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10 Statistics Explaining Why you Should be Doing Inbound Marketing in 2016

• Craig Wilson
• November 30, 2015

Are you still marketing the old-fashioned way?

If your business isn’t already using inbound marketing to attract leads and customers, now is the time to start.

Inbound marketing according to Wikipedia:

“refers to marketing activities that bring visitors in, rather than marketers having to go out to get prospects’ attention. Inbound marketing earns the attention of customers, makes the company easy to be found, and draws customers to the website by producing interesting content.”

So in other words, if you are marketing your business using elements like search engine optimisation, social media, blog posts, podcasts and video posts, you are already inbound marketing.  If, however, you’re still working with the more traditional methods of marketing such as cold calling or sending out physical flyers, you’re doing old fashioned, less-effective outbound marketing and you should consider phasing these things out.

If you’re still not fully convinced, the team at Precision Marketing Group in the USA compiled a great list of statistics explaining why you should be doing inbound marketing.

1. 84% of B2B marketers use social media in some form. (Source: Aberdeen Group): Honestly, this reason alone should convince your business to begin inbound marketing.  Social media is a main component of people’s everyday lives and since the main goal of a business is to reach out to people, you need to be where they are.  It’s time to fire up Facebook or Twitter and start interacting with your customers.
2. 80% of business decision makers prefer to get information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. (Source: Exact Target): At one time, print advertisements told enough about a product, company or service to help people make a decision.  Nowadays, people want more information to help them make a decision and writing articles is the best way to get that done.
3. Articles with images get over 94% more views than those without an image. (Source: Jeff Bullas): Sure, the best way to convey information about a product, company or service is through an article with concrete facts.  But as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.  It conveys what words cannot and an article is more eye-catching if it has images included in it.  So, add some images to your next articles and rake in the views!
4. Marketers who have prioritized blogging are 13 times more likely to enjoy positive ROI from inbound marketing. (Source: HubSpot): You might think writing a blog would add nothing to your business in the long run, but wrong you are.  There are blogs for every subject out there and they are quite the marketing tool.  You’ll be surprised to find that blogging about your business will give you quite the return on your investment and be well worth the time to do.
5. Relevant emails drive 18 times more revenue than broadcast emails. (Source: Jupiter Research): This means if you want to make email one of your business’s marketing tools, you should not spam customers with irrelevant email messages.  Take the time to write a custom email to your customers that has relevant information they can use.
6. Companies that blog typically receive 97% more inbound links. (Source: HubSpot): According to seomarketingworld.com, “inbound links are defined as links found elsewhere on the internet that direct users to your site only…  [They] are the number one factor in Google’s determination of your Page Rank.”  Obviously, you’re going to want your business to make the first page of hits in a Google search.  Blogging can help with that.  By regularly publishing and promoting fresh, valuable and innovative blog content you will inspire others to build upon it within their own articles and posts (as we have done here).
7. 79% of marketing leads never convert into sales. (Source: MarketingSherpa): Why is this the case?  According to precisionmarketinggroup.com, this is due to “a lack of nurturing.”  Not showing any outward interest in the lead other than to get a sale isn’t wise.  Get to know the people behind the lead and their business.  You’ll not only get the sale but the respect and friendship of others as well.
8. Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads. (Source: The Annuitas Group): Piggybacking off the previous statistic, form relationships with the people you are marketing with and getting leads from.  Your sales and credibility will shoot way up as a result.
9. 88% of B2B Marketers cite case studies as the most effective form of content marketing. (Source: Content Marketing Institute): When B2B buyers look into your business, they want to make sure your business has satisfied customers and that you have experience in taking care of their needs.  Case studies are a good way to get these points and more across to other businesses.  They validate your products and/or services and the information you are presenting to visitors on your website and throughout your other marketing channels.
10. 93% of business buyers use search to begin the buying process. (Source: Marketo): This is pretty self-explanatory but Google is an essential tool for business buyers as well as consumers.  They often like doing their own research on businesses.  Make sure you give them the right information through inbound marketing to make their job easier.

Sticky is one of Australia’s leading inbound marketing agencies, helping clients attract more business through smarter, more cost-effective marketing. Let us know if you’d like to chat about how we can help you.