10 Stats on how Inbound Marketing can Increase Your Sales

October 16, 2014 / ME / Leave a comment

In previous posts, I’ve shared with you stats on how much consumers love inbound marketing, as well as stats on how inbound marketing can increase SEO and website traffic. The gist? Inbound, content marketing has proven to work in increasing brand appeal and website performance.

But, SALES is the real matter of concern for businesses. So, the question is: can inbound marketing help your sales and increase your bottom line? Here are some stats that suggest it can:

Of US e-shoppers surveyed, 81% are at least somewhat likely to make additional purchases, either online or in a store, as a result of targeted emails (Harris Interactive).
Customers who receive email newsletters spend 82% more when they buy from the company (iContact).
Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads (The Annuitas Group).
Companies that automate lead management see a 10% or more increase in revenue within 6-9 months (Gartner Research).
82% of marketers that blog daily generated customers from their blogs (HubSpot).
Companies with mature lead generation and management practices have a 9.3% higher sales quota achievement rate (CSO Insights).
Nurtured leads produce, on average, a 20% increase in sales opportunities versus non-nurtured leads (DemandGen Report).
Brands that create 15 blog posts per month average 1,200 new leads per month (HubSpot).
Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost (Forrester Research).
Marketers who have prioritized blogging are 13 times more likely to enjoy a positive ROI (HubSpot).

If you (or your boss) have not yet begun to leverage the proven effectiveness of content marketing, and you want to learn more about how to do it well and on a budget, contact WordWise Creations now, and let me help you cash “in” on inbound marketing!

4 Stats Proving Inbound Marketing Helps SEO and Site Traffic

October 15, 2014October 15, 2014 / ME / 3 Comments

(Photo: writtenbysumer.com)

From my last post with stats on how consumers feel about content marketing, we know research has shown that consumers do appreciate businesses and brands that share content, and tend to make buying choices based on inbound marketing. So, doubters may now be wondering, does inbound marketing improve SEO and website traffic? The answer: yes!

Here are some stats that shed some light on how much websites love content marketing:

Blogs give websites on average 434% more indexed pages and 97% more indexed links. (Inbound Writer)
Year-over-year growth in unique site traffic is 7.8 times higher for content marketing leaders (19.7%) compared to followers (2.5%). (Kapost)
Website conversion rate is nearly 6 times higher for content marketing adopters (2.9%) than non-adopters (0.5%). (Kapost)
Inbound marketers double the average site conversion rate, from 6% to 12% total. (HubSpot)

These numbers paint a clear picture of power of content marketing. So, are you taking full advantage of the benefits that inbound and content marketing have to offer you and your bottom line? If not, contact a content marketing expert right away for more information on how to develop a strategy that works for you.

5 Stats on How Consumers Feel About Inbound Marketing

October 14, 2014 / ME / Leave a comment

Outbound marketing is just that – out – and today’s “in” tool for business marketing is inbound marketing. Inbound marketing is the act of promoting a company through blogs, online newsletters, whitepapers, social media, and other forms of content marketing which serve to bring customers in my giving them something in exchange.

Still, it’s almost every day that I find myself trying to convince a potential client about the benefits of inbound marketing and content marketing. So, I compiled a few stats to share with them, and with you. Here are some facts you might not know about inbound marketing and the way consumers feel about it:

80% of business decision makers prefer to get information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. (Exact Target)
61% of consumers say they feel better about a company that delivers custom content and are also more likely to buy from that company. (Custom Content Council)
90% of consumers find custom content useful. (McMurry/TMG)
78% of consumers believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them. (McMurry/TMG)
50% of consumer time online is spent engaging with custom content. (HubSpot)

These stats should be easy to believe, too, especially if you’ve spent time online reading a company’s blog or social media posts to gain new information or perspective on something. I know I have! If you and your business are not maximizing the power of inbound, content marketing for the best results, just contact me for more information on how I can help you do just that.

10 Commandments of Successful Blogging for Businesses

September 24, 2014 / ME / Leave a comment

Blogging isn’t easy. In particular, for businesses using blogging as part of a content marketing strategy, it’s critical that blog content is interesting and makes people want to read, and perhaps share, the content. In addition, there are a myriad of variables that must be considered, such as length, relevance, which publishing platform(s) to use, and the best time to post.

