New research has found that in the age of ‘content overload’, consumers are doing everything that they can do to avoid being marketed to

A survey from Manchester-based marketing agency, I-COM, discovered that almost half of consumers (49%) now use an adblocker when browsing the web, and 34% use a dummy email address to prevent themselves from having to hand over personal information to brands.

The survey asked internet shoppers about the different ways they want to engage with brands, and revealed the marketing techniques that are driving them to shop elsewhere.

Email marketing was by far the most popular way in which the 608 survey participants wanted to be communicated with, chosen by 81% of respondents. Although widely used, social media ads were one of the least popular, with Facebook ads only being chosen by 6%, beaten even by traditional methods of receiving marketing correspondence in the post (7%).

Engage, don’t enrage

I-COM has released a whitepaper that explores the new findings: the ‘Engage, Don’t Enrage’ report explores the techniques that consumers are most likely to engage with, and details what brands can be doing to make sure they don’t lose valuable customers.

Mike Blackburn, Managing Director of I-COM, said: “Many digital marketing articles seem to focus on tricking consumers into making a snap decision or parting with their information. While there are short-term advantages to be had from this approach, tricks are not a good base strategy for brands looking to build a long-term sustainable relationship with their market.

Advertising, a dirty word

“We conducted this research to understand how consumers feel about various online marketing strategies so that brands can better align their activities to what their potential customers want. Advertising doesn’t have to be a dirty word and is most effective when delivered in a way that supports the decision-making process of the customer and is not overly intrusive.”

To find out more about the ways your marketing practices could be holding you back, download the whitepaper here –

https://www.i-com.net/blog/whitepaper-how-users-perceive-your-marketing-efforts