing that the effectiveness of measuring digital marketing strategies is being affected by consumers trying to cover up their digital footprint.

Marketing performance measurement and management (MPM) is a term used by marketing professionals to describe the analysis and improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of a marketing strategy. The gathering of right types of data, and its accuracy is crucial in measuring the success of a marketing strategy. Skyline Marketing is concerned that the true success of digital marketing strategies will not be measured if consumers are covering up their browsing activity by clearing cookies and browsing history (64% of adults), deleting past posts (41% of adults), not using certain websites because they ask for a real name (36%) or using temporary usernames and email addresses (26%) to name but a few.

While data collection is relatively simple, a thorough analysis to make sense of collected data is critical. By thoroughly analysing the data, organisations can gather actionable business insights to improve the marketing effectiveness and marketing efficiency. However with 86% of internet users trying to minimise the visibility of their digital footprints, Skyline Marketing believe that online marketing firms will have to look more closely at their data collection methods of consumer behaviour in order to generate an effective marketing strategy for the future.