While people were surfing the web and scrolling through social media on their couches plenty before 2020, the pandemic helped drive home just how vital it is for businesses to connect with people — from prospects to customers, candidates, and subscribers — virtually using inbound marketing. There are numerous inbound marketing ROI statistics to show just how successful it’s been for many companies in complex industries.
An inbound marketing strategy revolves around meaningful content for the right target audience, and that content generates attention and can be shared easily. It takes on a “Field of Dreams” quality: Build it and they will come (albeit with a sound inbound strategy behind it).
This may seem more obvious with B2C marketing methods, but it applies to B2B marketing as well. Many companies allowed people to work from home these last couple of years, and just like many people, a lot of companies had to conduct business virtually. Plus, with so many B2B buyers on computers all day, it just makes sense to meet them where they are.
This all makes the inbound methodology more vital than ever for businesses, and we’ve found 11 inbound marketing statistics to show it.
What Inbound Marketing Strategies and Media are Businesses Using?
It’s important to see the current state of inbound marketing and how it’s implemented. After all, a good business needs to know what marketing efforts others in their industry (or even any industry) are doing. These statistics from HubSpot demonstrate what businesses are using to draw in potential customers — and how well it’s working.1
- 82% of marketers actively use content marketing
- 70% of respondents currently use Account Based Marketing (ABM)
- 82% of respondents said their company invests in social media marketing
- 69% of marketers invested in SEO for 2021
- 77% of companies saw more engagement from email marketing over the previous 12 months
- Videos, blogs, and infographics (in that order) were the top three forms of media used within content strategy in 2021
- Over 40% of respondents said their marketing strategy is “very effective,” while just under 25% said their marketing strategy is “extremely effective.” Respondents who said their strategy wasn’t effective at all or only “slightly effective” were below 5%
As opposed to traditional outbound marketing methods that largely impose marketing on people, inbound marketing leverages buying behavior in order to attract, engage, and delight them. Inbound enhances the buying journey instead of interrupting it, and these inbound marketing statistics show what’s been useful and where you need to be to meet your marketing goals.
Read more: The Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Marketing
B2B Stats & Info That Demonstrate Inbound Marketing ROI
Breaking it down into how one business works with another business on any given solution, a recent Demand Gen survey provides more insight into B2B current marketing trends. Take a look at these statistics from the Demand Gen report.2
- The first step in the buying process for respondents was conducting anonymous research on possible solutions
- 56% said web search was the first resource that informed them about solutions
- 65% said easy access to relevant content that spoke directly to their company was the top criterion they looked for when visiting a website for a possible provider of their solution
- 79% of respondents said the winning vendor’s content had a significant impact on their buying decision
56% of respondents in a 2021 Demand Gen survey said web search was the first resource that informed them about solutions, and 79% said the winning vendor’s content had a significant impact on their buying decision.
What Conclusions Can be Made from Current Inbound Marketing Statistics?
That first B2B statistic — conducting anonymous research as step one for finding solutions — speaks volumes of where customers begin on their buyer journey. Where are people often getting started on their research? Firing up the ol’ Google machine and asking a question, hoping for and even expecting an answer.
That’s where content enters the fray. If you don’t create engaging and relevant content that matches your customers’ needs, they won’t find you. Want to be found easier? Make sure that content is optimized for the search engines — another inbound marketing aspect crucial to achieving the ROI noted in the above statistics.
Do you see where this is all going? Building an engaging and resourceful online presence with a great website, relevant content, email campaigns, and an active social media presence are all components of the inbound marketing philosophy, and they’re part of what’s helping businesses find marketing success today.
The picture these stats paint: If you’re not using inbound marketing tactics, you’re falling behind.
More Information about Inbound Marketing
Still have questions after reviewing all these inbound marketing statistics? Check out our guide, Answers to the Top 15 Questions About Inbound Marketing, to learn more and what it could all mean for your company.
Sources:
1 HubSpot, Not Another State of Marketing Report, 2021
2 Demand Gen, B2B Buyers Survey Report, June 2021
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