The CEO gives an interesting quote, stating “2010 marks the start of the digital decade for marketing” with the study going on to show that 66% of all those surveyed are planning to invest in social media marketing in the coming 12 months. The report also touches upon the growth of social media monitoring, with almost 40% of respondents intending to spend on social media tracking tools as we enter the new decade.

Alterian reflects upon the growing understanding that a forward thinking marketing strategy now has to listen to potential customers, especially if a ROI in social media is to be realised, with marketers now being required to appeal to customers at a one-to-one level. A growing power shift that is seeing more control in the hands of the consumer as networks of friends and influence continue to evolve over social networks.

For a full breakdown and details of the survey, sign up here.

The charts below show the most important technologies and tools to businesses over the period 2007 to 2009.

We can see that blogs, video sharing, microblogs and wikis have all seen a sizeable jump over the two year period, some even coming from nowhere to become a valuable business tool today.

The report makes for a very interesting read and examines the benefits that greater use of these technologies can provide, we’d recommend checking out the full analysis here and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Ellen is an author from North Yorkshire in the UK, who is currently working on the follow-up to her 2006 novel Beautiful Strangers. To catch up on the latest from Ellen be sure to check her blog, which can be found here : http://www.ellendean.blogspot.com/