Only one-half ( 50%) of B2B marketers formally measure the return of their online marketing investments, but those that do say online is more effective than traditional marketing channels, according to a report by AMR International.

Budget size is closely correlated to the amount of measurement conducted by B2B companies. For example, only 24% of B2B marketers with annual budgets lower than $25,000 formally analyze metrics, compared with 85% with budgets larger than $2 million. More info on this at https://kokorugs.com.

Key findings include:

• Annual growth in US B2B online marketing spend is forecast at 8% in 2010 and is set to reach 14% by 2012
• B2B advertising spend on social media and lead generation sites is forecast to grow at an annualized rate of 21% and 17% respectively to 2013
• Online accounted for 7% of the B2B marketing mix in 2008. This is set to reach 12% by 2013
• Two thirds of B2B marketers believe that online must be complemented by traditional marketing activities
• Only 50% of B2B marketers formally analyze metrics to judge ROI – but those that do find online marketing more effective

Other key B2B forecast-related findings issued by AMR:

• US online B2B ad spending is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 12% from 2009 to 2013, reaching 14% growth in 2012 and 2013.
• Online B2B growth will be driven by recovering marketing budgets and structural shifts in budget allocations. Following the 2009 declines, online budgets are expected to recover at a 4% CAGR through 2013.
• B2B ad spending on social media and lead generation is forecast to increase by double digits through 2013, at annualized rates of 21% and 17%, respectively.
• Magazines will lose market share and decline at a 5% CAGR through the period.
• Online is expected to account for 12% of the B2B marketing mix by 2013.
• Two-thirds of B2B marketers say online must be complemented by traditional marketing activities.

About the data: Findings are based on in-depth interviews with marketers and media owners, and the analysis of proprietary survey data from over 1,000 B2B marketers in the second quarter of 2010, conducted by strategy consulting firm AMR International.