Inbound Marketing Dominates in 2014
Marketers spend a copious amount of time creating push strategies to get their product or services noticed for increased sales, and often push inbound marketing aside.
Push marketing strategies are effective when conducted properly, but consumers have evolved to ignore the, “Buy this #1 selling product RIGHT NOW because it will MIRACULOUSLY change your life overnight!” advertisements.
We are currently experiencing a new era of marketing where consumers can’t be manipulated with over-promises and product dramatization 1,000+ times throughout their day.
Consumers want to be educated, inspired, and engaged.
Data supports the increased effectiveness of the inbound marketing pull, compared to other strategies, with appealing components that draw consumers in.
The following are a few ways the inbound marketing pull dominates the outbound marketing push.
Educate vs. Irritate
Creating awareness for a company has always been present line item in a marketer’s goal list, but the effectiveness of traditional methods have shifted.
It’s no longer enough to let consumers know that your company exists. Your company might need to adapt to current marketing trends.
Nobody wants to be associated with a company that is considered to be outdated, especially if your eCommerce business was recently launched.
ECommerce businesses must be viewed as innovative and authoritative to not only surpass competitors-but to become market leaders.
Inbound Strategy: Pull
Becoming an authority figure in a specific market is achievable with inbound marketing. Our brains have been trained to view educators as authority figures, so providing valuable content for visitors will help establish a respectable reputation for your online store.
When customers have further questions or concerns about a product your company provides, they will seek your business for advice or information, instead of a competitor.
Don’t forget to engage with them and form relationships. Relationships create trust, and trust leads to customer loyalty. Don’t place too much focus on short term sales; long term sales are what will grow your business.
Publishing educational content to attract visitors is only effective if companies are serious about increasing sales and growing their online business.
Inbound marketing can’t be regarded as a side task; content must be posted at least twice a week. Consistency is important.
SEE ALSO: How To Generate More Visitors, Leads, and Customers With Inbound Marketing for eCommerce
Outbound Strategy: Push
Marketers fear that their content will never be seen, so they are prompted to bombard people with irritating promotions, banners, and never ending email blasts. Sending every customer the same promotional emails will cause them to opt out and unsubscribe.
Yes, you need to get your company noticed, but it’s important to attract the right people. Some leads or customers may not be ready to make a purchase, and should not be treated equally to those who are ready.
People like to think for themselves, and are most persuaded when you let them decide what is best.
Persuasion vs. Manipulation
Have you ever noticed how strongly people defend a decision they’ve made, versus a decision someone else has made for them?
This is a powerful tool marketers may use in their favor.
By outlining common problems faced by your target consumers, you can position your inbound marketing content as a solution. Use phrases such as, “so you can” or “you might need” to get your target audience thinking. Highlight what it’s in it for them.
New marketing tactics have been proven effective as online shoppers have more options available and great power over companies with new communication channels. You don’t have the power to manipulate them-they actually have power over your business.
Don’t let consumers have total control over your business and reputation. Steer them in favor of your business to increase ROI.
How Inbound Solves Outbound Problems
The problems often associated with outbound marketing include the small return on investment and lack of measurement. Yet, outbound marketing is still regarded as “the cost of doing business.”
Inbound marketing is able to fill many of the gaps outbound marketing leaves wide open for online businesses.
For example, inbound marketing’s email segmentation component has transformed newsletters from a push to pull strategy by sending follow up emails only to those that have opened, clicked, and engaged with emails.
Social media also helps display your business in a non-intrusive way by posting a variety of content and then engaging with people that interact with your business. It also establishes credibility for your online store as people post comments and reviews.
Landing pages help capture the people that have expressed interest in your company. These people are better leads than the uninterested and irritated people receiving 20 emails from your company per week.
SEO will help your business be found when a consumer searches for what your company has to offer.
The purpose of inbound marketing is to naturally attract visitors to your business, turn them into leads with quality content, convert them into customers, and to make them happy for long term sales.
Adapt to New Marketing Strategies
Inbound marketing might be a good fit for your company, if your company is not seeing results with current marketing efforts.
If your company does not have the time or necessary skills to create quality content and an effective strategy, consider hiring a team that will be dedicated to helping your business generate leads and increase sales with inbound marketing.
