Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
Content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less
82% of marketers actively use content marketing as part of their marketing strategy
72% of marketers say that content marketing increases engagement and the number of leads
68% of online experiences begin with a search engine
53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic search
0.78% of Google searchers click on results from the second page
Companies that nurture leads make 50% more sales at a cost 33% less than non-nurtured leads
Email marketing returns $36 for every $1 spent
80% of new leads never translate into sales
Inbound marketing leads have a 14.6% close rate compared to 1.7% for outbound leads
41% of marketers say that inbound marketing generated measurable ROI for their company
Businesses that mainly rely on inbound marketing save more than $14 for every new customer acquired
81% of shoppers conduct online research before making big purchases
70% of consumers would rather learn about a company via articles than ads
42.7% of internet users worldwide use an ad blocker
Consumer Behavior & Trust
- 181% of shoppers conduct online research before making big purchases
- 270% of consumers would rather learn about a company via articles than ads
- 342.7% of internet users worldwide use an ad blocker
- 484% of people expect brands to produce content that entertains, provides solutions, and produces experiences and events
- 588% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- 657% of the purchase decision is complete before a customer even calls a supplier
- 786% of consumers prefer an authentic and honest brand personality on social networks
- 894% of consumers have discontinued communications with a company because of irrelevant promotions
- 977% of online customers prefer permission-based marketing via email
- 1054% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support
- 11Average users spend 88% more time on a website with video
- 1273% of consumers say that a good experience is key in influencing their brand loyalties
- 1361% of people are more likely to buy from companies that deliver custom content
- 1490% of consumers find custom content useful
- 1592% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know
- 1675% of consumers expect a consistent experience across every channel they choose to engage
- 1748% of consumers start mobile research with a search engine
- 18Customers who have a positive experience are 3x more likely to recommend a brand to a friend
- 1964% of consumers will avoid buying from a brand after a bad experience
- 2074% of people are likely to switch brands if they find the purchasing process too difficult
Interpretation
Think of customers as picky librarians: they research obsessively before big purchases, prefer learning about companies through articles rather than ads, and increasingly block interruptions, so they reward honest, entertaining, solution-focused, personalized content and video delivered with permission and consistency across channels, trust reviews and friends, and will champion brands that make buying effortless while abandoning those that annoy, confuse, or feel inauthentic.
Content Strategy & Creation
- 1Content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less
- 282% of marketers actively use content marketing as part of their marketing strategy
- 372% of marketers say that content marketing increases engagement and the number of leads
- 4Short-form video is the leveraging media format for 31% of global marketers
- 547% of buyers view three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales representative
- 6Companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more leads monthly than companies that do not blog
- 760% of marketers create at least one piece of content each day
- 8Interactive content generates 2x more conversions than passive content
- 973% of B2B marketers utilize case studies as a primary form of content
- 10Infographics are liked and shared on social media 3x more than any other type of content
- 1191% of B2B marketers use content marketing to reach customers
- 12Long-form blog posts generate 9x more leads than short-form blog posts
- 1356% of marketers engage with influencers to help create content
- 14Podcasts are used by 42% of B2B marketers as a content channel
- 1593% of marketers agree that interactive content is effective in educating its buyers
- 16Titles with 6-13 words attract the highest and most consistent amount of traffic
- 17Updating and republishing old blog posts can increase traffic by more than 100%
- 1861% of consumers have made a purchase after watching a video from a brand
- 1996% of B2B buyers want content with more input from industry thought leaders
- 20Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to see positive ROI
Interpretation
Think of content as the compounding interest of marketing: brands that consistently publish and update long-form blogs, short-form video, infographics, interactive case studies and thought-leader pieces, use smart six to thirteen word titles, collaborate with influencers and post regularly, earn far more leads at much lower cost, double conversions with interactive formats, dramatically increase traffic and engagement, and reach buyers who typically consume three to five pieces before contacting sales.
