Marketing changed dramatically once the internet became mainstream. Inbound marketing is one of the most profound results of this change.
Today’s marketing looks nothing like it did 30, 40, or 50 years ago. Inbound marketing was nothing like it is today. When it comes to promoting a company and its products or services back then, there were just a few possibilities.
Everything changed when the internet became mainstream. We can now get customers to come to us rather than having to go out of our way to find them. Inbound marketing is the term for this strategy.
Let’s briefly go over what inbound marketing is and why it’s useful.
What is inbound marketing and how does it work?
You’ve most likely heard the term before, but you might not know exactly what it means.
Maybe you only need some examples. Whatever the case, let’s start with a quick definition to make sure we’re all on the same page.
Inbound marketing, according to Optimizely, is a marketing strategy that focuses on attracting visitors and potential consumers. It does this rather than pushing a product, brand, or service upon prospects in the hopes of generating leads or gaining customers.
A corporation can employ a variety of inbound marketing channels to reach its target audience. Examples include blog entries, inbound marketing videos, and social media material.
Outbound vs. Inbound Marketing: What’s the Difference?
Outbound marketing refers to more traditional promotional means.
These include billboards, television and radio commercials, and print adverts. It’s the act of aggressively approaching potential customers and pushing a certain service, brand, or product to them.
Outbound marketing, in other words, is the polar opposite of inbound marketing.
For years, the argument between inbound and outbound marketing has raged on. However, here’s the thing: both tactics are feasible.
In addition, most businesses should spend money on both inbound and outbound marketing. Each has a place in the business world. They each have the potential to increase sales.
However, inbound marketing is more subtle, and therefore, its effects can be more difficult to track. Nevertheless, they are ultimately very effective.
We’ll spend the rest of this article focused just on inbound marketing, including why it’s so effective.
Inbound Marketing Advantages
Let’s start with the why of inbound marketing. Why should your business put money into this strategy?
While there are numerous reasons for this, we’d want to focus on three of them: increased trust, cheaper costs, and improved leads.
Let’s take a look at each of these advantages separately.
1. Cost-effectiveness
The cost of producing outbound marketing channels such as television and radio advertising is high.
On the other hand, the costs of producing blog entries or creating social media content are practically non-existent. Furthermore, it’s also worth noting that in order for outbound marketing methods to be effective, a company must spend money on them on a regular basis.
For example, television advertising will not generate leads for your business a month after it airs unless you continue to pay the networks to air it.
A blog entry or a YouTube video, on the other hand, will linger on the internet indefinitely. In addition, it can reach your target audience for months, or even years after it is released.
2. Inbound marketing inspires more confidence.
Inbound marketing tactics, on the whole, build more trust between buyers and brands.
What is the reason for this? Because customers are free to discover the business on their own, rather than being bombarded with marketing.
Consider the following scenario.
You’re in the process of renovating your home. You’ve read every blog article and watched every video you can get your hands on about the subject over the last few months.
Therefore, would you rather buy lumber for the guest room extension from a firm whose instructional content you’ve been consuming for the past few months? Or would you consider buying from a company you just saw on TV but have never heard of before?
The majority of customers would prefer to purchase from the first firm. This is because they have already built a relationship with it through instructional blogs and videos. Therefore, they have some trust in it.
3. Better leads!
Finally, this kind of marketing produces higher-quality leads.
This is due in large part to the trust we discussed earlier. Sales are nearly guaranteed when a potential consumer already knows, likes, and trusts your brand.
There is one caveat. Building relationships with customers takes time.
Most inbound marketing strategies take significantly longer to reach consumers than a billboard or print campaign.
Therefore, inbound marketing is an approach that is more long-term. However, the wait is well worth it, as it almost always results in more leads than other marketing methods.
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