FACT: Inbound marketing accounts for a 14.6% close rate on sales, as opposed to the 1.7% close rate garnered by traditional outbound methods. That's a difference of almost 13%, and in the world of business, that can literally be the difference between life and death. (HubSpot statistic)
The area of traditional outbound marketing has been steadily winding down for about the past decade and is being completely replaced by inbound marketing. It's safe to say at this point that old methods of marketing are pretty much dead and that the digital age is in full swing, with inbound marketing ruling overall.
It's true that companies do still buy ads and email lists, and hope that fresh leads will drop into their laps, but it is now proving far more effective to generate interest in your company and its products or services by creating quality content on your website and other online channels, including as many features and appeals as possible to draw visitors in.
The obvious benefit to this is that all content on your online channels, especially your website, can be completely aligned with company goals and objectives, which facilitates the attraction of inbound traffic. With this increase of targeted inbound traffic, sales conversions increase and sales can happen right then and there, rather than hoping customers will read your traditional ads and take action.
Why inbound marketing so effective?
The benefits of inbound marketing, at its core, is all about attracting visitors to your company brand by various means that direct them inward to your company. Some of the most common ways to do this are through blogs, social media, videos, calls to action, and other forms of content marketing which always guide interested users inward to your company. To be really effective, all these methods need to be fresh, relevant to users, and informative or helpful in some way.
Inbound marketing is all about creating content that appeals to the specific customers you are hoping to attract. This means targeted, qualified customers who are likely to be interested in your product or service, and who are also likely to demonstrate loyalty to your company by returning for follow-up purchases.
By creating content that answers some of the most basic needs of targeted customers you are presenting a powerful appeal which motivates them to take some form of action, such us sign up to a newsletter, send enquiry and purchase. The best inbound marketing also seeks to empower and enable prospective customers to become advocates themselves for your company, promoting your products and services because their own experiences have been such positive ones.
The right message, the right platform, the right moment
Through surveys, questionnaires, and personal contact with your customers, you can find out a great deal about their wants and needs, and you can personalise your message accordingly. This makes the marketing message much more focused and much more likely to hit home with targeted users.
Today's marketing tools help you to publish just the right content, on the appropriate platform, and at just the right time, so that your marketing does not intrude on users' lifestyles, but instead appeals to them when they are most receptive to it. Since more than 65% of Internet users around the world research products online before buying, your message needs to be in exactly the right spot, when they are most interested in consuming your content.
The bottom line
The chance of outbound marketing materials coming to users with the right message at a time when they are receptive to it, and in a form which interests them is pretty slim - in fact, it almost amounts to sheer luck. Inbound marketing makes the whole process much more targeted, and much more solidly based on information known about prospective buyers.
Need pointers on inbound marketing?
If you or your company could use some pointers on how to implement a marketing strategy featuring inbound methods or you had some questions about this blog contact us today, or call us on 1300 79 55 41. We would love to help you flip your marketing around and help you get killer results.
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