Inbound marketing, on the level it’s done today, just wasn’t possible prior to the digital age. Technology was the key limitation. Advertising on TV, or in your local newspaper, for that matter, had to paint in broad strokes. You could look at demographics and do your best to plan, but ultimately you had no way to connect with customers individually. Ads like that were also imposing on customers. TV commercials or half-page print ads were the price you paid for watching your favorite show or catching up on the news.
Why does this matter now? Well, technology has reshaped marketing once again, this time for the better. Our digital world opens up possibilities that simply didn’t exist, even in the relatively recent past. With how fast technology develops, it’s important to stay up to date on the latest trends if you want to sustain success.
There are few better ways to gauge marketing trends than a look at HubSpot’s annual State of Inboundreport, which takes the pulse of the people on the front lines of marketing. Ahead are three inbound marketing insights you need to know, inspired by the 2014 State of Inbound report.
Blogging Is BIG
Building a website without including a blog is borderline marketing malpractice, at this point. Content marketing is huge, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. How huge? Marketers who regularly used blogging as a marketing tool were 13 times more likely to generate a positive ROI than those who did not, according to the 2014 State of Inbound report. It’s no surprise, as blogging, and content in general, have been key to successful inbound marketing from the beginning.
