Marketers struggling to improve website design? 

Some marketers are finding it difficult to keep up with the latest trends when it comes to internet campaigns, eMarketer has suggested. The site revealed that even integrating social media into website design is proving a task for some companies, despite it being in existence for a few years now.

It referred to a recent survey from the Creative Group, which identified that 65 per cent of marketing executives are finding it hard to keep up with the latest goings-on in the advertising world. Many firms have experts in-house to deal with the pitfalls of staying up-to-date with trends, but there is still a need for employees to be in the know, eMarketer emphasised.

Knowing how to integrate trends such as social media into a company website is no easy task, especially for those who struggle to get to grips with its general mechanics. "Marketing has always been a field with a constant learning curve, but the shifts taking place today are occurring more quickly, making it especially challenging to keep pace," noted Donna Farrugia, executive director of the Creative Group.

The company revealed that only a few firms actually rely on social media as part of their website design, with many instead marketing themselves externally through conferences and industry events. Writing blogs was also found not to be an integral part of web design for many of the firms surveyed, with just seven per cent regularly updating visitors to their sites.

"Many marketers are aware of broad social media trends, but they need nuts-and-bolts information on how to most effectively use new channels," commented Ms Farrugia.

The rise of social media marketing budgets represents the biggest opportunity for search marketers this year, a recent study from the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organisation has revealed.

 
Friday, August 20 2010 by Mark Williams

Living Streams "Improving clients' profitability through better use of the internet".