New survey data from Fathom and Smart Business show a vast majority of Northeast Ohio businesses count the Internet as the most important source of sales leads.* Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Internet defeated traditional sources like direct mail, radio and TV by a 2:1 margin. This margin increased to more than 3:1 when the same businesses projected the most important sources of leads 3 years into the future.
If the respondents—83% of whom belong to the “C-level”—have any accurate sense of where their richest marketing opportunities are going (and recent Forrester research suggests they do), then businesses across the spectrum will be relying on the Internet for lead-gen with growing dependency in the near future. Consider your own current marketing strategy: Are you reaching and captivating your potential audience with the right mix of inbound, outbound, and automated (i.e. nurturing) marketing?
As far as your Internet presence is concerned, is your site user-friendly? Do you have readable, Web-appropriate copy? Do you offer select paths for different user personas? How well are you catering to different stages of a buying cycle, B2B or B2C? How about the utility and desirability of your content?
NE Ohio has spoken. Are you listening? If the Internet is going to be the most important source of your sales leads, make sure that your business is ready to navigate the digital world with a steady hand.
*Results compiled from an October 2011 magazine wrapper questionnaire with 400+ respondents. For full details, please download the Fathom-Smart Business survey summary.
