There's been a growing focus on inbound marketing practices as opposed to outbound practices in recent years. Inbound marketing involves promotional channels and tactics that encourage prospective customers to seek out additional information about the business. This is in stark contract to outbound marketing, which centers around promotional tactics to sell a product or service directly to prospective customers.
Roughly Half of All Commercial Mail is Never Opened
When was the last time that you opened a piece of commercial "junk" mail? Consumers have grown tired of seeing a near-endless stream of unsolicited advertisements in their mailbox, often tossing it in the trash without ever opening it. According to HubSpot, up to 44% of all direct mail is never opened, attesting to its ineffectiveness as a marketing channel.
TV Commercials are Skipped
Thanks to the DVRs and streaming video, few consumers today watch TV commercials. Much like direct mail, this outdated outbound marketing technique has become obsolete, as businesses shift their focus to inbound marketing strategies.
The Power of Inbound Marketing
According to the 2014 State of Inbound Marketing study, more than half of respondents (B2B and B2C marketers) said inbound marketing was their primary lead source. Inbound marketing is cost-effective while allowing business owners to communicate with their prospects in different stages of the sales funnel.
If you are interested in attracting more customers to your business, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the following inbound marketing services and best practices:
- Don't be aggressive with your promotional efforts. Remember, you want to entice prospects to seek out your business.
- Subscribe to an all-in-one inbound marketing solution like HubSpot.
- Sign up for a third-party service like HootSuite to plan and automate your social media postings.
- Monitor mentions of your business and/or brand name with Google Alerts.
- Use analytics and tracking software to determine which marketing channels are attracting customers and generating sales and which ones are not.
Hopefully this will give you a better understanding of inbound marketing and its benefits. If you're interested in using these strategy to grow your business, contact us today.
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