Inbound consistently delivers a dramatically lower cost per lead than outbound.

When it comes to ad agency new business, blogs and social media can deliver inbound leads for less

I often say, “people want to work with other people that they KNOW, TRUST and LIKE”. Social media is an efficient and affordable way to build new business relationships quickly. Please call me Will Corry - the UK Content Curator, 01784 434 412 if you need more information.

HubSpot’s latest 2011 “State of Inbound Marketing Report” is now available for download.

According to research from inbound marketing solutions provider HubSpot, businesses dominated by inbound marketing have a 62% lower cost per lead than firms that do mostly outbound marketing.

Inbound marketing refers to efforts that provide web users with information or tools of value to them, as opposed to outbound or interruptive marketing that pushes messages in front of them.
Traditional outbound marketing techniques for ad agency new business – including direct mail and cold calling – are becoming less effective. Your prospects have the capability to evaluate agency services on their own.
Inbound marketing offers your audience useful information and tools that attract prospective clients to your site, while interacting and developing relationships. Inbound marketing tools include blogging, content publishing, search engine optimization and social media.

New study : More than half of respondents (57 percent) say blogs have led to new customer acquisitions / Will Corry

This year, marketers will dedicate 41 percent of lead generation budgets to inbound marketing and just 24 percent to outbound marketing.

Hubspot's State of Inbound Marketing survey asked nearly 700 professionals about their businesses' marketing strategies, and the overall conclusion of the study is that blogs are generating real customers. Plus, the majority of marketers reported that blog leads are below the average cost of leads from other channels.

More than half of respondents (57 percent) say blogs have led to new customer acquisitions. This shows that blogs are becoming increasingly effective in generating convertible leads, supporting Brafton's earlier report that blogs impact nearly one-quarter of consumers' purchase decisions.

Consequently, marketers are allocating significantly more of their lead generation budgets to social platforms, including blogs, this year. Companies' budget spend on blogs and social media has doubled from 9 percent in 2009 to 18 percent in 2011.

Of course, creating blogs that will convert readers is an investment. Nearly 90 percent of the marketers who acquire customers via blogs say they post fresh content multiple times per day, and more than three-quarters (76 percent) say they post at least two to three times per week.

Businesses may consider outsourcing their blog marketing in order to produce content at comparable rates and achieve successful lead generation. As Brafton has reported, marketers cite finding the time to create original content as one of the leading challenges to effective content marketing.The gap between the two strategies demonstrates a significant year-over-year increase, and this is likely because inbound marketing – particularly via corporate blogs – is proving to generate more sales for lower costs.

via brafton.com

We at theMarketingblog can create the right quality of content for you with our new LinkedIn Group sites plan. Take some time out to call us now ...Will Corry 01784 434 412 UK will@themarketingblog.co.uk Your time will be well spent! 

LinkedIn Is More Effective for B2B Companies

The latest findings from HubSpot's 2011 State of Inbound Marketing report show that the effectiveness of particular social media channels varies according to the type of business.The study surveyed over 600 professionals knowledgeable about their company's marketing strategy.

Facebook is clearly more effective for B2C businesses and LinkedIn is clearly more effective for B2B businesses.