Are you looking to shorten the sales cycle for your business in 2014?
Are you looking to take more of a strategic approach to marketing that can be analyzed and measured?
Would you be interested in reducing your lead generation costs by 62% in 2014?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, inbound marketing (also referred to as content marketing) might be right for you and your business. Inbound marketing has certainly been a buzzword for 2013, but for good reason because it is the marketing of the future.
Actually, content marketing is nothing new, in fact, John Deere started using content marketing in 1895 when he published a magazine called The Furrow. The goal of the magazine was to seen as a resource for their customers.
The Furrow had educational content and focused on teaching farmers how to be more fruitful business owners. The magazine now has a 1.5 million circulation in 40 countries and 12 different languages.
Well, I could sit here and write my opinions or I could share some numbers (proof) with you. Here you go…
5 Reasons Why Inbound Marketing Is Right For Your Business
Inbound marketing attracts 54% more leads than outbound marketing
After that number, do I really need to go any further? Inbound leads are much different as they are coming to you, it’s the ultimate positioning tool. These leads found you via search engines, social media, video or any other online platform. [source: WebDAM]
70% of all links clicked on Google are organic, not paid (Adwords)
Content is king. Creating educational, valuable content that your audience is already searching for. Content lasts for years, Adwords is a monthly bill you have to pay for. Once you turn it off, it’s over. [source: Marketing Sherpa]
Implementing an inbound marketing strategy is an investment in your business and an asset that works for your business. Paid content is an ongoing expense.
Businesses with websites of 401-1000 pages generate 6x more leads than those with 51-100 pages
Each blog post is a new page on your website. Each landing page is also another page on your website, too. The more pages you have out there, the more likely you are to be found by potential customers. Blogs give websites 434% more indexed pages and 97% more indexed links. [source: Hubspot]
Google recently released a new algorithm update called Hummingbird and it focuses on great content. Create great content and you WILL BE rewarded with increased rankings/visibility on the search engine.
Currently this site has 748 pages.
The average cost of an inbound marketing lead is 61% lower than the cost of an outbound lead
Not only does inbound marketing generate more leads that are more qualified, they also cost a lot less. In 2012, the average cost of an outbound lead was $346, while the average cost of an inbound lead was $135. [source: Hubspot]
B2B blogs of 1-2 times a month generate more leads than those who don’t blog
Put in the bare minimum effort and you will increase your leads dramatically. [source: Hubspot]
Conclusion
Numbers don’t lie. Investing in an inbound marketing strategy for 2014 is an investment that will return a positive return on investment, slash acquisition costs and increase your bottom line profits.