But there are some other specific considerations that are essential for a successful business blogging campaign. These include:

Telling a story
Knowing your purpose
Targeting your known audience
Providing something of value
Tracking metrics to define success

Including visuals and images
Considering layout readability
Adding a Call to Action
Focusing on SEO
Setting a schedule

Matt Wesson of Salesforce expands upon each of these to provide businesses with useful guidance and some easy-to-apply tips for honing your blogging strategy for greater success. Read more…

Why You’re Losing Money by Ignoring Content Marketing

September 9, 2014 / ME / Leave a comment

The Internet has created new avenues for gaining business exposure and changed customer expectations, and businesses must adjust their approach to advertising in order to be successful today. How, you ask? By embracing content marketing, you can open up countless avenues for increasing your visibility, reputation, and credibility— and, most importantly, your bottom line.

We all know what advertising is, but why is it different from and less effective than “content marketing?”

Traditional advertising is often intrusive in its effort to get your business or product noticed, and that can have a diminishing effect on your returns. Even more, ads are expensive, and they only capture the audience’s attention for a brief period of time, if at all, with a generalized message unlikely to appeal to everyone.

On the other hand, content marketing offers potential customers valuable information that they want in exchange for their attention, drawing them in to give you more exposure at much less cost.

Using content marketing, businesses provide educational and/or entertaining content that is free, engaging, and valuable to customers, such as blog posts, whitepapers, infographics, guides, videos, and more. Not only does content marketing offer value that customers appreciate while subtly promoting your business, product, and brand, but it also serves as a useful PR tool by increasing your reputation as an authority in your field.

Content marketing, in short, gives businesses a way to engage customers who want to hear their message, rather than forcing it on customers through typical, costly advertising. Additionally, content marketing:

Provides customers with information or guidance that is valuable to them.
Targets different customer sects directly for more effective marketing.
Increases website traffic and improves SEO.
Educates customers to influence their purchasing decisions.
Furthers your company’s perception as an industry authority.
Encourages customers to share your information with others, such as through social media.
and more!

Click here for an in-depth introduction to content marketing, including examples of businesses using content marketing successfully and some tips for best practices, and contact WordWise Creations when you’re ready to begin developing a content marketing strategy sure to fuel the success of your business!

It’s Coming, but is Your Business Ready?

August 22, 2014 / ME / 2 Comments

Nobody likes to read bad web pages, yet many businesses get so caught up trying to optimize their site that they forget about the importance of quality content— but Google’s ferocious site-grading algorithms should be making businesses think twice.

Continuing its work to improve the Internet and user experience, Google recently released its new Panda 4.0 update and announced that Penguin 3.0 is on the way. These Google algorithms – including Panda, Penguin, Platypus, and Hummingbird – analyze websites and modify search rankings based on the quality and strength of site content. More specifically, the algorithms target sites that use spam and “black hat” SEO tactics like keyword stuffing, text advertisements, and link schemes, and subsequently lower the sites’ rankings.

So what can businesses do to prepare for these ever-improving algorithms and ensure their site isn’t negatively affected? From analyzing traffic to diversifying anchor text and evaluating links, here are some incredibly useful tips to help improve your website’s content, search rankings, and appeal. Read more…

Effective Content Editors Must Be Good Writers

June 24, 2014 / ME / 1 Comment

When hiring a content editor for your company’s website, it’s most important to find a person who knows how to write — writing well is a skill that cannot be easily taught, and you don’t have time for that if it could be! Besides writing abilities, a good content editor will also have technical skills and knowledge of graphic design, social media, and SEO. Read more…

What Do a Panda, Penguin, and Platypus Have in Common? Google Uses Them to Grade Your Site’s Content

June 9, 2014June 12, 2014 / ME / 6 Comments

Since 2011, Google has frequently updated their search engine algorithms (Panda, Penguin, Platypus) to identify websites with low-quality or trivial content. Sites that have content with weak writing or poor grammar, spelling, or punctuation, or which use keyword stuffing, cloaking, or other “black hat” SEO tactics, are penalized in Google’s search rankings. Since Google is the most popular search engine in the world, businesses today should take measures to ensure their site provides useful and reliable information, presented in content that is written properly and optimized for search engines honestly – and finding a good writer for your web content can make all the difference. Read more…