So, you've banging on in the boss's ear for months now about how the company needs a website because 85% of B2B customers search the web before making a purchase decisions, and 78% of all consumers conduct product research and comparison online.
And that the company really needs to engage in some social media marketing, because, crikey, 41% of B2B companies and 67% of B2C companies have acquired a customer through Facebook.
And that a blog with regular content updates will generate 55% more traffic to the website, and 81% of that traffic will already be favourably predisposed to sales suggestions on the site.
But your boss is a tough nut to crack. There's any number of perfectly valid reasons why your boss may not be heeding your advice.
In small business, where the boss has to wear a whole lotta hats at one time, it may simply come down to time: between massaging the new client, paying invoices and wages, organising staff, proofing this week's newspaper ad, following up that new client, and all manner of peripheral things that simply take time. And of course the real work day hasn't even started yet.
Or it may be a perception of cost. Or questions about return on investment. Or staffing issues. Or bullheaded refusal to accept your recommendations. Whatever.
It's hard to argue with numbers, though. So take some of these facts and figures to your next meeting and you've got some pretty compelling reasons to backup your assertions.
Websites
85% of business-to-business customers research products and services on the web before making a purchase decision.
78% of consumers conduct product research online.
65% of Australian businesses don't have a website. Industries most likely to not have a website are building/construction and agriculture.
The lack of a professional-looking and well-designed website is the 7th top reason why small businesses fail.
Small businesses that have a website have an average 39% higher revenue than businesses who are not online.
Lost opportunity equals lost profits. If you don't have a website, chances are you are losing business to those that do.
Email and newsletter marketing
96% of all internet traffic is email. Facebook and Twitter combined add up to just 0.2% of the total emails sent every day.
44% of email recipients make at least one purchase a year based on promotional email.
72% of B2B users share interesting content via email rather than social media.
Women click through 10% more than men on mobile devices.
82% of consumers open emails from company newsletters they have opted in for.
74% of consumers prefer to receive commercial communications via email.
Email marketing has an ROI or 4300%!
48% of emails are opened on mobile devices; only 11% of marketing emails are optimised for mobile devices; 69% of users delete emails that are not optimised for mobile devices.
Don't make the mistake of thinking email is somehow 'old-fashioned'. Fact is, despite the hype and flutter over social media and sites for smartphones, the humble email can be your most powerful marketing ally.
Smartphones and tablets
The average tablet user spends 13.9 hours per week with the device.
Text messaging users send or receive an average of 35 messages per day.
Email opens on smartphones and tablets have increased 80% over the last six months.
64% of smartphone owners are using their mobile devices to shop online.
78% of business people use their mobile device to check email.
88% of consumers who search for a type of local business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours.
70% of mobile searches lead to online actions within an hour.
The need for responsiveness in web design to suit smartphones and tablets is no longer a web designer's upsell: it's non-negotiable. Users of smartphones appear to be — confusingly — both more fickle and more loyal. Make sure your site gives them reason for their loyalty.
Blogs and content
About 1 in 3 bloggers are mums.
57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog.
70% of people prefer to 'get to know' a brand through articles rather than ads.
400% more indexable pages are produced by blogging.
Companies that have an active blog get 67% more leads.
90% of consumers find custom content useful and 78% believe that organisations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them.
Blogging is good. Good blogging is simple. Write about what you know, targeted to your audience, and do it frequently. Build it, and they will come.
Social media
20% of Facebook users have purchased something because of ads or comments they saw there.
91% of online adults use social media regularly.
41% of B2B companies and 67% of B2C companies have acquired a customer through Facebook.
69% of consumers are more likely to use a local business if it has information available on a social media site.
Interesting content is a top 3 reason why people follow brands on social media.
Companies that use Twitter get twice the number of leads per month.
People are influenced by other people. Social media helps you tap into those influencers. Get posting.
Don't waste your money
The average click through rate from banner advertising is 2.1%.
84% of 25–34 year-olds have left a favourite website because of intrusive or irrelevant advertising.
60% of local business websites don't have their phone number on their site.
93% of SMB websites are not mobile compatible and will not render successfully on mobile devices or smart phones.
