Proof
Points
B2B marketing videos are an opportunity to leverage visual storytelling that connects with your target audience on a far deeper and more subconscious level. Studies show that it keeps their attention and stays in their memory longer. So, it’s no surprise that video ranks high as a marketing tactic today.
While SEO is a long-term strategy, it pays dividends in the form of higher website traffic and lead conversions.
Google is the gorilla, driving 94% of total organic traffic to websites.
75% of people never even scroll past the first page of search engine results.
It is estimated that over 40% of business revenue is captured by organic traffic.
The top 5 search results for a keyword on Google get 70% of the clicks.
Search beats out social media for driving website traffic by more than 300%.
61% of consumers use search engines to help them perform product research before making a purchase.
LinkedIn is the biggest driver among social media platforms with 80% of B2B leads from social vs. only 13% from Twitter and 7% from Facebook.
B2B Marketers see the benefits of keyword usage and claim it more efficiently drives leads when compared to their other marketing initiatives.
Strategic landing pages are used by 68% of B2B businesses to acquire those leads.
53% of content marketers use interactive content in their lead generation efforts.
Leads from search have a 14.6% conversion rate as compared to a 1.7% conversion rate for outbound leads.
61% of marketers say that generating traffic and leads is their top challenge.
Only 18% of marketers say that outbound practices provide the highest quality leads.
It’s okay to be wordy – the average first page result on Google contains 1,890 words.
Furthermore, blog posts longer than 1,500 words receive 22.6% more Facebook likes and receive 68.1% more Tweets.
One in ten blog posts are compounding, which generate 38% of overall traffic. A compounding post is one whose organic search traffic increases over time.
Companies that blog receive 97% more links to their website.
The Stratistry team loves nothing more than digging deep into available data and research to derive actionable insights that can help lead your brand to achieve better business results. Contact us to find out how we can combine the art and science of marketing for your brand.
Source: Visual Capitalist: The Giant List of 100+ Marketing Stats
The latest retail sales numbers from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, show a return to the positive in spite of the continued coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. Their Advanced Monthly Retail Trade Report includes their first calculations of May’s retail sales.
The economy has been opening up in many areas, and consumer spending reflects pent up demand with advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales in May showing a 17.7% increase. Despite still having 20.9 million unemployed people, the government stimulus checks and the PPP program seem to have helped push U.S. retail sales back into the positive. But economists caution that these gains in May are still well below pre-pandemic levels.
While shoppers have returned faster than expected, experts are saying that it could take years to fully recover. A McKinsey & Company survey in late May found that of the consumers who are not currently engaging with out-of-home activities, four-fifths are waiting for milestones beyond simply lifting restrictions. They are waiting for approval from medical authorities, further safety measures to be put in place by retailers, and the development of a vaccine. This shift to in-home consumption, dubbed by Nielsen as the new ‘homebody economy,’ is likely to continue for these consumers for many months to come. Read on for our retail sales insights for key categories.
Nonstore Retailers Insight: The increased online shopping spurred by the pandemic is likely here to stay.
The arrival of the Corona pandemic has accelerated the use of digital tools and online shopping. And this is one behavior change that may stick in the long term. In fact, the McKinsey survey found that consumers intend to further increase their online shopping, at least when it comes to household essentials and entertainment.
Sandy Stein, a Forbes contributor about all things retail, says, “No matter how one looks at the recent online sales stats, the cards are stacked in favor of further digital adoption and against more trips to physical retail stores.”
General Merchandise Stores Insight: Consumer spending returned in this sector after dipping in April.
Brands like Walmart and Home Depot reaped the benefit of early panic buying from Americans as they began sheltering in place (Walmart Q1 profits rose 4%, while Home Depot Q1 profits rose 7%), and that initial growth has returned after dipping in April.
Retail Trade Insight: Consumer spending is rebounding after record declines during the coronavirus lockdowns.
Consumer spending looks to be on an upward trend, even as the pandemic lingers. After plunging 16.4% in April, May saw a record 16.8% increase.
The McKinsey survey also found that consumer intent to purchase is starting to rebound, especially in food and discretionary categories, such as groceries, household supplies and entertainment at home.
However, the latest installment of Russell Research’s COVID-19 Monitor indicated that Americans are generally not ready to return to specialty retail, and that 85% of Americans are still concerned about the pandemic.
Department Stores Insight: Consumers say they are likely to spend less time at malls, which would negatively impact anchor department stores.
Malls and department stores that have opened are at reduced capacity and open fewer hours, but that didn’t stop a record 36.9% increase in sales in May.
Yet, the McKinsey survey found a desire among consumers to continue to reduce their time spent going to malls as well as attending movies, concerts and the like. Only time will tell if the pandemic will bring about the inevitable demise or even a reinvention of malls.
Grocery Stores Insight: Consumers are comfortable with going generic.
Many consumers have shifted their grocery shopping online amid concerns regarding their safety. The Russell COVID-19 Monitor found that 14% of grocery shoppers say they will be more likely to have groceries delivered in comparison to before the pandemic. Google Trends data further reflected this concern with the number one query in the last 90 days being “is it safe to go to grocery store.”
Consumers have also shifted to new brands during the pandemic and largely plan to stick with them. According to the McKinsey survey, nearly two-thirds of consumers have switched to a store brand and intend to continue with it.
Food Services and Drinking Places Insight: Consumers have been craving in-person experiences at restaurants.
Even as dine-in service begins to open up in states across the U.S., the McKinsey survey showed a strong trend toward continued online purchase for food takeout and delivery. Starbucks is betting on these changed consumer behaviors with their announcement last week about shifting hundreds of North American stores from café to pickup-only and to-go models.
Sales in this category showed a return to the positive in May, and Google Trends data reflected this pent up demand for an in-person experience at restaurants. The top five queries were significant at over a 5,000% increase in the last 90 days. These trending queries were all variations of “when and what restaurants are open for dine in.”
Recent consumer research from Dataessential also found that consumers rank dining out as one of the top three things they look forward to doing as restrictions ease, along with socializing with friends and seeing family.
That foot traffic can’t happen fast enough for some of these struggling retailers. A research report released by IRC last week said that 85% of the roughly 500,000 independent restaurants could close permanently by the end of the year. But more help may be on the way. A bill to provide $120 billion in grants to independent restaurants is under discussion in the House of Representatives.
The Stratistry team loves nothing more than digging deep into available data and research to derive actionable insights that can help lead your brand to achieve better business results. Contact us to find out how we can combine the art and science of marketing for your brand.
Sources:
U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau Advanced Monthly Retail Trade Report 6/16/2020; McKinsey & Company Covid-19 US Consumer Pulse Survey 5/18-5/24/2020; Russell Research Covid-19 Monitor 6/5-6/8/2020
