Survey finds increased SaaS use in marketing

A recent survey conducted by Big Blue Moose, a digital media consulting firm, found that an overwhelming majority of respondents are using SaaS products for their marketing efforts, including web analytics and web content management. The survey was underwritten by CrownPeak, a company that provides web content management in a SaaS model.

Before you conclude that the survey was a self-fulling prophecy, consider that Ian Truscott, a Gilbane analyst, has seen a similar trend among his customers. Truscott said in the report, "We've been observing the trend for our clients to reach for SaaS solutions for some time. These and other services available outside the server room are an increasingly essential part of the marketer's solution palette as they strive for agility."

So how pervasive was SaaS use in the marketing department? Of the 105 people who responded to the online survey--72 percent of whom said they were in a marketing function--over half said more than 50 percent of their digital marketing tools were delivered as SaaS. When asked to specify which tools they used, by the far most was 91 percent using web analytics, followed by 62 percent using CRM. Forty-three percent used a SaaS web content management system. The survey report did not provide details about respondent's company size.

When asked which tools they believe would have the biggest impact on marketing strategy, web analytics at 67 percent and web content management at 57 percent were by far the highest responses. The question did not take into account the delivery model.

It's important to remember this was an online survey, and the results aren't scientific by any means. It's hard to know if the respondents were unusually vested in SaaS, or if this represents and actual trend. But if it is close to reflecting a general trend, then it seems that marketing is leading the way in adopting SaaS solutions for managing their web properties and marketing efforts online.

For more information:
- download the full report on the CrownPeak website