Inbound marketing - on an upswing

A recent survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid revealed that some 66% of senior managers are highly interested in digital marketing, an increase of 10% over last year. Marketers in 2011 will embrace Inbound marketing as they continue to shift their budgets towards online media because it’s perceived as a cost-effective way to reach customers. The shift to digital continues to effect ‘traditional’ or ‘outbound marketing’ tactics and channels. In the same survey, some 34% of marketers surveyed believe that “spending on TV will decrease over the next two years” as budgets continue to shift from radio, TV and print to Inbound marketing tactics.

The shift to Inbound marketing tactics continues -

If the Inbound marketing shift is new to you or you’re still on the fence, here’s more proof that comes from the good folks at Marketing Sherpa. The growing trend of utilizing Inbound marketing tactics is demonstrated in a chart that I pulled from their 2011 B2B Marketing Benchmark report that examined marketing tactics that work most effective for organizations.

Here’s how the chart scored from most effective marketing tactics to least effective:

1.) Website design, management and optimization (Inbound marketing)

2.) Visual events, webinars (Inbound marketing)

3.) Email marketing (Inbound marketing)

4.) Search engine optimization (SEO) (Inbound marketing)

5.) Telemarketing (Traditional outbound marketing)

6.) Public relations (Traditional outbound marketing)

7.) Tradeshows (Traditional outbound marketing)

8.) Paid search PPI (Inbound marketing)

9.) Direct mail (Traditional outbound marketing)

10) Social media (Inbound marketing)

11.) Print advertising (Traditional outbound marketing)

Note that the top four tactics are Inbound marketing in nature while two of the three least effective tactics are traditional outbound marketing tactics. Marketing Sherpa rightfully noted that Social Media is undervalued in terms of effectiveness and this is a result of the infancy of this marketing tactic and the low level of experience organizations have in execution when compared to more seasoned marketing tactics.

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