• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, April 6, 2015

According to the newly released DMA 2015 Response Rate Report, the modern marketer is a multichannel strategist, relying most heavily on email, direct mail, and social media, with 65% of respondents using two or more media types in their marketing campaigns, and 44% reporting they use three or more. Of the seven key channels examined (Mobile, Email, Online Display, Paid Search, Telephone, and Direct Mail), Email ranked at the top, with 83% of respondents reporting they used the channel in their marketing campaigns.

Jerry Rackley, chief analyst for Demand Metric, partnering with DMA on the report, says “… most organizations do not rely on any single type of media or channel for their campaigns… 35% of the respondents most often use only email, and the 44% of the respondents using three or more are most likely to use email, direct mail and social media…”  

While mobile is not yet fully utilized by marketers, it shows the greatest promise for growth over the next 12 months, with 73% of respondents indicating plans to increase their usage. Moreover, the mobile channel is rarely used on its own. The study found that 98% of mobile users employ at least three types of media in their campaigns, and 65% use at least five. 

Gina Scala, DMA’s vice president, education & professional development, says “… consumers expect to explore products, perform research, and engage with merchants across a wide range of tools and channels before completing a purchase… marketers have therefore intensified their efforts to connect with consumers at as many key touchpoints as possible…”

Social media is projected as the second fastest growing media type in this survey, with 64% of respondents planning to increase usage in the next 12 months.  It also has one of the lowest cost per acquisition of all the media covered, says the report. 

This 2015 Response Rate Report is based on data from an online survey deployed from December, 2014 to January 2015. Respondents were garnered from both the DMA and Demand Metric communities. The survey experienced a 44% completion rate. The media types covered in this report include email, direct mail, paid search, internet display ads, social media ads, telephone and mobile. This is the first year that social media advertising has been included in this report.

The complete report is available at the DMA bookstore for purchase.