1. How much does Inbound Marketing cost?

That depends on a number of different factors. Which activities (content, media, newsletters, flows,…) will you do yourself and which will you outsource. What is the quality of your website at the moment? Is it sufficiently optimized? How much quality content have you already published? Is social media up and running yet? Costs are also highly dependent on how much time you are willing to invest in it: the more time you put in, the more you get out of it.

In any case, the first 4-6 months you will have to invest a lot of time to set everything up and get it well organized. You will have to invest in a good foundation that you will enjoy for years to come, optimize the site properly ( SEO ), set up Call to Actions (CTAs) and publish the first stream of quality content.

We are convinced that the costs for Inbound Marketing can be allocated within the current marketing budget. For smaller companies (up to 50 employees) that is about 50-80,000 euros for the first year. Companies with 50 to 250 employees should assume an Inbound Marketing budget of 70-120,000 euros. That sounds like a lot of money, but remember that the cost versus net income ratio is on average 1 in 5. (Source: Hubspot ROI research).

Inbound Marketing is therefore relatively quickly a profitable and sustainable activity.

Inbound Marketing in numbers:

80% of buyers search online first
44% start with search engines like Google and Bing
70% click on organic search results only
97% more inbound links for businesses that blog
57% watch TV and search online at the same time
55% more online visitors
250% more leads
50% higher conversion

2. When will I see results?

When you start seriously, regularly publish meaningful and qualitative content, apply keyword analysis, use social media well, set up CTAs well and test, then the first significant results are visible within 90 days. Visits to your website will increase and prospects will be converted into leads. After a few weeks you will have to pay full attention to your Inbound Marketing Sales Funnel, the engine is now really starting to warm up.

3. Do I no longer have to use certain current marketing activities if I start with Inbound Marketing

The answer is a resounding YES. You no longer need to use some of your current marketing activities when you get started with Inbound Marketing. Think especially of Cold Calling, commercials, trade fairs and/or advertisements in print media. All activities that your target group was not really waiting for anyway. Pushing your message in this way produces less and no results. The customer will visit you in 2013, if he or she is ready to listen to your message and/or to make a purchase.

4. How much time does Inbound Marketing take exactly? Do I need to hire new specialists?

You can of course hire an Inbound Marketing partner/specialist, which is definitely recommended for the start-up phase. It is important that you put together your own IM team internally and that you work closely with your IM partner. The IM partner is always in view to share the latest insights and developments. A good partner supports you in formulating clear and achievable objectives, SEO , superior content, keyword strategy, web design, landing pages, campaigns, e-mail newsletters and of course also data analysis.

5. How often should I publish new content?

Simply put: the more often, the better. But just publishing content is useless, content must serve a purpose, be tailored to the needs of your customer, you name it. An average of 4 blog postings per month would be great, see it as your most important sales tool. Quality and relevance naturally take precedence over everything else. Under the motto: ‘Content is king but context is god’.

6. Which companies does Inbound Marketing work for

Inbound marketing works very well for companies that offer services or products that are of great value to customers, financially and/or emotionally. Potential customers do not take any chances when purchasing these items. They immerse themselves in the subject matter, seek inspiration and compare you with your competitors. Think of holidays, electronics, personal care, fashion or insurance.

7. Do I need to use all components of Inbound Marketing for best results?

Yes, that is the intention. The components reinforce each other. This is exactly why using an all-in-one marketing tool from a party like Hubspot or UpCity is recommended to work so well. You have a dashboard in which all modules and ingredients work together seamlessly and where you have real-time insight.

8. Do I need a new website?

It is important that all pages have call-to-action buttons and forms that encourage people to share their contact information with you. Your landing pages should also all be ready for new visitors and there should be seamless integration with an email package. WordPress, Joomla, Magento or other popular content management systems (CMS) are all very suitable. We do, however, always recommend that you also use the Inbound Marketing software from, for example, the aforementioned Hubspot . This offers so many advantages and moreover all important Inbound Marketing tools are included.

9. Why is SEO still so important when my content is already good?

The best, most beautiful and useful content is no guarantee for success if it is also not found well by your target group. You need a website that is well indexed by search engines, the webpage must be well optimized with the right keywords, etc. SEO is therefore very important if you want to be rewarded for all your efforts. The entire conversion process only starts when the potential customer has found you. Unknown makes unloved also applies here.

10. We use Pay per Click (PPC) and it works great, so why should I also use Inbound Marketing?

Pay per click (eg Adwords) actually doesn’t work very well when it comes to sustainable new revenue generation. It ensures the lowest conversion, the fewest leads and when you stop using it for a day, the effect is immediately gone. However, PPC can provide good support for your Inbound Marketing activities, for example to bring something to the attention. As long as PPC is consciously used and is in line with your ToFU strategy (acquiring new visitors and converting them into leads), it certainly makes sense.

Hopefully we have answered the question what is inbound marketing for you. If not, you can always contact us!

Also read ” The 3 principles of inbound marketing according to hubspot ” and ” How does inbound marketing work “