As we have learned from The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy – Don’t Panic… this isnt bad news for print in the big picture sense, it’s actually very good information on how to find new customers. What is also not mentioned here is once you have used inbound marketing to teach people about your products and services, how do you follow up? 44% of unsolicited direct mail might not be opened, but how much direct mail is opened when I already have a relationship or knowledge of the company sending it to me?
This also is a great back up to my post (It’s time to pull Print Producers into your Marketing efforts!) regarding the lack of effort by the companies who make the machines we print on to open up a relationship channel that speaks on my level and addresses what I need to know. Cold calls from Printers and all that outbound marketing doesnt work anymore. What would work though is the manufacturers giving us some insight into their machines, then letting us know WHICH PRINTERS have them, and let us seek them out for more information. Just a thought on how we can actually help each other instead of rely on the next person in line (or online in this case) to do it.
Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing
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Thanks to the Internet, marketing has evolved over the years. Consumers no longer rely on billboards and TV spots — a.k.a. outbound marketing — to learn about new products, because the web has empowered them. It’s given them alternative methods for finding, buying and researching brands and products. The new marketing communication — inbound marketing — has become a two-way dialogue, much of which is facilitated by social media.
Another reason why inbound marketing is winning is because it costs less than traditional marketing. Why try to buy your way in when consumers aren’t even paying attention? Here are some stats from the infographic below.
44% of direct mail is never opened. That’s a waste of time, postage and paper.
86% of people skip through television commercials.
84% of 25 to 34 year olds have clicked out of a website because of an “irrelevant or intrusive ad.”
The cost per lead in outbound marketing is more than for inbound marketing.
Inbound marketing focuses on earning, not buying, a person’s attention, which is done through social media and engaging content, such as blogs, podcasts and white papers. This content is interesting, informative and adds value, creating a positive connection in the eyes of the consumer, thus making him more likely to engage your brand and buy the product. So it costs less and has better a ROI.
This infographic from Voltier Digital highlights the differences between the two kinds of marketing.
via Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing [INFOGRAPHIC].
Related articles
- 23 Reasons Inbound Marketing Trumps Outbound Marketing [Infographic] (hubspot.com)
- Inbound vs Outbound Marketing (coydavidson.wordpress.com)
- Is It Time Your Brand Took the Concept of ‘Inbound Marketing’ More Seriously? (prwarrior.typepad.com)
- 5 Must-Have Characteristics of an Inbound Marketing Agency (hubspot.com)
- 101 Signs You’re an Inbound Marketer (hubspot.com)
- Inbound Marketing: A Sound Strategy for Your Brand (personalbrandingblog.com)
