What is inbound marketing? It’s a question that many new to the online marketing world have wondered about. Furthermore, how does inbound marketing differ from outbound marketing? What is the difference in services offered by an inbound marketing agency versus those offered by companies that use outbound marketing? Whether you’re a marketing hopeful ho wants to work for inbound marketing companies, or a potential client deciding whether or not the inbound strategy is right for you, there are plenty of ways you can learn about inbound marketing services. And no matter what your reason, you should get to know them — inbound marketing is the strategy that’s sure to dominate in upcoming years.
What Is Inbound Marketing?
So, what is inbound marketing really? Inbound marketing is a way of marketing that focuses on finding the specific customers that are likely to really need the target product or service being advertised. This is compared to outbound marketing, a strategy that would rather sweep over a large amount of people, regardless of whether or not they have any interest in the service offered. Usually, inbound marketing strategies are web-based, like search engine optimization content. Due to this fact, they typically cost about 62% less than outbound leads. Outbound leads are often things like direct mail ads, print ads, and paid ads. The issue that you’ll find with outbound leads is that much of the money being spent is wasted, due to the fact that the ads reach people who don’t even look at them.
Already, we’ve mentioned the fact that inbound marketing costs far less than outbound marketing. Usually, the more expensive method yields better results, right? Not so in this case. SEO, one of the most common methods of inbound marketing, have a 14.6% close rate on average. Compare this to the close rate of outbound leads — 1.7%. Thus, even as you spend less on inbound marketing, you have a higher chance of success. The interesting thing about inbound marketing is that it’s also easier to launch. While traditional ads have to be printed and distributed — and things like cold calls require the time and energy of employees — inbound marketing can be rather simply launched online. It cuts out the middleman, in a sense.
Why Does Inbound Marketing Work?
The reason why inbound marketing like SEO works so well is that it’s very often based on things like search and keywords. These may seem simple enough, but when you remember that 72% of buyers will turn to Google during their research stage, you may recognize how important this strategy is. Furthermore, inbound marketing can target potential customers whether they’re on their computers or mobile devices. They won’t see inbound marketing unless they’re already searching for a related product or service. Inbound marketing doesn’t waste time. Rather, it goes straight to the source.
