Old style marketing has a new contender to fight off. We believe it is starting to lose the race.
Let me clarify more:
Traditional or Outbound Marketing
Talk to many businesses about how they generate leads and they will have a variety of different ways. Often it will include cold calling, mail drops, email marketing from bought lists, trade shows and advertising in traditional publications. This is getting more and more ineffectual for several reasons.
We are getting very adept at ignoring many of these messages. Spam filters keep emails out, junk mail is recylced with barely a glance, and do you remember your response to that last cold call? Did you purchase from them?
Inbound Marketing
With the advent of wide computer usage and search engines such as Google and Yahoo we have so much information at our fingertips and our shopping habits are changing. The smart business these days are making sure they know what their potential customers are typing into the search engines and making sure their website is the first one that is found.
This is only the beginning of the process.
You need to make friends and develop trust with that potential customer. Invite them back, provide them with fantastic free information. They will remember you, recommend you to their friends. You will be their first port of call when they need more information or services.
This will build your business online.
Learn Exactly What Works
If you don't have analytics on your site your really should be shot! Please put it at the top of your to do list, it will change your business if you use it correctly.
With an outbound marketing campaign your tracking is limited to feedback from your customers, often it is a struggle to get that information.
But what about the customers who got away. Why did they leave, and when.
With analytics on your site you can trial any variety of advert and marketing campaign and see exactly which is more effective. Those who use it wisely are leaping ahead of the game. Are you one of them?
Welcome to the world of Inbound Marketing - you can see why it is beginning to lose the race!
