The internet is changing the world at rapid speeds. If an industry wants to stay alive in the digital age, they need to learn how to adapt and use the internet to their advantage.
Marketing is no different. In fact, marketing can and does benefit greatly with the help of the internet – if people who are in that profession know how to use the tool correctly. That’s exactly how inbound marketing was born.
Inbound marketing is done completely online and doesn’t depend on the old-fashioned tactics marketers once relied on for getting people interested in their product and, ultimately, boosting sales.
If you want to adapt and exceed as a marketer, you will benefit greatly from switching from outbound or “old” marketing to the new approach, better known as inbound marketing. With inbound marketing, you can reach more people and establish two-way communication with customers.
With this marketing tactic, you don’t buy your customer’s interest – you earn it. People seek out your product themselves. So, if you’re serious about your marketing efforts, it’s time to finally replace the old way with the new and improved way.
What is outbound marketing?
Outbound marketing is known by a couple of different names: traditional, interruption, push, and old marketing. Although you might not know it by its name, you most certainly know what outbound marketing is, as it’s been around for as long as anyone can remember.
This type of marketing includes:
The biggest problem with outbound marketing is that it is designed to reach a large number of people, so the message it sends needs to be general. However, it’s impossible to create an advertisement with general marketing that will appeal to everyone who sees it.
Another issue inbound marketing faces is intrusion, interruption, and annoyance. These types of ads interrupt people’s lives and their schedules. Of course, this can be irritating. Nobody is going to buy a product if an ad for it annoys them.
Therefore, outbound marketing is meant to reach a large number of people who may or may not be interested in the product you’re selling. It’s easy to see why all of these tactics are outdated and are slowly starting to die out, while inbound marketing is taking over.
What is inbound marketing?
As opposed to outbound marketing that focuses on pushing messages to a wider audience (for instance, the same way an advertisement would interrupt a television program), inbound marketing uses a completely different strategy.
With inbound marketing, you advertise the right product to the right target audience. In other words, you don’t find your customers, the customers find you. Your job as an inbound marketer is to earn the attention of your customers instead of forcing it upon them. The way you do this is by creating interesting and engaging content.
Since you’re targeting a specific type of customer, you can make your ads more personal and more appealing. An inbound marketing agency uses the internet to attract people with high-quality content that the customers themselves want to see. All expert marketers can agree that this is the best way to attract customers and make a profit.
What makes inbound marketing superior?
You may still be on the fence about switching to inbound marketing or unsure how it would benefit your business and improve sales. Here are some of its benefits, and why inbound marketing is much better than outbound marketing.
It’s low cost
Compared to outbound marketing that requires companies to spend an enormous amount of money, inbound marketing is much cheaper. As there are countless low-cost and even free platforms you can advertise on, it seems absolutely ridiculous to buy expensive TV ads and billboards just to reach people who may or may not be your target audience.
Instead of spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on ads, you can invest very little money and have a higher chance of selling your product to the people who it was meant for.
Higher return on investment
Since you spend less money on inbound marketing, you will undoubtedly have a higher return on investment. Additionally, if your content is engaging, your campaign will last much longer than any outbound marketing campaign ever could.
Marketing and sales are much simpler
With inbound marketing, your sales and marketing teams work together to create the perfect content that is appealing to your consumers. While the sales team knows exactly what the customers want and need from the product, the marketing team knows how to create engaging content that pulls them in.
It’s better aligned with modern buyers
It’s important to adapt to the changing times, as people are changing just as much as technology. Modern buyers like to feel in control of everything, which includes their purchases.
Internet presence is also important because of online reviews. Today’s buyers always read product reviews. If people find positive feedback on social media and review websites, there is a higher chance they will buy that product and not the one they were forced to see in an advertisement.
Increased brand awareness
On the internet, it’s easy to advertise any brand, no matter how big or small it is. If a customer wants to find your product because it fits their needs, they will do it quite easily.
And if they are satisfied with what you have to offer, they will also share your product on social media platforms. Thanks to the power of the internet, your business could even grow overnight.
You will earn trust and credibility
Let’s face it, nobody likes to have their activity interrupted by an annoying ad. People would much rather see an ad on their own terms than being forced to see it. If you approach customers in a less direct way, your brand will seem much more appealing.
If customers see your add because they wanted to, it will give your company credibility, so your customers will trust it more.
Numbers don’t lie
When you look at some inbound marketing statistics, it’s obvious why so many companies are switching to inbound marketing and leaving outbound marketing in the past where it belongs.
