It's no secret that the marketing landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years as social and mobile technologies have gone from early-adopter novelties to mainstream essentials.
Still, there are plenty of traditional marketing stalwarts out there who aren't buying all of the social media hype or can't convince their boss or marketing team to experiment in the brave new world of inbound marketing .
So we've rounded up a dozen powerful stats that are sure to be eye-openers, if not total mind-changers.
1. 78% of Internet users conduct product research online.
That means your website stands a good chance of being a prospect's "first impression." That also means your new business card isn't a business card—it's Google.
2. In the past year, Web-based email usage dropped a staggering 59% among 12-17 year olds,
who prefer to communicate via text, instant messaging, and social networks.
If 12-17 year olds aren't your primary customers, you may think, "So what? They're just kids." But web-based email usage has been on the decline among ALL Internet users under the age of 55. And by the way, today's kids are tomorrow's customers—and they're probably
not
going to be reading your email.
3. 78% of business people use their mobile device to check email.
So that means pretty much everybody that
can
check email on a mobile device,
does
. Is your email newsletter
optimized for mobile devices
?
4. 40% of US smartphone owners compare prices on their mobile device while in-store, shopping for an item.
Is your business website
optimized for mobile devices
? If not, you may be missing out on hundreds of sales opportunities.
5. 200 Million Americans have registered on the FTC's "Do Not Call" list.
That's 2/3 of the country's citizens. The other 1/3, I'm guessing, probably don't have a home phone anymore.
6. 91% of email users have unsubscribed from a company email they previously opted-in to.
We're getting savvier with technology and less patient with unwanted solicitations. And it's just
so
easy to hit 'delete'.
7. 84% of 25-34 year-olds have left a favorite website because of intrusive or irrelevant advertising.
Frankly, I'm surprised this stat doesn't read "100%" and apply to a much wider age range.
8. 57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog.
Finally, some good news!
Blogging
is good. Intrusive ads are bad. See how simple it is?
9. 41% of B2B companies and 67% of B2C companies have acquired a customer through Facebook.
If this stat doesn't poke a hole in the "Facebook is not useful for B2B companies" myth, I don't know what will.
10. The number of marketers who say Facebook is “critical” or “important” to their business has increased 83% in just 2 years.
That's right—
critical or important.
When a channel generates not only leads, but real revenue, you can't call it "experimental" any longer.
11. Companies that blog get 55% more web traffic
.
The more you blog, the more pages Google has to index, and the more inbound links you're likely to have. The more pages and inbound links you have, the higher you
rank on search engines
like Google—thus the greater amount of traffic to your website. Which is why we repeat:
Blogging
is good.
12. Inbound marketing costs 62% less per lead than traditional, outbound marketing.
That's right—
62% less
. The average outbound lead costs $373. The average inbound lead costs $143. And as we love to say around here, "if it don't make dollars, it don't make sense." Outbound marketing
just don't make sense anymore.
You can find sources to all of the above stats along with a boatload more eye-popping facts, figures, and how-to's in the presentation embedded below or you can
join us next week each and every day at 12pm EST for a very special edition of HubSpotTV
where we'll share hundreds of tips (and give away dozens of
awesome prizes!
) in celebration of
Marketing Transformation Week.
Inbound Marketing Blog Feed
Michelle Carvill 1:12 PM on April 01, 2011
Some more - a recent UK research uncovered that 40% of all UK websites get zero traffic. And 70% of UK consumers said they would not buy from a website that they didn't trust.
Michelle Carvill 1:15 PM on April 01, 2011
Another one...
Nearly half of Brits click away from small businesses due to poor #website usability http://bit.ly/h0ssxj
Jesse Gifford 1:28 PM on April 01, 2011
Great stats! I especially like #9. #2 I think is something to think about, but not to start worrying about. 12-17 years old have different responsibilities than those of us who are a bit older. I'd imagine that once they get out into the workplace email will become more important to them. I don't think it's going away, just supplemented with other means of communication.
Exact Target did some great research on this.
Andrea Johnson 2:00 PM on April 01, 2011
I clicked through to your sources, and could not find the one that backed up the statement that 67 percent of all b2b companies found a lead through facebook. Perhaps I missed it? Would you mind commenting with the details of that source and more information? Thanks much!
