The State of Inbound Marketing in 2016: Actionable Insights for the Future of Marketing and Sales
The world of inbound marketing is moving faster than ever before. Rapidly evolving technologies, changing consumer behaviors, and constant market disruptions require agility and adaptation. What worked yesterday won‘t necessarily work tomorrow.
To help marketers and salespeople navigate this shifting landscape, HubSpot recently released their 8th annual "State of Inbound" report. Spanning more than 130 pages, this data-packed report reveals crucial benchmarks and trends based on survey insights from thousands of marketing and sales professionals worldwide.
Let‘s dive into some of the juiciest findings and takeaways from this year‘s report, along with tips to translate these insights into action.
The Mobile Takeover Is Complete
Perhaps the biggest change in recent years has been the meteoric rise of mobile. Internet traffic from mobile devices has now surpassed desktop, accounting for 51% of all digital media consumption. The average U.S. adult spends nearly 3 hours per day on a mobile device. And Google reports that mobile search has overtaken desktop search on its platform.
What does this mean for inbound marketers? Having a mobile marketing strategy is no longer optional – it‘s mandatory. Every aspect of your digital presence needs to be optimized for mobile users:
- Websites need responsive designs that adapt to any screen size
- Email templates should follow mobile-friendly best practices
- Content must be concise and easily "snackable" on small screens
- Page load speeds need to be lightning-fast to prevent bounce
- Conversion flows should be streamlined for one-click actions
Drilling down further, inbound marketers need to understand the unique characteristics of the mobile customer journey. Google has defined mobile behavior as a series of "micro-moments" – intent-driven bursts of activity where users turn to their device to act on a need (to know, go, do, or buy something). Showing up with relevant, useful content in these moments is critical.
Some other mobile-centric strategies to consider:
- Optimize for local search to capture "near me" queries
- Leverage mobile messaging channels like SMS and chat apps
- Experiment with mobile-specific ad formats and targeting
- Create content optimized for voice search and digital assistants
- Explore mobile-based events, offers and loyalty programs
The key is to craft digital experiences that align with how mobile users actually prefer to browse, consume and engage. Applying a mobile-first lens to your inbound approach will be increasingly essential to driving results.
Video Hits the Marketing Mainstream
Another mega-trend transforming inbound is the explosive popularity of online video. According to YouTube, mobile video consumption increases by 100% every year. Facebook users watch over 8 billion videos per day. Cisco predicts that by 2020, video will make up 82% of all internet traffic.
Smart inbound teams are riding this surging video wave by making the medium a core component of their content strategies. The State of Inbound Report found that 48% of marketers plan to add YouTube as a content channel in the next 12 months, and 39% will add Facebook video.
Tips for executing successful video marketing:
- Focus on storytelling vs overt selling to hold attention
- Use an engaging thumbnail image to entice views
- Add captions, since many view video with sound off
- Front-load videos with your key message
- Include strong calls-to-action to drive next steps
- Optimize video titles, tags and descriptions for SEO
- Repurpose video content into other formats like blog posts
- Experiment with live streaming on social platforms
- Include video across the entire marketing funnel
Well-crafted video can support nearly any inbound goal – building brand awareness, sparking social engagement, educating prospects, answering customer questions, or sharing customer stories. Look for more ways to leverage this powerful, in-demand format.
Interactivity Drives Prospect Engagement
In a noisy digital world full of distractions, grabbing and keeping an audience‘s attention can be a major challenge. One emerging solution is interactive content – dynamic, participatory experiences that invite prospects to actively engage rather than passively consume.
Some common types of interactive content:
- Quizzes and assessments
- Polls and surveys
- Calculators and configurators
- Contests and sweepstakes
- Interactive infographics and eBooks
Done well, these interactive formats can boost engagement metrics like time on page, conversion rates, and social shares. They tend to perform better than static content while providing a more memorable, value-added experience for the user.
The State of Inbound Report found that interactive content was the 4th highest priority trend that marketers plan to add to their mix, behind video, blogging, and SEO. When weighing which types of interactive content to develop, consider what would be most helpful and relevant to your audience. What questions could you help them answer? What knowledge gaps could you fill? What challenges could you help them overcome?
Build interactive content that addresses real audience needs and you‘ll have a powerful asset that keeps prospects engaged and moving through the funnel.
The Continued Convergence of Sales and Marketing
Alignment between sales and marketing has long been touted as a best practice for business growth and efficiency. But in recent years, the lines between these two functions have become increasingly blurred. Nowhere is this more evident than in the rise of "social selling" – salespeople using social media channels to find, connect with, and nurture prospects.
Per the State of Inbound Report, the adoption of social selling tools increased 20% among sales teams in the past year. 40% of sales teams now report using social selling to help them close more deals. By engaging prospects earlier in their research process, salespeople can establish their expertise, build trust, and influence the buying criteria in their favor.
