Colorado marketing and communications executives, challenged by tightening budgets, plan to lean heavily on social media and content marketing in 2014 to tell their stories, according to a new poll by the Business Marketing Association of Colorado (BMA Colorado) released today.

The poll of 139 Colorado-based marketing and communications professionals from a variety of industries revealed that although budgets and staff are limited for 2014, they are expected to break through the noise and make their companies stand out among competitors. The poll was commissioned by The Thread Summit, a forum of Colorado chief marketing officers and chief communication officers.

"Doing more with less is the challenge for Colorado communicators," said Anne McCarthy, founder of The Thread Summit. "Marketers and communicators who know how to leverage content and creatively and strategically tell their story through a selection of channels will have a competitive advantage."

The 2014 results are consistent with industry trends nationwide as growing competition and changes in technology continue to challenge marketing executives. Included among the BMA Colorado poll findings:

  • Most senior-level marketers believe social and digital channels are delivering the biggest bang for their marketing buck, followed by public relations activities, sponsorships and advertising.
  • The top three external marketing/communication challenges in 2013 were competition, technology and innovation.
  • LinkedIn is the social media platform used most often to engage with customers followed by Facebook and Twitter.
  • About half of the respondents indicated "big data/analytics" is of medium importance to them.
  • The favorite marketing buzzwords of 2013 include content marketing, integration and engagement.
  • The least favorite buzzwords from 2013 include big data, social media and content marketing.

Results of the poll, conducted in December 2013, are being used to guide themes, speakers and panels at The Thread Summit in Denver, Feb. 19-20, 2014. The Thread Summit is designed to provide an exclusive forum for Colorado chief marketing officers, chief communication officers and senior marketing and communication team members to exchange ideas, share relevant experiences and create a professional network to fuel business performance. To learn more about The Thread Summit or to register, visit www.ThreadSummit.com, or follow the Summit on Twitter (@ThreadSummit) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/ThreadSummit.)

Sponsors of The Thread Summit event include FleishmanHillard, Westmeath Global Communications, GroundFloor Media, the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT), BMA Colorado, Colorado Innovation Network (COIN), J&S Audio Visual, the Grand Hyatt Denver, CH2M HILL and StickyDocs.

GroundFloor Media
Wendy Artman, 303-865-8137
wartman@groundfloormedia.com