26 Essential Digital Marketing Statistics to Make Your Marketing Pop in 2017

My new favorite joke about the New Year:

“I want to start a gym called Resolutions. The first two weeks it will have fitness trainers, workout equipment, everything. Then on January 15th, we turn the whole thing into a bar.”

I love that joke because it hints at an unfortunate reality: Only 64% of people keep their resolution past one month. At six months, less than half of us stay resolved.

Many marketers are starting out the New Year with resolutions. We want to know our audiences better, take control of our data, use content more effectively, and more. Statistically, only 46% of us have a chance at beating the status quo.

It takes more than willpower to make a resolution stick. You need a well-informed, strategic plan.

To help you reach your goals in 2017, use these statistics to guide you.

Mobile Marketing

• 84 percent of mobile advertisers believe they’re providing a positive experience. Less than half of consumers report their experience was positive. (Unlockd)4
• We have reached the mobile tipping point: All new data consumption is coming from mobile (TechCrunch).
• Over a third of email subscribers read their newsletters exclusively on mobile devices (Informz).
• 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site after a negative experience. 40% will go to a competitor’s site (MicKinsey & Company).

Influencer Marketing

• Marketers receive an average of $6.85 in earned media value for every $1 spent on influencer marketing (AdWeek)2.
• Over 80% of marketing and communication professionals expect to begin an influencer marketing campaign within the year. (eMarketer).
• Influencer campaigns have proven effective for over 80% of marketers who have tried them (eMarketer).
• Customers acquired through word-of-mouth (such as influencer marketing) are retained at a 37% higher rate than those acquired through other means (Deloitte).

Social Media Marketing

• When social media is part of their buyer’s journey, customers tend to convert at a 129% higher rate. They are also four times as likely to spend significantly more than those without a social component (Deloitte).
• Reading or writing social media reviews and comments will influence the shopping behavior of 67% of consumers (PwC).
• The average internet user spends nearly two hours browsing social media networks daily (Telegraph UK).
• On average, brands only respond to only one out of eight social messages in 72 hours or fewer (Sprout Social).

Content Marketing

• 73% of surveyed consumers found that content with a strong personality helps in forming loyal relationships (Econsultancy).
• Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to realize a positive ROI (Socialemedia).
• 61% of the most successful content marketers have a documented strategy, while only 2% of the least successful have one (CMI).
• 85% of the most successful deliver content consistently (CMI).
• 87% of the most successful say they are able to quickly adjust their content marketing strategy (CMI).

Email Marketing

• Email marketing was the top channel for increase in digital marketing spend over the last year, with 61% of marketers increasing their investment (Relevate).
• Personalized email messages improve click-through rates and conversions by over 10% (Aberdeen).
• The average CTR for email marketing across industries is 3.2% (IBM).
• Last year, the average ROI for email campaigns was 4,300% (Copyblogger).3
• 55% of all emails are opened on mobile devices (emailmonday).

General Digital Marketing

• By 2019, video will account for 80% of global internet traffic, and 85% in the US (Cisco).
• The average CTR of display ads is .06% (HubSpot).
• The CTR for native ads is more than double regular display ads: .33% for mobile, .16% desktop (Business Insider).
• Users who are retargeted to are 70% more likely to convert (HubSpot).

Stay Resolved in 2017

These statistics can help you see a clear way forward into the New Year. The biggest takeaway may be that traditional digital marketing’s effectiveness is waning: without retargeting, display and banner ads just don’t compel like they used to. Mobile, email, influencer and content marketing are all vital parts of a successful marketing strategy, each promising a better ROI than traditional PPC alone.