Inbound Marketing: Fact or Fiction?

By Nancy LeVasseur

Last time, we talked about inbound marketing and its focus on attracting new prospects and leads by providing helpful, meaningful information, (via your website) to the people who need your products and services.

We also noted that inbound marketing is client-centered and emphasizes providing solutions to your clients’ and future clients’ most important challenges.

But does it work?

Here’s what the Inbound Marketing pundits are reporting! 

• Inbound marketing produces 54% more leads into the marketing funnel than traditional outbound leads.
• 41% of marketers who adjusted their budgets did so because of past success with inbound.
• 48% of marketers plan on increasing their IM budgets in 2013.
• This marks the 3^rd year in a row that inbound marketing budgets are increasing at or near a 50% pace ( “2013 State of Inbound Marketing Report,”  HubSpot.com.)

Success breeds success! In other words, it’s working for businesses that have actively embraced the principles of IM. Those companies that have bought in to this relatively new concept are having success and are building on that success.

Can I measure my ROI? 

• 41% of those who participated in Hubspot’s survey (Jan. 31^st - Feb. 14^th) reported that inbound marketing produces measurable ROI.
• 79%of companies that blog report a positive ROI this year, compared to just 20% of companies who do not blog.
• 82% of marketers who blog daily acquire a customer using their blog, as opposed to 57% of marketers who blog monthly.

Take aways . . .

Get on board! It’s not too late to get started with an inbound marketing strategy. This is a relatively new approach to marketing, and you could still be the first one in your industry to take a significant lead over your competitors.

Don’t wait for your leads to dry up before shifting your marketing efforts to inbound marketing. If you want more leads, that are more qualified, and are cheaper than using traditional marketing methods, don’t wait any longer!

Have you gotten started with your inbound marketing campaign?