By Warren Lutz, Vice President, Strategic Vantage
Positive publicity. It can do wonders for a business. As publicists, we know this is true. But why is it so effective? Here are five fascinating statistics that shed light on why the right kind of publicity fuels a company’s growth.
80%. According to the Content Marketing Institute, that’s the percentage of decision-makers at U.S. businesses who prefer to get information about other companies based on a series of articles instead of ads. The reason? Ads are designed to sell, while articles inform and enlighten. A well-written, bylined article published in a prominent trade publication can be more convincing than almost any ad – and the cost can be far lower.
14.6%. That’s the average closing rate for leads generated from search engine optimization (SEO) strategies, according to imFORZA. Compare that with a 1.7% closing rate for outbound marketing strategies, and there’s no contest. An SEO strategy fueled by consistent, active publicity creates leads that are of much higher quality than outbound marketing leads, because the people coming to your website are actually looking for the types of products and services you offer.
96%. That’s the percentage of B2B buyers who indicate they want content with more input from thought leaders, according to Demand Gen Report. Prospects want to know that you are a thought leader, so it’s important to publish articles that show off your expertise.
93%. According to HubSpot, that’s how many B2B sales decisions start with an Internet search. It’s almost a guarantee that someone who is interested in your products or services will search for them online. The more publicity you have created, the more likely your company will show up in the search results in articles or blogs written by you or about you.
12. According to Google, that’s the number of searches the average B2B decision-maker performs before choosing a specific brand. As such, you want to have content about your company that ranks high on search engines. Beyond simply having a website with great SEO, you want additional material to come up about your company in search results. If your company appears in an article or submits a byline to a reputable publication, it will likely rank high on search results.
The statistics don’t lie – positive publicity is the best friend a business could ever have. And generating publicity is not expensive. Dollar for dollar, it provides highly cost-effective marketing, raising a company’s visibility while fueling growth.
If you’re not already proactively generating publicity for your company, I encourage you to give it a try for a couple of months. Experience firsthand what it’s like to ride the formidable wave of great publicity. After all, seeing is believing. Reach out to me if you’d like to discuss at info@StrategicVantage.com.