Elda Titus 2:08 PM on April 01, 2011
Very interesting data. I think the 12-17 year olds that are into texting will choose that form of communication as they age. More companies are using texting now rather then e-mail, as the society continues to be more mobile.
Marta Kagan 2:10 PM on April 01, 2011
@Andrea Johnson - Absolutely! You're referring to item #9. "67% of B2B companies and 41% of B2C companies have acquired a customer through Facebook." - correct?
This comes from the State of Inbound Marketing Report, 2011 edition which you'll find here: http://www.hubspot.com/state-of-inbound-marketing/. You can also get a quick glimpse of the source chart in this related blog post:
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/10437/Study-LinkedIn-Is-More-Effective-for-B2B-Companies.aspx
Hope that helps! There's lots more useful info in that report -- and more that we'll share next week during Marketing Transformation Week (http://hubspot.com/MTW)
-Marta
Reece 2:31 PM on April 01, 2011
Great article. Even better that I didn't have to go to the jump page. Thank you.
Barrett Joseph Rossie 3:49 PM on April 01, 2011
Thanks for including the sources at the end, I was all ready to pitch a hissy-fit! A main take-away: Marketing is marketing. The tools change - constantly. You'd better understand that, and deal with it.
TJ73Mustang 3:58 PM on April 01, 2011
If you are betting the house on FB and Twitter, you better think again. Yeah, companies have acquired "a customer" via FB and Twitter, but at what cost? FB and Twitter are not for every company. Here's my 24/4 rule: You work 8 hours a day, sleep 8 hours a day, use 4 hours for transportation, eating, etc. That leaves you 4 hours per day to engage in Social Media. Is that how you're going to spend the only 4 hours you have left in the day?
Marcelo Fernandes 4:12 PM on April 01, 2011
I'm introducing Inbound Marketing in Brazil but most companies haven't realized the power of blogging and customizing social media pages.
It's a challenge for me to make them realize this potential.
You can check my website and see the articles using the translation tool(not 100% perfect).
I'm shouting alone but moving to become one of the first if not the firts Inbound Marketing evangelist in LA.
I've been following up your info very closely!!
Rgds//
Kim Phillips | Lucid Marketing 4:22 PM on April 01, 2011
Don't see the sources at all. The link "here" goes to a page about Marketing Transformation Week.
amy knapp 5:12 PM on April 01, 2011
I too am looking for sources here. Stats are fun and all, but they need to be credible. 67% of B2B companies have acquired a client on FB? 67% of B2B companies aren't even on FB. Can you clarify?
Brendan Delaney 5:14 PM on April 01, 2011
Another interesting stat is that 100% of the people who wrote this article don't know what "jump the shark" means.
Greg 5:21 PM on April 01, 2011
Marta - your stats on B2B customer acquisition via FB are reversed, compared to the report you linked to. In the section titled "Facebook Is More Effective for B2C; LinkedIn Is More Effective for B2B" it shows that 67% of B2C acquired (41% B2B). Might want to edit your post :)
Brian Cassingena 10:03 AM on April 02, 2011
The interesting thing about those 12 - 17 kids, they may go back to using email later in life - but only if required by work or business. Will this coax them grudgingly back to email usage, or will it stiffen their resolve to 'hate' it?
Abdul 10:48 AM on April 02, 2011
@Greg, you beat me to it! Yes, the figures are transposed for B2B & B2C.. To be honest I STILL don't believe those numbers.. B2C maybe, B2B on Facebook... sounds like a real stretch.
Rick 11:13 AM on April 02, 2011
you got a mistake. point 5 says..."200 Million Americans have" sorry but it should say US Citizen. America is a continent with man countries. Let's not ignore them. We should be more considerate, don't you think?
Marta Kagan 12:33 PM on April 02, 2011
@Abdul and @Greg - thanks for pointing out the error. I've made the correction in the post above.
@Ursula - yes, the 3 pieces of the Inbound Marketing puzzle are (1) Get Found, (2) Convert Leads & Prospects, (3) Analyze & Improve. HubSpot provides software that lets you do all 3 in one easy-to-use, integrated tool.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
-Marta
Kim Phillips | Lucid Marketing 1:22 PM on April 02, 2011
Still don't see source of stats.
