This has been an exciting year for inbound marketing and we've experienced it’s adoption into marketing plans from many viewpoints. 

In any given week we talk to top experts in the industry and executives who are evaluating how an inbound strategy can help their business meet it’s revenue goals. Through connecting with business executives we hear their challenges and we share what strategies are helping other business’s achieve their goals. 

Here are some key observations from 2013.

It’s all about the customer.

Your marketing content needs to provide value to your customer. You’ve got to give the customer answers to his questions, solutions for her problems and information that helps them make an informed purchase decision. Knowing and understanding your customer's needs is critical to creating online resources that will drive interaction between you and your customer.

This article about the Connection Economy shares how relationships are a business’s most valuable asset. Is Your Marketing Connecting People? 

One method to better understand your customer is to develop a customer persona. Customer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers. Most companies have at least two to three unique customer types. A persona profile helps your team better understand your customers, their needs, challenges, job responsibilities and how best to reach them. 

57% of the sales process takes place before contacting a sales person.

According to a recent study from the Corporate Executive Board 57% of the sales process takes place before contacting a sales person. That means your website and other online content including your blog and your social media content must continually provide information that helps your customer.

Take a moment to consider what this trend means to your business. Companies with successful inbound marketing programs are embracing this buyer behavior and are creating online content to help their prospective customers evaluate their products. Learn more about the Huge Opportunity Around Inbound Sales.

To be successful sales and marketing need to be in alignment.

When sales and marketing operate in silos the business is set up for failure. Marketing and sales departments should work together to achieve business goals and establish a process to report results and refine the program.

Experts recommend a formal marketing-sales agreement. The 2013 State of Inbound report states that 73% of the companies interviewed reported a formal agreement engaged in inbound marketing. The average cost per lead for enterprise companies (US companies with 200+ employees) with a formal agreement was reduced from $486 to $291. That’s a significant data point to bring your marketing and sales organizations together to achieve mutual business and revenue goals.

Alignment in practice. We helped one of our clients learn how to incorporate their online marketing content into the sales process and we’re working to help them fully utilize their marketing assets throughout the customer journey with the goal of growing loyal customers who love their product and recommend it to their peers. We meet with the sales organization once a month to learn what support they need, the results of inbound leads and customer feedback.

Whether you are considering inbound marketing for your business or have an established program we can help. We work with our customers to achieve their business and lead generation goals. We connect with other inbound marketers through leading the Austin HubSpot User Group and we’re immersed in the evolution of strategy and tools through our engagement as a Certified HubSpot Partner.