Some effective social selling tactics:
- Optimize social profiles to demonstrate knowledge and experience
- Share relevant content to educate and add value
- Monitor key accounts and engage in relevant conversations
- Join and participate in industry groups, chats, and forums
- Use social listening to gather intel on prospect needs and challenges
- Connect and build relationships with decision makers and influencers
Marketing plays a key role in enabling sales for social selling success. Marketers can support the effort by providing the right content, training, and tools. Aligning social messaging and content across marketing and sales will provide a consistent, holistic experience as buyers move down the funnel.
The increased overlap of sales and marketing isn‘t limited to social. Both teams are using more of the same technologies, like CRM and marketing automation. Many organizations are restructuring to combine sales and marketing into a single "revenue department." Forward-thinking businesses are making this alignment a top priority.
Bracing for Digital Disruption
The only constant in the digital world is change. New technologies can upend a market in the blink of an eye. Brands that were household names yesterday are forgotten today. Marketers and salespeople are keenly aware of these harsh realities.
According to the State of Inbound Report, 72% of marketers cite "lack of preparation for unexpected changes" as their #1 concern. Adapting to new market disruptors is one of the top challenges keeping marketing and sales leaders up at night.
So how can businesses stay agile and proactively adapt to change? Some suggestions:
- Foster a culture of experimentation and failing fast
- Build cross-functional teams for more diverse problem-solving
- Keep a pulse on emerging trends impacting your industry
- Attend conferences and events to uncover new opportunities
- Analyze competitor moves to spot potential threats
- Have contingency plans for likely disruption scenarios
- Prioritize flexibility and scalability in your tech stack
- Continuously evolve your skills to stay current
While you can‘t predict exactly what the next big disruptor in your market will be, you can prepare to pivot quickly when it hits. Continuously hone your ability to read and react to change.
Honing the Skills of the Future
As the world of inbound evolves, so too do the skills required to succeed. Beyond mastering the shiny new technologies and tactics, marketers and salespeople must develop deeper competencies to stay competitive.
Per the State of Inbound Report, the top skills marketers believe will be most important in the coming years are:
- Content creation/curation
- Digital advertising
- Video production/editing
- Content optimization
- Social media marketing
- Data analysis
- Email marketing
Sales teams see the future a bit differently, with their top skill priorities being:
- Deep product knowledge
- Social selling
- Identifying prospects
- Connecting via phone
- Researching accounts
While the specific skill rankings may differ between marketing and sales, both teams recognize the need for a broad yet specialized skill set spanning content, data, relationship-building, and technology.
Staying on top of these ever-shifting skill demands can feel daunting. But continuously honing your craft is essential to remain relevant and effective in an inbound world. Some ways to sharpen your skill set:
- Pursue online certifications and courses
- Shadow top performers to learn their approaches
- Participate in workshops and training sessions
- Read industry blogs and publications
- Find a mentor to guide your professional development
- Teach others, which reinforces your own knowledge
- Tackle projects outside your comfort zone
Treat skill development as an ongoing process vs a one-time event. Those committed to perpetual learning and growth will be best positioned to adapt and thrive.
Key Takeaways and Tactical Tips
Here‘s a quick recap of the key themes from the State of Inbound Report, along with some action steps to capitalize on these insights:
Mobile Domination
- Ensure your website is fully responsive and mobile-optimized
- Craft content and conversion paths suited for mobile behaviors
- Leverage mobile channels and formats like SMS and vertical video
Video Victorious
- Incorporate video across your blog, social, and content strategy
- Focus on storytelling and education over product pitches
- Optimize video content for discovery in search and social
Interaction Over Information
- Invest in interactive content like quizzes, calculators, and games
- Tie interactivity to your prospect‘s needs, goals, and challenges
- Use interactive content to boost conversions and time on page
Social Salespeople
- Encourage sales to build relationships and share content on social
- Align sales/marketing social activity to create consistent messaging
- Use social listening for sales intelligence gathering
Disruption Readiness
- Cultivate an agile and experimental marketing culture
- Monitor disruptions and be ready to pivot quickly
- Prioritize flexibility and adaptability in your marketing approach
Inbound Skill Building
- Continually assess and work on strengthening key competencies
- Leverage online and offline resources to grow your abilities
- Identify skill mentors and learning opportunities in your day-to-day work
While there‘s much more to mine from the full State of Inbound Report, these highlights represent some of the most pressing priorities and opportunities for marketing and sales professionals today.
Of course, simply being aware of these shifts is not enough – taking decisive action is the key to staying ahead of the curve and reaping the benefits. Those who remain stuck in outdated strategies and approaches will struggle to keep pace in a rapidly changing environment.
But marketers and salespeople who actively embrace these trends and align their efforts accordingly will be well-positioned to engage and delight their audiences more effectively. The future of inbound is bright for those committed to mastering the principles and pushing the boundaries of what‘s possible.
The game is changing fast. Make sure you‘re not only ready to adapt, but poised to lead the pack.
For even more data, insights and guidance to elevate your inbound approach, be sure to download the full State of Inbound 2016 report.
