2012 Budgets for Lead-Generation Increase Substantially
MarketingSherpa recently published the results of a study of almost 2,000 marketing professions relating to their budgets for lead-generation activities. The study asked participants where they plan to allocate their 2012 budget money. Resoundingly, the biggest winners were the key drivers of inbound lead-generation activities:
| Biggest winners | Lead-generation budgets expected to greatly increase |
| Website optimization | 29% |
| Social media | 27% |
| Search engine optimization | 24% |
| Content marketing | 23% |
| Email marketing | 19% |
Not surprising was that the budgets receiving the least growth included direct mail, tradeshows, and print advertising.
An important point that the publishers of the study made was that marketers continue to struggle to get all of the budget dollars that they want. Many companies continue to view marketing as a cost center.
The answer to this quandary lies in metrics and accountability. Many companies declare that they are serious about lead generation, but they’ve been unable to establish the proper reporting to support their efforts. Establishing a strong methodology for compiling metrics and extracting meaningful information takes effort, helps garner strong executive support from the top, and drives accountability throughout the entire sales and marketing chain. When we establish meaningful analytics reports and gain support of the entire organization toward accountability and results, lead-generation efforts can deliver much more powerful results. As Lou Gerstner, the former Chairman of IBM once noted, “You can’t manage anything that you can’t measure.”
If you need help establishing your lead-generation playbook and the reporting that goes along with it, give us a call. We’d love to help!