Fat chance. But I had you nervous, didn’t I? Only if you’re an inbound marketer. But, if you’re an inbound marketer, you also know that I semi-click baited you with this blog title, because there’s no way we’re all going to be jobless, begging for leads on the streets with our cardboard CTA signs and tin cans.
Why? Because inbound marketing works. And if you won’t take my word for it (okay, maybe I lost your trust with the click bait), take a look at these stats:
-
With inbound marketing, one client averaged 24 leads/month versus an average of 9 leads per month after stopping inbound marketing campaigns, that’s over a 60% decrease in leads generated
-
Another client had an 88% decrease in leads generated year-over-year after stopping inbound marketing
-
Another client saw a 60% decrease in average monthly leads generated
-
After starting an inbound marketing campaign, other clients were able to increase traffic from 30-60% year-over-year and saw a subsequent 44% increase year over year in leads generated (and these are still campaigns that are in their infancy)
Do you see a trend here? These statistics were taken from real client portals – demonstrating just how effective inbound marketing can be. The cold, hard truth? If you decide inbound marketing isn’t for you and you say goodbye, you’re going to suffer. That’s not a threat, just the truth.
Inbound marketing can be notoriously slow-growth. It takes a lot of strategy and planning to eventually get to the good stuff. It’s an investment for the future. Think of it this way; inbound marketing is like gardening. You cultivate the land, plant the seeds, give plenty of water and sunlight, and eventually, a little seedling grows. That seedling then grows into a bulb, then a plant, then heck, maybe even a tree! Beautiful, right?
But, if you become impatient with your gardening and yank the seedling out of the ground before it grows into anything…well, you’re stupid. And a bad gardener.
In HubSpot’s 2015 State of Inbound report, they indicated that inbound campaigns have a much higher ROI than outbound. Additionally, companies that blog, on average, generate 67% more leads per month than those that don’t. Inbound leads cost 60% less than outbound leads, and 80% of business decision-makers prefer to get company information from helpful articles and other resources versus advertising.
Shall I continue? Or, have I regained your trust by now?
The fact of the matter is, no matter how you look at it, inbound marketing is a strategic bet that every organization should consider taking at some point. There is something to be said for a healthy mix of inbound and outbound marketing tactics, but taking inbound marketing completely out of the equation is just plain crazy!
So, are inbound marketers out of a job? No, no we are not. From the real-life statistics above, it’s clear that inbound marketing does work, regardless of the industry you’re in or the size of your company. And it’s also clear that companies will feel the devastating effects if they choose to let inbound marketing go.
So, embrace inbound marketing. Cultivate that land, plant your seeds, grow your campaign, and watch the leads roll in. Well, on second thought, maybe inbound marketers are actually leaving their jobs and becoming gardeners instead. Who would’ve thought?
If you're looking to make your life, your sales team's lives and your customers' lives easier by implementing inbound marketing, click here to schedule a conversation about what it takes.
