You’ve been hearing about it in every marketing publication you’ve read recently. Inbound marketing is all the rage, and like everyone else, you want to know why. It’s definitely something important to study, too, because getting leads is the number one job of any marketer.
Getting leads can be a tough thing, too. That’s why any edge you can get is important. In this article, I’m going to reveal exactly what makes inbound marketing so spectacular.
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What Exactly Is Inbound Marketing?
It’s going to be tough to explain the incredibleness of inbound marketing without first making sure you know what it is. Inbound marketing is a particular digital marketing philosophy that favors smarter work over harder work.
As a passive strategy by default, inbound marketing is the process of creating online content – blogs, social media posts, podcasts, video content, emails, etc. – that draw in website visitors and convert them to leads. That content, if created well, will continue to work into the future, generating leads for years.
Inbound Marketing Takes Patience And Work.
There’s a huge catch, despite what you may hear about inbound marketing. There are tons of marketing “gurus” out there who will try to sell you on some “magic” strategy to get results fast. However, those strategies simply can’t overcome the basic truth.
Planning, creating, and executing all require time and effort before they succeed. Click To TweetInbound marketing takes work. Planning, creating, and executing all require time and effort before they succeed. You’re also going to need patience. None of the individual pieces of content you create will get results right away. Inbound marketing takes time to get results.
The Secret Reason Inbound Marketing Is Awesome
Inbound marketing is still the best option for any business trying to survive in the modern world. As consumers change the way they make purchases and learn about companies, traditional marketing becomes less effective.
So, why does inbound marketing work better than traditional methods? Let’s explore four incredible truths about inbound marketing that are sure to excite you.
Inbound Marketing Efforts Are Compounding
Inbound marketing requires online content. The most basic content type that needs to be a part of your strategy is the blog. Without a blog, your company misses out on the SEO benefits that great content provides. It’s also one of the longest-lasting pieces of content you can create.
You see, blog content doesn’t go away until your website does. It lives on the web, attracting traffic for as long as the information remains relevant. Additionally, one-in-ten blog posts have a compounding effect on your site traffic. That means the longer it stays active, the more daily traffic it will bring to your site. The real beauty of compounding blog posts, however, is that they’re responsible for over a third of your site traffic.
Inbound Marketing Creates Larger Results
Different marketing strategies are often put in comparison to determine what the best strategy is. Obviously, any intelligent business owner is going to do everything possible to maximize their budget. Consistently, an effective inbound marketing strategy delivers a larger quantity of leads than any other option for the money spent.
Obviously, any intelligent business owner is going to do everything possible to maximize their budget. Click To TweetIt really boils down to the amount of traffic that inbound marketing produces. Companies who blog at least eleven times per month tend to see three times the traffic than companies that don’t blog. Because of that extra traffic, those same companies typically get 4X as many leads as companies who don’t blog.
Inbound Marketing Costs Less Than Outbound
As most small business owners do, you’re likely looking for ways to maximize your marketing budget. If so, inbound marketing will be of particular interest to you. You see, it’s one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies around.
You never want to ignore a strategy that brings in more leads and costs less money, and that’s exactly what inbound marketing does. It’s more effective than outbound marketing by a long shot, bringing in 3X as many leads. And, as if that wasn’t enough, inbound marketing costs 62% less than outbound. Where would you rather spend your money?
Inbound Marketing Generates More Revenue
Email is one of the most critical components of inbound marketing. Since only 2.6% of your website’s visitors will purchase or their first visit, you’re going to have to rely on email to bring the other 97.4% back. That may be a little frightening, but it’s also a great opportunity.
Email gives you a unique opportunity to reach out to your lost visitors, previous customers, and new buyers to attract them to a future purchase. Using emails correctly can lead to a 12% increase in customer lifetime value. Imagine what your business would look like if every customer spent 12% more.
AII Inbound Marketing Needs Is Direction
To make inbound marketing work, all you need is a solid plan and a direction for your site visitors to go. By defining the path you want your guests to travel, you can gently nurture them to the eventual purchase.