Lead Generation & Email
- 1Companies that nurture leads make 50% more sales at a cost 33% less than non-nurtured leads
- 2Email marketing returns $36 for every $1 spent
- 380% of new leads never translate into sales
- 4Automated emails generate 320% more revenue than non-automated emails
- 5Targeting users with content relevant to their position along the buying process yields 72% higher conversion rates
- 659% of B2B marketers say email is their most effective channel for revenue generation
- 7Segmented campaigns see as much as a 760% increase in revenue
- 8Addressing the recipient by name in an email increases the open rate
- 974% of marketers say targeted personalization increases customer engagement
- 1063% of leads who inquire about your business will not convert for at least three months
- 11Companies using marketing automation see 53% higher conversion rates
- 1268% of B2B companies use landing pages to garner a new sales lead for future conversion
- 13Lead nurturing can produce 47% larger purchases per transaction
- 1435% of B2B marketers have established a lead nurturing strategy
- 15Businesses that use marketing automation to nurture prospects experience a 451% increase in qualified leads
- 1696% of visitors who come to your website aren't ready to buy yet
- 1749% of businesses use some form of email automation
- 18Response rates for lead nurturing emails are 3x higher than for standalone email blasts
- 19Tuesday is the best day of the week to send emails
- 20Using a specific person's name as the sender of an email increases the open rate by 35%
Interpretation
Think of leads as slow-burning investments rather than fast food: nurture and automate personalized, segmented email journeys sent from a named sender on the right day to targeted landing pages, because nurturing yields 50% more sales at 33% less cost, email returns about $36 for every $1 spent, automated emails and marketing automation drive hundreds of percent more revenue and qualified leads, segmentation can boost revenue up to 760%, and most visitors simply aren't ready to buy immediately.
ROI & Marketing Strategy
- 1Inbound marketing leads have a 14.6% close rate compared to 1.7% for outbound leads
- 241% of marketers say that inbound marketing generated measurable ROI for their company
- 3Businesses that mainly rely on inbound marketing save more than $14 for every new customer acquired
- 446% of marketers report that inbound marketing gave them a higher ROI than outbound techniques
- 579% of companies with a high-performing lead management strategy reported a positive ROI
- 6Social media lead conversion rates are 13% higher than the average lead conversion rate
- 7Properly aligned sales and marketing teams can achieve 38% higher sales win rates
- 8Organizations with tightly aligned sales and marketing functions enjoy 36% higher customer retention rates
- 9Aligned organizations achieved an average of 32% annual revenue growth while less aligned companies saw a 7% decline
- 1075% of marketers report that their inbound marketing strategies are effective
- 11Inbound marketing costs 62% less per lead than traditional outbound marketing
- 1269% of successful B2B marketers have a documented content strategy
- 13Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales ready leads at 33% lower cost
- 1480% of business decision-makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement
- 15Marketers who check their metrics 3x+ times a week are over 20% more likely to achieve a positive ROI
- 16B2B companies that blog 11+ times per month have almost 3X more traffic than those blogging 0-1 times per month
- 17Marketing automation drives a 14.5% increase in sales productivity
- 1863% of marketers cite generating traffic and leads as their top marketing challenge
- 19Companies that automate lead management see a 10% or greater increase in revenue in 6-9 months
- 2032% of marketers say their sales teams need higher quality leads from the marketing team
Interpretation
Taken together, these figures show that inbound marketing is a higher-performing, lower-cost engine for growth, delivering far better close rates and ROI than outbound, generating more traffic and sales-ready leads through content, nurturing, automation, and tightly aligned sales-marketing teams, and doing it all with fewer cold calls and more prospects raising their hands, which means the marketers who document strategy, track metrics frequently, and automate lead management are best positioned to capture the outsized returns.
SEO & Search Visibility
- 168% of online experiences begin with a search engine
- 253.3% of all website traffic comes from organic search
- 30.78% of Google searchers click on results from the second page
- 4The #1 result in Google's organic search results has an average CTR of 31.7%
- 561% of B2B marketers state that SEO and organic traffic generate more leads than any other marketing initiative
- 675% of people never scroll past the first page of search engines
- 746% of all Google searches have local intent
- 850% of search queries are four words or longer
- 9Google drives 96% of mobile search traffic
- 1070% of marketers see SEO as more effective than PPC
- 11Websites that load in 1 second have a conversion rate 3x higher than websites that load in 5 seconds
- 1258% of all searches are done from mobile devices
- 13Voice search accounts for 20% of all queries on mobile devices
- 1488% of local searches on mobile devices lead to a call or visit within 24 hours
- 1569% of search queries contain detailed, specific keywords (long-tail)
- 1692.42% of keywords get ten monthly searches or fewer
- 17High-quality backlinks account for 30% of your overall page score in Google
- 1872% of consumers who did a local search visited a store within five miles
- 19Pages with a video are 53 times more likely to rank on the first page of Google
- 2018% of local smart phone searches lead to a purchase within a day
Interpretation
Search is the modern storefront: since most online journeys begin with a search and almost no one reaches the second page, brands that obsess over SEO by optimizing for mobile and speed, targeting local and long tail queries, and earning high quality backlinks and video rich pages get the foot traffic, calls and conversions while the rest remain invisible.
