Inbound Marketing has been the latest trend in marketing for some time now. Businesses are taking advantage of tools and resources to create impactful messages and campaigns. But with any trend, misconceptions will easily be made about what it actually is.
So what is Inbound Marketing? Inbound Marketing may sound overwhelming but it’s all about bringing your target market directly to you through quality content customised specifically for them. Marketing budgets are tight, and inbound marketing is a methodology created to stop unnecessary spending on immeasurable marketing and start providing a great ROI.
‘Inbound’ isn’t a product – ‘Inbound’ is a mindset.
Inbound Marketing Myth-busting
- SEO and Inbound are the same thing
FALSE: SEO is a tactic within the overall strategy. It engages visitors with your website through search marketing, like Google AdWords. Inbound Marketing is the umbrella strategy of turning leads into sales. Therefore, SEO falls under the objectives of Inbound Marketing. While SEO is very important for online traffic, it is not the same thing.
- You don’t need expensive software
While this statement is true, executing an Inbound Marketing campaign without software (such as Capture) is very difficult. Managing Inbound tactics like those listed below, without software, will cause a lot of friction.
– Email syncing and automation,
– Dynamic forms,
– Sales notifications,
– Lead scoring,
– Behavioural tracking,
– Dynamic web content,
– Visitor ID tracking,
– CRM Integration,
– Sales analytics,
– A/B testing, and
– Campaign optimisation strategies.
Investing in software may seem expensive upfront. However, the ROI generated will cover the start-up fees sooner than alternative marketing activities.
- Content marketing and Inbound are the same thing
FALSE: Just like SEO, content marketing is a tactic within Inbound. Content marketing focuses on creating content that is relevant to the consumer experience. By doing so, native advertising is used to get your message across in a natural tone, without the ‘sales push’. Aligning with your customers’ interests is at the heart of content marketing.
- Its just formulas!
FALSE: There is no golden formula to follow. Yes, there are tactics. Yes, there is a general structure. However, The idea of Inbound Marketing is to be dynamic and personalised. Inbound is not a product, but rather an ongoing mindset to adopt across all marketing practices.
- It’s just a fad
FALSE: Inbound is here to stay! Customers have grown tired of traditional, disruptive mass advertising. Now more than ever, customers have the power. That’s where Inbound allows your business to stand out from the crowd, and give your customers a reason to pay attention. This strategy has been established through an evolution of old practices, to meet modern customer needs.
Forget organic – think dynamic.
Inbound Marketing is a cultural shift. It’s the idea of being transparent, genuine, and versatile in your marketing messaging. Adopting this strategy aids your business to “look beyond traditional wisdom and conventional solutions” (Paul Roetzer). Diversify your communications strategy and start thinking dynamically.
To find out more about Inbound Marketing, download our FREE eBook here. Or, schedule your obligation free Game Plan Consultation today.
