Inbound marketing has proven to be a very effective marketing method for doing business online. Rather than using older outbound marketing methods like buying ads and email lists, inbound marketing focuses on creating quality content that pulls people toward your company and product, where they naturally want to be. By aligning the content you publish with your customers’ interests, you will more naturally attract inbound traffic that you can then convert, close, and continue to delight over time. 

The nature of marketing will continue to change and emerge as new bits of technology are introduced and enhanced. Here are some of the latest statistics from The State of Inbound 2017 that your clients should know about: 

1. Nearly Half of Marketers Plan to Utilize Facebook Video 

With nearly 2 billion active monthly users, Facebook continues to dominate the social media industry. Marketers can no longer ignore the fact that more and more people are using Facebook to consume video content. In fact, 46% of marketers have taken note and plan to add Facebook video to their content distribution strategy over the next year; up 7% compared to 2016. Even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said Facebook will consist mostly of video within the next five years.

2. Messaging Apps Appeal to 4% More Marketers 

Mobile messaging apps continue to gain users with more folks always looking to stay in the loop as they're on the go. Marketers are following suit and 24% even plan to add messaging apps to their content distribution strategies in the next 12 months.

WhatsApp is one of the industry's leading mobile messaging apps with more than 1.2 billion monthly active users as of January 2017. Snapchat, which Facebook acquired in 2016 (for a cool five billion dollars), is another giant where brands can now place “snaps” in both user's feeds and the main Stories feed. Snapchat offers marketers endless routes of engagement opportunity from creative promo code offers and product launches to having an influencer "take over" a brand's account (as Adidas did with Pharrell Williams).

3. 48% of Marketers Will Add YouTube as a Content Channel

It’s no wonder more marketers are looking to add YouTube as a content channel given the site garners over 30 million visitors a day! What once started as a simple site to upload videos is now one of the most sought after channels for marketers looking to spread their message. Over the next year, clients will see a rise in utilizing YouTube as a content channel in an effort to appeal to their audiences. YouTube is a great tool for inbound marketing as it allows users to create both engaging and quality content to pull audiences in.

YouTube is also making it easier for those who may not have extensive video editing knowledge or experience. Marketers can now browse through various video templates designed for businesses who wish to utilize the platform in a way that looks clean, crisp and professional. 

Marketers are no longer limited to text as new technology continues to make it easier than ever for folks to engage with audiences. As these inbound marketing statistics clearly show, video and messaging apps are growing significantly and leading the way. With limitless opportunities for unique and engaging content creation, these mediums should be embraced by marketers more now than ever before.