Marta Kagan 1:37 PM on April 02, 2011
Kim, Amy -
Each of the slides in the Marketing Transformation deck (linked to above) includes the source (at the bottom center of the page). There's also a lot MORE data in that deck.
For your convenience, I've provided URLs to each of the sources here:
1. http://pewinternet.org/Static-Pages/Trend-Data/Online-Activites-Total.aspx
2. http://comscore.com/index.php//Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/2/comScore_Releases_The_2010_U.S._Digital_Year_in_Review
3. http://www.att.com/Common/merger/files/pdf/smallbiz/survey_data.pdf
4. http://totalaccess.emarketer.com/Chart.aspx?R=106680&dsNav=Ro:4,Nrc:id-1050|id-1046,N:1046-911&xsrc=TopicsPanel
5. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/07/dnc.shtm
6. http://www.exacttarget.com/resources/SFF8.pdf
7. http://www.netimperative.com/news/2008/july/2/online-ad-avoidance-2018reaches-record-high2019 HowTo.tv April 2008
8 -12. http://www.hubspot.com/state-of-inbound-marketing
Thanks for your feedback-
Marta
Leisureguy 2:05 PM on April 02, 2011
"adds" in the text should be "ads". Sorry to put this as a comment, but could not find your email address. Great post. I blogged the first few points with a link to here for the rest.
Kim Phillips | Lucid Marketing 2:37 PM on April 02, 2011
The link that says there are sources goes to a promo for something... totally not obvious: http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing-transformation-week/tabid/90145/Default.aspx I realize you want to get people to open that "deck" but that's not the way to do it.
greatshoppingstar 7:07 AM on April 03, 2011
Companies that blog get 55% more web traffic.
HIghSpeedHDMI 6:21 AM on April 04, 2011
Really useful marketing stats -thanks for sharing - it emphasises the importance of building trust and on-line reputation.
Valerie
GL Print | Litho Printers Berkshire 6:23 AM on April 04, 2011
We are just starting to build a web presence and this post really validates my decision to start blogging.
Thanks
Rob
Chris Turner 6:26 AM on April 04, 2011
Yes, but also don't get carried away by the hype. For instance, despite Tivo, Sky Plus, the BBC iPlayer, Facebook video and YouTube, linear TV viewership is growing in terms of daily minutes watched and still makes up 93% of all viewing.
Snap Marketing - Website and Graphic Design 6:27 AM on April 04, 2011
Thaks for sharing this Marta, The only stat that REALLY surprises me is the one about webmail useage among 17-21 year olds. I don't know of ANY that still use email. ITs facebook all the way!
Thanks
Matt
Maciej @ Brandignity 10:18 AM on April 04, 2011
I still find it funny how people are skeptical about really introducing a robust plan of attack online. These numbers should be broadcast to every business young and old to show them just how important online marketing really is.
Adam Dukes 1:03 PM on April 04, 2011
I am going to print this off and show it to my clients. Some of them are still stuck in the old age of advertising.
Laurie 1:47 PM on April 04, 2011
Interesting stats. But I always wonder how many of these studies look at rural areas. I live and work in rural Ohio and these numbers just don't match up to my real-life experiences. The technology is definitely here, but it doesn't move as quickly. We still have plenty of households on dial-up for example. Just something to consider.
Sandra Connor 1:53 PM on April 04, 2011
Thank you! Points 9 thru 12 make the case succinctly for building a structured web presence.
Mel @ Trailing After God 2:09 PM on April 04, 2011
Oh I agree! I rarely if ever open a business related email anymore. Advertising in my inbox, denied. Unless your newsletter has something useful to add to my life (and no, not a push for your product) then I won't bother with it and I will unsubscribe. I price compare on my computer and smart phone. I'd rather text than email or call. And if you solicit me on the phone, I will say no thank you and hang up. MY time is worth money. It's not free :)
This is a great article. I get so frustrated with businesses that have USELESS web pages (like our local bowling alley, really pricing and hours are too much to ask for on your page? and when I ask on your FB page and NO ONE responds, we won't be coming to visit you) or Facebook or Twitter accounts for the business that are merely there to advertise and not engage. "Social" means just that. It's a two way street or a broken relationship.
