When we talk about Inbound Marketing, it is very important to understand what it refers to.
Well, let us explain to you all about it through this blog.
Inbound Marketing gives companies the power to attract customers without advertising. The strategy is based on modern trends – easy access to publishing, the prominence of search engines, the popularity of social media, the power of A/B testing & others.
In traditional marketing (outbound marketing) companies focus on finding customers. They use techniques that are poorly targeted and that interrupt people. They use cold-calling, print advertising, T.V. advertising, junk mail, spam and trade shows.
Technology is making these techniques less effective and more expensive. Caller ID blocks cold calls, TiVo (is a company offering a branded subscription-based interactive television service that lets viewers program and control which television shows they watch, and when.) makes T.V. advertising less effective, spam filters block mass emails and tools like RSS are making print and display advertising less effective. It’s still possible to get a message out via these channels, but it costs more.
Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing –
Inbound Marketers flip outbound marketing on its head.
• Outbound Marketing would interrupt people with television ads whereas through Inbound Marketing, videos can be created videos that potential customers want to see.
• Unlike buying display ads in print publications, through Inbound Marketing one can create their own blog that people subscribe to and look forward to reading.
• Instead of cold calling, Inbound Marketing helps to create useful content and tools so that people call them looking for more information.
• Through Outbound Marketing, people drive their message into a crowd over and over again like a sledgehammer on the contrary; Inbound Marketing helps attract highly qualified customers to their business like a magnet.
Since the last decade, inbound marketing has picked up pace & has turned out to be one of the most effective marketing method for doing business online. The old outbound marketing methods of buying ads, buying email lists and praying for leads, inbound marketing focuses on creating quality content that pulls people toward a company and product. By aligning the content you publish with your customer’s interests, you naturally attract inbound traffic that you can then convert, close, and delight over time.
To use any marketing technique one needs a Target or a Goal that would motivate them to work towards achieving it. After deciding on the goal, the next most important thing is Strategy. It’s a simple term but is deeply useful & is of utmost importance. After we are done with determining our goals & strategies, we should get onto the Plan of Action.
Following is the Plan-of-Action that should be followed in order to use inbound marketing to expand your business.
• Be tracked online by more visitors
• Turn more visitors into leads
• Nurture leads with discipline and consistency guiding them down the sales funnel
• Close leads smartly
• Make efficient marketing investment
Now you know why inbound marketing is so important in today’s time and how much can it affect your business. So what are you waiting for? Get up and get going!