Formerly tried and true tactics such as stone cold emails, cold calls, postcards and a booth at the trade show simply don't provide as much impact or generate enough interest as they once did.
Like gamma rays from the sun, we are bombarded by an incessant stream of information from marketers. So, quite simply, the game has changed. What's a brand to do to not only stand out from the competition, but to also be careful not to bore or annoy your prospects into remembering your brand for the wrong reasons?
This is where inbound marketing comes in, because a well-executed inbound campaign can stand out from the competition and cast the right kind of light on your brand; as a helpful, useful product or service.
Of course, this means that we need to change our strategic thinking in order to build what we now regard as effective marketing campaigns. And, if we embrace this changing mindset, we can use it to our advantage.
Inbound marketing offers a wealth of new, effective tactical ideas that can enable us to see unprecedented growth. Of course, as the old saying goes, great advertising can ruin a business. So, if, however, we don't account for an increase in customer acquisition and have a process to deal with it, our business can topple over under the weight of good intentions.
But, if you want your company to grow in 2017, learn how to make inbound marketing a key part of your strategy. Here are some reasons why inbound marketing can be a critical driver for your growth this year:
1. Inbound Marketing Builds Trust
Always be selling was a great mantra for 1993, but in 2017, always be helping is more effective. When prospects research a topic that's important to them, those that provide useful, knowledgeable and professional responses will obviously garner the most respect. And respect builds trust. Building a rapport with a customer is of course, a critical first step in establishing a relationship, and ultimately in making a sale. Quality inbound content and a well thought out campaign to promote it, demonstrates that you have expertise, and can, therefore, be trusted.2. Build Momentum
With traditional advertising, each day is a silo. Every call is isolated from ever other call, and every technique exists as an independent attempt to get new leads. With inbound marketing techniques, leads can be nurtured over time to continue building trust and respect. Campaigns can be created so your prospects reach a steady flow of new information with each interaction.3. Promote Your Brand Over Time
While it's important to create content that is fresh, much of your content will be "evergreen" and will remain indexed for quite a while. A cumulative effect is created demonstrating value over time.4. Warmer is Better
A prospect that seeks out what you are selling is always going to have a higher closing percentage than those that you find. It's called intent. The goal of cold outreach is to create awareness or interest, which was traditionally an important step before intent. But now, when a customer seeks you out and comes across a helpful piece of content that you created, that interest is already there. A lead created through inbound marketing is 6 times more likely to close than a lead generated through outbound methodologies.5. Customers are Experts
Researching 5 different types of running shoes and comparing the virtues and attributes of each one can happen now in minutes. Not too long ago, customers relied on brand representatives to gain information about a service or product. So, by the time you finally reach your prospects, they likely have a clear idea of what it is they want. Helping them to find this information in the right context, when they have intent to buy, is another reason why inbound marketing is so effective.6. Inbound is more Efficient
Why spend time cold calling when you can use inbound marketing? Sales people used to spend hours a day making phone calls, only to have a small fraction of those phone calls result in a conversation, much less in a sale.7. Inbound Marketing is Cost Effective
They money that are you are spending on a low-efficiency outbound team could be divided into your inbound efforts. Rather than hiring dozens of outbound sales reps, invest in a fraction of the work force that creates twice the productivity through inbound marketing.
So, what does this all have to do with cute puppies? Nothing at all really. In fact, it's probably not a good way to build trust with our audience. However, we did get you to read this far, so maybe we're on to something?
Looking for some real inbound lead ideas? Just click on the banner below to download our eBook on our 30 favorite techniques.
