With technology constantly changing, customers are changing the ways they buy products. In order to stay up to date, your marketing strategies must change with the customer.
Yet, many companies find themselves stuck in traditional outbound marketing techniques. Here are some advantages to trading in traditional marketing techniques for inbound marketing tactics.
Generates more web traffic
Customers are changing the way they buy products. Gone are the days of clueless customers looking for sales people to tell them what to buy. Instead, customers do most of their research before even contacting a sales person. That’s where you come in. During the customer’s research, inbound marketing helps direct the customer to your site. In addition to increasing your search engine visibility and web traffic, you get customers to your site before they contact a sales person.
Generates more quality web traffic
Instead of pushing a product on the potential customer, the marketer seeks to entertain and/or educate the potential customer. The customer is then more likely to understand the value of your company as the solution to her problem.
In addition to increasing the web traffic to your site, inbound marketing helps increase the quality of that traffic. Targeted content creation leads to more traffic from your key audience and ideal customer. Not only does this improve communication with your target audience, but it also increases sales.
Better relationships with customers
Inbound marketing is a more efficient and palatable way for customers to receive information. Buyers want to do research at their leisure. They don’t want to be interrupted by sales emails and phone calls. Inbound marketing allows buyers to consume information on their own schedule. It also creates a two-way communication channel with customers. Customers can respond to your content and provide feedback. You then, in turn, can properly respond to their feedback. Additionally, you can monitor customer concerns and create content to address them. This method is much more efficient and immediate than waiting until your next meeting with a customer to address whatever issue they might be having.
Improves brand recognition
Inbound marketing is a great way to establish your company’s expertise in an area. Once they visit your site, they see content addressing every issue they can think of in your particular field. Not only does this help build trust with your customers, but it helps others recognize your brand as an expert in the field. Informative content will lead to readers sharing content more frequently, which promotes brand awareness for your company. These constant shares will create more referral traffic for your site and get people talking about your company.
Cost Effective
Not only is inbound marketing more effective than outbound, it’s cheaper. Placing an emphasis on blogging and social media will save money that you might spend on ads or other outbound marketing techniques. Targeted content allows you to use resources where they count, rather than using general ads with a less specific audience in mind.
Competitors market for you
Because of the change in the way people shop, businesses that stick to outbound marketing techniques actually help market for those who have made the switch to inbound marketing. When a potential customer hears an ad for a pet groomer, she is unlikely to call the phone number at the end of the ad. Instead, the ad will prompt her to do research on her own about pet groomers in the area. This research will lead her to your site with very informative articles on choosing the right grooming technique for her dog. After your company’s expertise in the field has been established, she is more likely to choose your pet grooming company.
Source: Imageworksllc
