Data & Intelligence | by Danny Meadows-Klue

Are marketers putting their budgets in the right place? That's the question we're asking after collating May's research tracking the growth in web audiences. The average Brit spends over 22 hrs online each month, and many social groups spend much more.

45% of this time is taken by top 10 sites in the UK, leaving the next 7,600 sites collectively fighting for the remaining audience minutes (excluding the myriad tiny sites deep in the long tail).

The implication? There are massive opportunities for smarter media planning but marketers are easily out of touch with their customers. Look at where a firm's marketing energy is focussed, and there's often disproportionate time and money in classic media, direct mail and below-the-line activity. Our tip: audit the cost-per-customer for each impact in each channel. Not only could you be in for a real surprise, but when marketing budgets are tight that can be your roadmap for where to make the cuts.

For more about auditing the effectiveness of your marketing, email me back, and in the meantime let me know if you'd like any more on this month's research.

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