Though distribution in general lags other business segments in marketing satisfaction and capabilities, the industry's highest performing companies are making gains by increasing their digital marketing efforts, according to 2016 State of Distributor Marketing: Top Performers Shift to Online.

"Marketing practices are changing rapidly in distribution," said the article's author, Jonathan Bein, Real Results Marketing. "Customers require a more efficient shopping and buying experience, and interactions that take five to 10 minutes instead of an hour will rule the day. This means a move away from in-store marketing vehicles toward digital."

The industry as a whole is moving that way, albeit slowly. A higher percentage of companies are using electronic/digital vehicles on a daily or weekly basis now than in 2011 – the first year of the joint MDM-Real Results annual marketing survey.

And respondents who said they were highly satisfied with their marketing programs dis­played clear differences in their marketing practices, most noticeably in digital marketing vehicles where companies are giving daily or weekly attention to email, search and social me­dia.

But other respondents said they aren’t devoting as much attention to digital, while some aren't using it with the proper frequency. Less than half of all companies achieve the best practice of using email marketing daily or weekly; one-third of companies use it monthly.

Distributors that hope to compete – and in some cases survive – must establish and improve capabilities in the digital marketing, as well as inside sales and telesales, according to Bein. That's where the customers are increasingly going to be, so you need to be there, as well.

Read more about how companies are addressing their marketing needs and where they should focus their efforts in 2016 State of Distributor Marketing: Top Performers Shift to Online.