Justifying Social Marketing Spending

With economic turbulence causing executives to tighten marketing budgets, interactive marketing professionals have to go the extra mile to justify their investments. While only 31% of social marketers plan to increase their social marketing budgets by more than 10% in 2009, social media should be part of all marketers' plans, particularly tactics that are free or require more time than budget. Social marketers should concentrate on using the inexpensive and free tools that energize their active and influential customers and create a personal engaging experience in an unsettling market, resulting in success toward the back of the traditional marketing funnel.