Inbound marketing has been around for about 20 years. Despite its ubiquitous presence in digital marketing circles, it remains a mystery to many. Some people prefer to continue to use traditional marketing tactics. While spending a lot of money on "tried and tested" methods. Buying billboards, radio spots, TV commercials, direct actions. Sure, you can do it all too. However, it's time to measure their actual ROI. Then get on with what really works.
Traditional marketing (outbound marketing) has not been triumphant for some time. 86% clients switch advertising on TV. The 83% has increased the number of marketers who admitted that Facebook has become one of the important or key elements of the business in the last two years. In turn, 2/3 of them assign the same role to a company blog. Let's add that inbound marketing costs 62% less for acquiring one lead than you would have to spend on traditional marketing activities. Besides, inbound marketing supports not only generating leadsbut also profits.
What is inbound marketing?
Inbound marketing is a digital marketing strategy. It uses SEO, high-quality content, and other tactics to generate and nurture relationships with potential customers. Inbound marketing at its core provides tremendous value To your target client without asking for anything in return. Now that there is no doubt about what it is, let's move on to answer the most important question: does it work?
Sometimes personal experiences can provide tangible examples. Think about how many times you immediately bought a product after watching its advertisement on TV? How many billboards have inspired you to use a new service or travel to a new place? You rarely took any action, right? These tactics are just too broad-based to be reach the customer on an individual level. And now on the other hand. How many times have you bought a product on the internet after reading some positive reviews about it? How often do you choose the best answer to your question from the SERPs, i.e. from the search results page that appear in response to the phrase you entered? Yes, other people do too.
According to a study 81% buyers are looking for your product on the Internet before making a purchase. In addition, the 65% of smartphone users admits that they are looking for the most relevant answers to their questions, regardless of who is providing the information. Inbound marketing was created precisely to deal with the evolution of user behavior on the Internet.
How many times have you bought a product on the internet after reading some positive reviews about it?
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Inbound marketing needs a plan
One of the common criticisms of inbound marketing is that its impact is not seen quickly and requires constant, hard work. So it won't just happen? Well, according to the 2017 Inbound Traffic Status Report, 68% industry professionals using inbound marketing strategies believe it works. Conversely, 52% of industry professionals using outbond marketing strategies believe it doesn't work.
What does it mean? Companies that take the time to understand and implement inbound marketing strategies more often achieve the results that they aim to achieve. Also, your strategy can work really well for your business growth. However, you need to have a clear idea of your goals and how to achieve them. You will probably need to refine your goals. The big benefit is that it will give you a much better return on your investment. How? Because by specifying goals, you are constantly getting closer to giving your audience exactly what they expect.
Some companies will adopt inbound marketing with all the benefits of inventory. They will patiently create high-quality content. Optimize your social media sharing strategy and improve your brand message. At the same time, taking into account that for the next month or two, almost nothing will change. Neither website traffic nor the number of leads.
Implementing an inbound marketing strategy can be compared to starting a new diet or training. Do you give up after one day because you don't see immediate results? You know you have to do certain things every day. Otherwise, you won't see the results you want to achieve. So inbound marketing will not be a quick solution. Return on investment may take a little longer. But then you'll admit it was worth it.
Inbound marketing allows you to do more for less
Let's look at the numbers. Inbound marketing is generating 54% more leads than traditional marketing tactics, according to The Growth Company. What's more, leads generated from inbound marketing strategies cost on average 62% less than outbound leads. So what? More potential customers with lower acquisition costs. Inbound marketing gives you a higher return on investment while still being able to use the remaining budget that would normally be used up by your outbound marketing activities. You can use these additional funds to, for example, renew your website and increase traffic to your site even more.
Inbound marketing really works. If only you want to devote your time and effort to it. It requires creating such Content that informs, empowers and attracts current and potential customers. It requires patience, creativity, and clever optimization before you see the first results. But sticking to the plan will help you build a better, stronger marketing strategy.
If inbound marketing is not yet functioning in your company, or not quite as it should, please contact us. Together we will find the best waythat will help build awareness of your brand. As PR agency with many years of experience, we know it well.