What’s more powerful? A magnet or a cannon?
That high powered howitzer seems like the right answer, unless you’re talking about the world of comic books.
Or marketing.
Today’s buzz words are “inbound” and “outbound” marketing. But this isn’t just another marketing fad.
Does this sound familiar?
Your business used cold calling, email blasts (to a giant list of purchased contacts), and traditional advertising for years, with some success. Except for recently. Lately, these time-tested methods are getting fewer leads and sales. Why?
Quite simply: these old fashioned, outbound marketing methods don’t reflect today’s reality. Ask yourself:
Did you PVR a TV show, then fast forward through the ads? Does your phone block out telemarketers? Have you tried out Google Mail’s new Priority Inbox?
Well, your potential clients and customers are doing the same things. We’re all filtering out unsolicited “junk,” to mute the non-stop outbound marketing noise.
Meanwhile, the alternative –inbound marketing – gets more effective every day.
Inbound marketing is based on the principle of attraction rather than promotion. When consumers and clients discover something they were looking for, on their own – through search engines, a tip from a social media “friend,” or that content-rich newsletter they eagerly signed up for – they value this information more. And are more
With inbound marketing, customers come to _you_ (through your carefully crafted organic search result or viral video, of course.) But they don’t feel like customers. They feel like _discoverers_.
The entire dynamic and engagement level has changed.
That’s why HubSpot CEO Brian Halligan recently said:
“I believe most marketers today spend 90% of their efforts on outbound marketing and 10% on inbound marketing and I advocate that those ratios flip.”
