Online Lead Generation accounts for almost half of B2C sales as marketing budgets grow in line with use of multi-media

• Econsultancy global research report reveals that 65 per cent of respondents have increased their Online Lead Generation budget spend in 2010
• Report shows dramatic rise – up to 66 per cent – use social media as marketing tool
• But only 15 per cent wholeheartedly use social media over the long term to nurture sales

New York, 23 September 2010 – New global research carried out by Econsultancy for Clash-Media, the leading international Online Lead Generation (OLG) company, shows that OLG is responsible for 42 per cent of consumer sales. As companies look to move out of 'recession mode', the number of respondents who said that Online Lead Generation budgets have increased has risen from 59 per cent in 2009 to 65 per cent in 2010. In addition there is a rise from 70 per cent to 81 per cent of organizations that generate leads online with the intention of converting them offline.

The proportion of organizations that are now spending annually more than $150,000 on OLG increased from 21 per cent to 38 per cent over the same period, as companies are beginning to increase their marketing budgets in a bid to reap the benefits of OLG across multiple channels. The report shows the proportion of companies using social media has risen from 40 per cent in 2009 to 66 per cent this year, but also shows that only a significant minority - 15 per cent - were using social media to effectively nurture and generate sales on a long term basis, instead of only regarding social media as a short-term sales tool.

Ed Bussey, CEO, Clash-Media said: "An increase in the take-up of Online Lead Generation as we exit the recession is demonstrating that OLG is of growing importance to advertisers seeking a clear return on investment from their marketing budget. And as communication across social media becomes the norm, OLG has a lot to offer businesses looking to increase contact with potential customers by enabling companies to adapt and offer specific products and services tailored to consumers' needs."

"With Online Lead Generation contributing such a huge return in sales figures, companies have begun to realize the power of social media to connect with their potential customer base. But whilst companies have been quick to use social media, many are using them as short-term marketing tools and have yet to realize the benefits of nurturing such channels longer term," Ed Bussey concluded.

Econsultancy’s Online Lead Generation (B2C) Report is sponsored by lead generation specialist Clash-Media for the fourth year running. More than 500 advertisers, agencies and publishers took part in the global survey which was backed by the Performance Marketing Association (PMA) in the United States and the IAB UK. For more information on the report go to: http://econsultancy.com/uk/reports/online-lead-generation-report

Clash-Media delivers a global and fully transparent Online Lead Generation service that connects advertisers with consumers. It is a full-circle data solution that collects and manages customer data for its clients, producing qualified leads in line with advertisers' exact specifications to deliver an optimized return on investment. Clash-Media provides its clients with a centralized managed service to support any lead generation campaign. It has established a wide global network of partners that enables it to operate in any market around the world, and its quality control processes and technologies maintain the highest standard of lead generation.

_{About Econsultancy:
Econsultancy is an independent community-based publisher, focused on best practice digital marketing and e-commerce. It helps its members build their internal capabilities via a combination of research reports and how-to guides, training and development, face-to-face conferences, forums and professional networking.}

_{For the last 10 years, its resources have helped members learn, make better decisions, build business cases, find the best suppliers, accelerate their careers and lead the way in best practices and innovation.}

_{Contact:
Duncan Burford
IBA - PR for Clash-Media
Tel: 561 228 1940
Email: dburford@iba-international.com}

_{Linus Gregoriadis
Director of Research, Econsultancy
Tel: 0207 268 1465
Email: linus.gregoriadis@econsultancy.com}

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