Blessings,
Mel
Please feel free to stop by: Trailing After God
Cliff @ Website Marketing Tips 9:20 PM on April 04, 2011
Really useful and interesting tips - thanks. I shall be using some of them in my conultations with clients & prospects in an effort to persuade them to "experiment in the brave new world of inbound marketing."
Best wishes
Roger Smith 5:07 AM on April 06, 2011
This research totally based on USA market states. But it good for marketers who working in just US. There are different situation in UK and Australia.
jane 12:36 PM on April 06, 2011
I'm having trouble finding website business insurance to cover me for blogging (slander is the liability involved). Can Anyone suggest a national company that writes website insurance covering all the areas we are liable for?
thanks. jane
Karen 6:13 AM on April 10, 2011
considering the Gen Y are the customers of the future, these statistcis are a great incemtive to get busy marketing mobile. I dont know whether email marketing is dead, just declining and it would be, emails are becoming far too intrusive these day. Great post on the numbers.
spkmum 8:20 PM on April 10, 2011
This is fantastic especially for people who are just dipping their toes into the world of online business! Thanks.
Guelph Photographer 7:58 AM on April 12, 2011
Thanks so much for this great article. Lots of great info here. I do blog but after reading this will be blogging a lot more :)
gracy 10:36 AM on April 12, 2011
Hey, May I ask how this research was conducted? And how did u arrive at the stats.
I'm cynical when it comes to statistics, except when I do it.
Thanks :D
David 10:15 AM on April 16, 2011
Interesting stat! Thanks for sharing!
"200 Million Americans have registered on the FTC's "Do Not Call" list."
Yet, when talking to indirect sales, they still beleive that OBTM is the way to go.
Josh 2:32 PM on April 19, 2011
Great stats! Thanks for posting these!
One small addition to your first fun fact: 78% of users conduct product research online, 20% of of those make their first stop a retailer's website, now more than search!
Brian Johnson 3:31 PM on April 20, 2011
This is pure gold! I was just at a meeting today with a b2b client trying to sell the idea of social media... These stats are going to be so very useful.
I had one question... For #9, what percentage of B2B companies HAVE a facebook page, and more importantly, how many of them are using it at all? I think that would be even more useful, to be able to say that most who had one and were active in it were very likely to get business from it.
Web Design 6:01 AM on April 25, 2011
Awesome post, I've been looking for some good stats for some ebooks I'm writing. I especially love the stats about blogging. Good to know I'm not wasting my time!
Ann Wylie 1:07 PM on April 29, 2011
Interesting stuff! I'd love to get links to your resources. Are these numbers from your own research? Others' studies? Whose?
Marta Kagan 9:25 AM on May 01, 2011
@Ann Wylie, here's a repost of the sources which I'd posted earlier in the comments thread. Hope this helps! :)
M
Each of the slides in the Marketing Transformation deck (linked to above) includes the source (at the bottom center of the page). There's also a lot MORE data in that deck.
For your convenience, I've provided URLs to each of the sources here:
1. http://pewinternet.org/Static-Pages/Trend-Data/Online-Activites-Total.aspx
2. http://comscore.com/index.php//Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/2/comScore_Releases_The_2010_U.S._Digital_Year_in_Review
3. http://www.att.com/Common/merger/files/pdf/smallbiz/survey_data.pdf
4. http://totalaccess.emarketer.com/Chart.aspx?R=106680&dsNav=Ro:4,Nrc:id-1050|id-1046,N:1046-911&xsrc=TopicsPanel
5. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/07/dnc.shtm
6. http://www.exacttarget.com/resources/SFF8.pdf
7. http://www.netimperative.com/news/2008/july/2/online-ad-avoidance-2018reaches-record-high2019 HowTo.tv April 2008
8 -12. http://www.hubspot.com/state-of-inbound-marketing
Thanks for your feedback-
Marta
Ann Wylie 2:17 PM on May 01, 2011
Thanks, Marta! Much appreciated! Best, Ann