B2B inbound marketers say their top objectives for the year ahead are to boost conversion rates and improve the quality of leads, according to a recent report from Ascend2.
The report was based on data from a survey of 270 marketing, sales, and business professionals from around the world who use inbound marketing tactics (75% B2B-focused, 25% B2C).
Just under half of respondents (49%) say increasing conversion rates is one of their most important inbound marketing objectives in the next 12 months. A similar number (48%) say improving lead quality is a top goal.
Other key objectives include: Growing sales revenue (46% of respondents cite as important), increasing the quantity of leads (44%), improving brand awareness (31%), and boosting website traffic (29%).
Below, additional key findings from the report.
Most Effective Tactics
- 59% of respondents say content creation is one of most effective inbound tactics they employ.
- 54% say search engine optimization is effective.
- Just 38% of respondents cite social media as one of the most effective inbound tactics.
Most Difficult Tactics
- Content creation, in addition to being one the most effective tactics, is also seen as being one of the most difficult tactics to execute (54% of respondents cite as difficult).
- Other top challenges include: Integrating inbound tactics (39% cite as difficult), search engine optimization (30%), and website design optimization (26%).
Top Challenges
- 69% of respondents say their inbound marketing efforts are "somewhat successful"; 23% say they are "very successful"; and 8% say they are "not successful."
- 46% say one of their biggest obstacles is the lack of an effective strategy.
- 41% say the inability to properly tackle content creation is a top challenge.
About the research: The report was based on data from a survey of 270 marketing, sales, and business professionals from around the world who use inbound marketing tactics (75% B2B-focused, 25% B2C).
