Inbound marketing costs less than outbound marketing. And it works.

The internet has empowered customers.  It has provided customers with new methods for finding and researching companies.  It has also provided customers with new methods for finding, researching, and buying products.

The internet has changed marketing from a one way street to a two way street.

Customers no longer rely solely on TV/newspaper/magazine ads, billboards, direct mail, email, banner ads, and other traditional outbound marketing channels to learn about new products. These methods are now viewed as too intrusive, especially among younger consumers who regularly tune out the tactics.

Customers want to find YOU (not the other way around)

A study conducted by the Corporate Executive Board’s (CEB) Marketing Leadership Council found that the average customer progresses nearly 60 percent of the way through the purchase decision-making process before engaging with a sales rep.  How are they able to do this?  By going online.  Customers are using websites, blogs, and social media.

A study by Pardot found that 72 percent of B2B buyers begin their research with Google.  Other starting points for research: personal networks (15.58%), Yahoo (5.53%), Bing (2.76%), LinkedIn (2.51%) and social networks (2.01%).

What is inbound marketing?

Inbound marketing focuses on consumers finding you.

Inbound marketing meets your customers and prospects where they are, with the information for which they are looking, and at the right moment.  Inbound marketing provides value, builds trust and authority, which ultimately result in increased leads and higher conversion rates.

The components of inbound marketing are pretty simple: Create and distribute fresh, relevant, targeted content specifically designed to reach a target audience.

Strategies include:

• Social media marketing
• Blogging and content marketing
• Podcasts
• White papers
• ebooks
• Infographics
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Case studies

What is outbound marketing?

In contrast, outbound marketing focuses on paying to broadcast your message to find consumers who will listen to you.

Outbound marketing is a value-driven numbers game.  The more banner ads, print ads, and direct mailings you pay for, the more people see your product, and the more sales you’ll make.  However, it is costly.  Outbound marketing costs 38% more than inbound marketing.  The average cost per lead using outbound marketing is $373.  The average cost per lead using inbound marketing is $143.

Outbound marketing strategies include:

• Print ads
• TV ads
• Banner ads
• Telemarketing
• Cold calling
• Press releases
• Trade shows
• Email marketing
• Direct mail

Inbound marketing makes sense

Inbound marketing just makes sense.  It is a proven methodology and it costs less.  Isn’t it time to meet your customers where they are?  Get online.  Create content. Distribute content. Engage with customers. Optimize your website.

Fronetics Strategic Advisors is a management consulting firm focused on strategy and inbound marketing.  When it comes to inbound marketing we take a different approach than other firms.  This is because of our business experience and background.  We know ROI is important, so our approach is data driven and produces results.

We understand that developing and implementing an inbound marketing strategy can seem daunting.  We are here to help.  We are happy to take a few minutes and look at your current strategy and give you ideas on how to start, or suggestions on what you can do to make your current strategy more successful.  We are also happy to talk with you about what we can do.

We’d love to talk with you about how you can grow your business through inbound marketing.