By Eric Hubbs, Business and Online Development Manager
If you own a computer or stay up-to-date on news, you are well aware of the social media revolution that has taken the world by storm. It was Web 2.0 that introduced interactive information sharing and collaboration on the web, and one of its concepts – social media – is quickly becoming one of the biggest trends in business today. In fact, it has created a powerful new way of doing business: inbound marketing.
So what exactly is inbound marketing, how is it different from traditional outbound marketing, and should your business get in on the action (if you aren’t already)? Read on – we’ll answer these questions so you can put your doubts aside and consider joining this inbound marketing revolution.
Traditional “Outbound” Marketing
A good way to understand traditional outbound marketing is to imagine a megaphone. A megaphone is great for “interrupting” a situation to gain attention from all who will listen. Similar to a megaphone, “outbound” marketing is based on interruption – email blasts, advertisements, and mass mailings are all common weapons in the arsenal of the outbound marketer.
While these strategies still have their place (and have been successfully utilized by marketing and PR agencies for years), people have become masters of tuning out interruptions – they have spam blockers to stop emails and TIVO to fast forward through commercials. As our audiences become more creative at blocking out our outbound marketing techniques, we have to adapt and find creative ways to connect with them.
Inbound Marketing
If outbound marketing is a megaphone, inbound marketing is a magnet that attracts customers who are already looking for and interested in a specific industry. Through search engine optimization (SEO), social media networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.), and blogging, businesses are able to attract customers through relevant, personable content, which builds credibility, demonstrates knowledge, and creates rapport.
Not only does inbound marketing reverse the sales process, it also allows businesses to create and maintain a two-way relationship with their potential and existing clients. Instead of simply bombarding an audience with “interruptions,” inbound marketing creates an interactive conversation between companies and their consumers. For example, a fellow colleague of mine once told me that after wine tasting in Paso Robles he tweeted that he had a great time at a particular winery. Well the next day, that same winery tweeted him back with a thank you note. Guess which winery he raves about and recommends to others?
Are you “in” or are you “out”?
Some of you may be hesitant to jump on the inbound marketing bandwagon, but statistics show that it works. You don’t need to spend hours and hours online, but you should have a place for it in your marketing plan – right alongside some of your outbound marketing strategies. If you spend just 20 minutes a day writing a blog article, posting to Twitter, or answering questions on LinkedIn, it will pay off. At the very least, you’ll understand the current technology trends.
So next time you’re considering investing in an expensive marketing campaign, consider the benefits of inbound marketing and social media. Depending on your target market and goal, you might save a bundle of money and get a better return on investment - and have a great time doing it!