A curious phenomenon is unfolding across the business landscape - one that began in startups with their signature “shoestring budgets” but has since caught the attention of larger organizations which are doing something that, even a few years ago, was unthinkable: setting sail without a marketing department.

Here at Leap Clixx, we’re all about being positive and finding solutions. And so when we blog about the #1 inbound marketing mistake that we keep seeing year after year, it’s not because we’re being miserable or pessimistic. It’s actually quite the opposite.

According to a survey by econsultancy.com, 70% of businesses say that it costs significantly less to retain a customer than to acquire one. Research by Invesp confirms this, saying it costs 5 times as much to acquire a new customer than to keep one.

While there are many strategies and tools that support marketing success, one of the most important is buyer personas. After all, what's the point in throwing a bunch of people and money at a marketing project if you haven't even optimized who it's going to target?

The phrase “customer journey” has a nice, pleasant sound to it – it’s almost fairy-tale like. For example, we can imagine Little Red Riding Hood trotting through the woods on a happy journey to visit her grandmother. 

A buyer persona is a fictional representation of an ideal customer type or group that captures key aspects such as: demographics, motivations, pain points, behavior patterns, alternatives, obstacles and goals. It’s usually necessary (and wise) for a business to develop more than one buyer persona, even if it only has a single product or offering.

Let’s start with this: inbound marketing really works.

You’ve wisely decided that inbound marketing is the smartest and most strategic way to reach qualified leads, attract them to your business, convert them into customers and inspire them to become brand evangelists. Good move!

Tis the season! According to a new survey by Deloitte, holiday sales this year are expected to increase by 3.5 to 4% over the same period last year, bringing the cash register total to a whopping $965 billion.