Not Surprising But Good to Know
This chart from Hubspot’s 2011 State of Inbound Marketing Report shows that marketers value “inbound leads” more then “outbound” leads. I guess this can be used by marketers when deciding where to spend money and determine what tactics to use when executing a marketing strategy. But, that’s pretty much all this does for me to be honest.
Some Thoughts To Consider
- Breaking down “lead sources” based on a specific tactic like social media doesn’t tell the full story. Why? Because, there is hardly ever ONE source of a lead. What needs to be measured is the ROI of a program not a single tactic
- Consider doing stuff that most people aren’t and tie tactics together. For example send a direct mailer that promotes a social media driven contest. Use forms with special codes to measure the effectiveness of this dual tactic program
- Blogs fall under social media, but I like the fact they’ve separated it in this chart. Other charts, which I’ll feature in future posts, show whether leads are being generated via Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook. You can access their report here though.
- It’s important that a “lead” is accurately defined. A lead could be a contact within a company or it could be a qualified opportunity that is ready to buy your service/solution (if you’re this late in the buying process you likely won’t win the deal though)
What’s your take on this chart and the value of an inbound vs. outbound lead? Is this too specific given the realities of the buying cycle and the multiple touches and connections buyers make with your company and vica versa? Let us know your thoughts below, or join the Mi6 Marketing Professionals Peer Network Linkedin Private Group and discuss this with me and other marketing professionals.