Lack of ROI hits nearly a third

Nearly a third of marketers still do not have the ability to measure return on marketing investment, according to a damning new report which claims outdated systems integration is continuing to hamper the industry.
The study by Black Ink, makes worrying reading proponents of direct marketing, given the fact that ROI is the lifeblood of the DM sector.
According to the report, while 73% of respondents deem measuring ROI as “very important”, 29% of the senior marketing leaders surveyed admit that they do not currently measure marketing ROI.
Data seems to be the culprit behind this ROI rift, as 60% of respondents cite the lack of marketing data integration as the top hindrance, followed by 53% of respondents citing data accuracy or marketing data not translating into financial data as challenges.
Data also appears to haunt those marketers who do measure ROI: 51% of those respondents cite the process of collecting marketing data as an obstacle, and 38% cite customer integration and connecting marketing metrics to financial as top hurdles marketers have to overcome.
Even so, those marketers with measurement on their mind seem pleased with their results, as 44% of respondents who measure ROI are “satisfied” with their company’s capabilities.
Despite these barriers, marketers continue to see the value in tracking ROI. Some 82% of respondents say that the ability to make more informed decisions is the value of measuring marketing ROI, and 79% say measuring ROI demonstrates effectiveness of marketing investments.