SCORE Small Business Blog

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1.  Inbound Marketing Costs 60% Per Lead Less than Outbound Marketing

Outbound marketing or traditional marketing is on the decline according to expert marketing source Hubspot. Chasing customers via the usual route of print, television, banner ads as well as cold calling and mass emailing has proven to sag in its efficacy when compared to what marketers now call Inbound Marketing. “Inbound” is defined by the ability to bring in potential clients with the incentive of providing tangible value for free. Social media, whitepapers, podcasts, and blogs build up a company’s brand, can be shared online instantly and are all examples of Inbound Marketing. Another nail in the Outbound Marketing coffin? It turns out that Inbound Marketing strategies cost a whole chunk of a lot less to execute for the same results.

Spend less money with more success and decide to go the Inbound way – think of what you can provide potential customers to make them interested in giving your company their time, attention and eventually patronage.

2. 82% of Customers Find Small Businesses Via Word of Mouth

Wondering what the best way to boost sales is? It could be just as simple as treating all your initial customers so well that they become your loyal fan base. Grateful customers who love your product and service may end up “paying you back” for your job well done by sending their friends and family members your way. Never underestimate the power of word of mouth marketing because when push comes to shove, most people are more likely to trust the recommendation of someone close to them instead of easily being swayed by an advertisement. With that said, notice that a significant amount of new customer acquisitions are from online; make sure that you have both areas covered by asking your happy clients to refer a friend and while also building up your online reputation via tools like Yelp and Facebook.

 3.  76% of Marketers Have or Plan On Increasing Their Presence On YouTube

This year will mark a dramatic increase of marketing efforts carried out via YouTube and rightfully so. Seeing that YouTube is now the second largest search engine behind Google with more than 800 million unique visitors hitting the video-sharing site a month, YouTube offers the potential for a lot of exposure. If you’re not incorporating videos as part of your marketing campaign, consider shooting your own and sharing it on a company channel.

Bryan Janeczko – Founder, Wicked Start Bryan has successfully launched multiple startups, including NuKitchen and StartOut. His latest venture, Wicked Start, provides aspiring founders with a free startup roadmap to plan, fund, and launch a new venture. He is committed to helping small businesses grow and succeed for the long term. www.wickedstart.com | Facebook | @WickedStart | More from Bryan