The all things marketing blog

These days, if you're talking about online marketing, you're really talking about inbound marketing. Inbound marketing is the best method anyone's found (yet!) for attracting customers to your website, and turning online leads into online sales.

However, some companies are still resistant to this change. Either they're still spending most of their budget on traditional outbound marketing, or else they just haven't seen the need to transition into inbound marketing yet.

If you're among them, here are ten facts about inbound marketing that might help you see why you need to embrace Internet marketing before it's too late.

1. On average, an inbound lead costs 61% less than an outbound lead.

2. Inbound Marketing can provide up to 55% greater rates of lead conversion.

3. Facebook alone is expected to have over one billion accounts by the end of 2012.

4. Over two-thirds of the entire Internet population will be using Social Media this year.

5. Over half of Facebook users who “Like” a company will go on to buy from them or recommend them.

6. According to Hubspot, 92% of companies who blog more than once a day have gotten at least one customer through their blog.

7. Online shopping is steadily on the rise in South Africa as well as the rest of the world.

8. Participatory inbound marketing, such as Facebook posts and blog comments, lead directly to greater appreciation among customers.

9. In a Hubspot survey, 89% of businesses are either increasing or maintaining their Inbound Marketing budgets.

10. 62% of companies surveyed in 2011 report that social media is of growing importance as a source of leads, and at the same time, 51% report that direct mail has become a less important source.

Key Takeaway: While outbound marketing may never go away entirely, more and more businesses today are moving away from it. Inbound marketing is cheaper, provides better leads, and gives you a direct method of communication with your passionate customers.