6 Reasons to Get on Board With Inbound Marketing!

By Nancy LeVasseur

Inbound marketing attracts and converts visitors into clients by providing solutions to their most important challenges. 

Like a magnet, it draws prospects to your website and sets the stage for ongoing interaction and a lasting relationship.

By contrast, outbound marketing is the once tried-and-true advertising approach that pushes information to people whether they want it or not. Print ads, mailers, telemarketing, and cold calling are all examples of the now, not-so-effective, traditional outbound marketing methods.

6 Reasons Why You Should Adapt This New Strategy

 

1.    The world has changed, and like it or not, we’ve changed with it. Need info on the best pair of trail running shoes? Google it! Want to know what others are saying about the mountain bike you’re thinking of buying? “Bing it on!” Information, on just about everything, is available for us to find. All we have to do is look for it. Inbound marketers know this, and that’s why. . .

2.    It's here to stay! Yes, inbound marketing is still very new, but it’s gaining traction every year. More and more businesses are seeing the value of this new marketing strategy. Why? Because it’s based on how we, as consumers, have changed our buying habits. Did you know that in 2013, for the third year in a row, almost 50% of marketers plan to “up” their inbound marketing game?

3.    With inbound marketing, sales leads are more qualified. In the “2013 State of Inbound Marketing,” HubSpot reports that “inbound delivers 54% more leads into the marketing funnel than traditional outbound leads.” Translation? Inbound leads are more qualified, than traditional outbound leads, because they are actually looking for you and what you do. They want what you have!

4.     And, return on investment can be measured! In fact, in the same survey, 41% of marketers agreed that their investment could be measured, and 82% of those that blog reported seeing a favorable result for their investment. 

5.     Inbound marketing expenses are considerably less than traditional methods, and that makes the cost per lead significantly lower.

6.   Traditional outbound marketing is fading. While not gone all together, businesses are relying less on traditional forms of advertising. Return on investment is difficult to measure, blocking methods such as do-not-call lists and caller ID have increased, and for the dollars spent, the results just aren’t there.

What does inbound marketing mean for your customers?

It means the client acquisition process begins and ends with your customers; they are at the heart of a successful inbound marketing campaign. Most businesses tout, “The customer is always right!” Inbound marketing is an opportunity to give that motto “legs.”

Still have questions? Do you have an inbound marketing strategy? Leave a comment!

Content for this article was taken from “2013 State of Inbound Marketing Report,” by Hubspot.com.