Inbound Marketing. What is it? The short of it is marketing that offers people what they are looking for when they are looking for it. I’m sure you’re thinking that my answer is vague and doesn’t really tell you anything. But, to be honest, that is Inbound in its simplest form; NOT being vague BUT HELPFUL.
Traditional marketing is not always received well. By nature its interruptive, intrusive, flashy and typically doesn’t happen at the time when you are interested in buying ANYTHING.
The truth is the buyer is in control and has always been and no one wants to buy something you’re shoving down their throat, if they do they tend to have buyer’s remorse.
Let me show you what I mean. Do me a favor. Take a moment to think about your ideal purchasing experience. Seriously. Think about it. Does it involve a commercial interrupting your favorite TV show, a pushy salesman telling you why you need to buy today, a telemarketing call, or mailer you received? I think not. What do those things have in common? They’re unsolicited and therefore unwanted.
Did you know there are 200 million numbers on the DO NOT CALL list, 44% of direct mail is never opened, and a whopping 88% of people skip TV commercials? I’m sure you’re in that number right?!
What Inbound does is approach marketing in a different way. Since the majority of users research and consume content before they buy anything, why not reach them where they are?!
Did you know companies that blog generate 67% more leads per month than those that don’t, 80% of business decision-makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus in an advertisement and inbound leads cost 60% less than outbound leads.
With Inbound marketing, strangers are attracted with helpful content like blogs, eBooks, social posts, etc. They are attracted because within that content lies the answers to the questions they’ve been searching for. Those strangers are now visitors that have found the content useful and want to get more relevant content. Those visitors are converted to leads because they’ve raised their hand (filled out a form) giving you their contact information. They subscribe to keep receiving your helpful content. Those leads become customers when they realize through the information you’ve been putting out that you offer the solution to their problem. When they are ready to buy (not when you’re ready to sell) they do. Did you see how we got to the sale without being flashy, intrusive or interruptive? NICE, right?! Hats off to Inbound!
Let’s get to the meat of it. Why Inbound? Because you want to adapt to the market. People will continue to search online. It's what the majority of people do when they need information about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. Even so, most people buy when they are ready to and cringe at the thought of being forced into a sale. In the world of DVR, commercial/ad free online radio and TV and every other business jumping up and down like a toddler yelling “look at me, look at me!”, it’s time for a new approach.
How can Inbound Marketing help your business? First, answer a few questions for me. Have you identified who your ideal buyers are? Do you have content you want to get in front of those buyers? Would you like to look beyond traditional marketing for your business? Do you need help creating an online marketing plan as far as social and blog posts? Are you looking to generate more qualified leads? Are you looking for a way to market that is trackable? If the answer is a RESOUNDING YES, let’s talk. Click here to request a FREE Inbound Marketing Assessment!
Want to know more about Inbound Marketing? We're putting together an Inbound 101 Webinar. Be the first to know all the details!!
