U.S. trades rarely report on British direct marketing, and they report even less on B2B. Thus, we clicked right through when a survey called the B2B Barometer hit our inbox.

Of the 2,000 executives polled by the Institute of Direct Marketing, 65% expect to increase their social media spending, and 53% are budgeting more for email advertising. Web advertising was cited by 49%.

Those numbers show that our British cousins are not very different from us.

But some of the findings are contradictory. For example, 80% put trade media ahead of Web sites as a source of some information, and the same percentage disagree that digital media will make print advertising obsolete.

That nostalgia isn’t reflected in actual spending patterns. The report foresees a 22% drop in print advertising. And it predicts a 13% falloff in trade shows and a 10% drop in direct mail.

Here are a few other gleanings:

*65% feel the downturn will last from one to two years.

*The report foresees a 5% uptick in outsourcing.

*33% plan to put their focus on acquiring new customers.

*20% will focus on retention.

*57% are paying equal attention on both.

Keep these stats in mind if you’re planning to enter the British market.