Inbound Marketing is a method of using digital marketing, and specifically SEO keyword-rich content, to increase your overall lead generation success. So in a nutshell, it entails developing a strategy and process to attract more visitors to your website, then using conversion points to create more leads for you or your sales team to harness in order to grow your business.
What does “Inbound Marketing” Mean?
There are two types of activities when it comes to marketing and sales: inbound and outbound marketing activities. Traditional sales & marketing is all about the outbound, or the reaching out to make contacts and leads. Outbound activities are things like trade shows, cold calls, events, networking, mailers, etc -any method where you are walking into the unknown hoping to capture some business.
Inbound works the other way. Inbound methodology is all about using your content and digital marketing assets to draw people “in” to your company. Blog posts, search engine optimization that attracts visitors, or engaging social channels are examples of inbound tactics that will attract new potential customers to your company. Setting up an inbound campaign can be a great way to set up a steady flow of leads to your business without the drudgery of those outbound engagements. It’s more consistent and reaches a much greater audience than traditional outbound, all with less cost.
Inbound Marketing is About Results
Unlike advertising or marketing of the past, inbound marketing is focused on actual leads, not just impact. Because we use a digital medium, we have the ability to connect analytics to every activity we undertake. This allows us to build, refine and develop increasingly effective campaigns, as well as track the actual amount of leads that come from the activities we produce. Gone are the days of “half your advertising works, we just don’t know which half“. We’ve arrived at the days of measured ROI from each marketing investment. Do you know your CPA, or Cost-Per-Aqusition? You will with inbound marketing. Do you know your most successful social channel (and I mean $ successful, not likes)? You will with inbound marketing.
Inbound Marketing is an Investment
Now, something this effective is not inexpensive, but with a measured ROI, it is profitable. Could you pass up a machine where you insert a dollar and get two back? The answer is probably no, even though you’d have to give up a dollar every time you used the machine. The point is, when we start talking about a marketing campaign that runs 40-100K a year, the other side of that conversation is the profit that you’ll make from having new client revenue to offset that expense. I think much of the hesitation on a marketing expense this large is our gut reaction that most marketing does not work. Well, I can’t remove that feeling from your heart in a blog post, but I can point to case studies and many other pieces of data that show it does work.
Is Inbound Marketing for You?
So, how do you know if inbound marketing is right for your business? Here are a few criteria that might help you make the decision.
- Are you a product or service company that sells directly to your customer?
- Do you have an in-house sales team that requires new leads to function?
- Will you spend money on digital advertising this year to boost your traffic?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you are likely a candidate for inbound marketing and could benefit from new leads delivered every day.
Next Steps with Inbound Marketing
I hope this post gave you some insight into inbound marketing and how it can help your organization to increase leads and grow successfully. I’d love to talk with you more if you are considering it. As certified Maryland Hubspot partners, we’ve been around the block a few times when it comes to inbound marketing, and we can help you determine if it’s right for you. Reach out to me on this site, or on LinkedIn.
