2016 signifies a new era of marketing. Customers are changing, and as marketers we need to change along with them. Traditional outbound marketing campaigns like cold emails, cold calls, snail mail, and trade shows are not as effective as they once were several years ago. Consumers are now bombarded constantly by ads, information, and other messages from marketers trying to sell them, and they have become jaded. An outbound campaign no longer packs the same level of effectiveness as it once did. Thus, to reach our consumers it will require a strategic, well-planned inbound campaign to stand out from the competition and get noticed. If we embrace it, this change can be good; it can create more opportunities and expand out client base. Inbound marketing offers a refreshing variety of new, effective techniques that can enable us to see unprecedented growth. However, if we fail to embrace this adjustment of customer acquisition, our business' growth can be stunted. Inbound marketing will be king in 2016, and success will largely be dependent on a company's ability to perform with it. Here are 10 reasons why inbound marketing will be critical for growth this year, and ways we can use it to our advantage.
1.Promote long-term growth
When you create inbound content it doesn't just go away. There is a cumulative effect of inbound marketing because inbound content will compound and add value to previous and future cotent you create
2.A warm lead is better than a cold lead
A customer coming to you is always going to be more powerful than a cold outreach. The goal of a cold outreach is to create an interest. If a customer reaches out to you, that interest is already there. A lead created through inbound marketing is much more likely to close and become a customer than a cold lead you reach out to.
3.Customers have access to tons of information
Nowadays, you can easily access virtually unlimited information at the click of a button. Years ago, customers would rely on sales people to gain information on a company or product, but now that information is easily accessible online. Thus, by the time you finally reach the customer, they already have a solid idea of what the options and solutions are. Your outbound techniques are not their first experience or impression with your product, and thus they have less effect.
4.Inbound builds trust
Inbound lead generation builds trust. If the customers see that you are creating useful content and are professional and knowledgeable, they will have more respect for you. If a customer seeks you out then it shows they have a degree of trust for you. Building rapport with a customer is key for closing the deal and establishing a relationship. Inbound content shows them that you are an expert who can be trusted.
5.Inbound is more efficient
Why spend time cold calling when you can use inbound marketing? Sales people used to spend hours a day making phone calls, only to have a small fraction of those phone calls result in a conversation, much less in a sale.
6.Save Time
Rather than spending hours a day creating and sending emails to hundreds of people, why not have the leads come to you? Outbound is extremely time intensive; inbound is much quicker.
7.Building momentum
Inbound marketing can help you gain momentum. Without outbound, every day is a new day. Every call is isolated from ever other call, and ever technique exists as an independent attempt to get new leads. With inbound marketing, leads will be drawn over time through a steady buildup of inbound content and recognition.
8.Outbound strategies aren't as effective
A few years ago we could rely on techniques like cold emails, cold calls, and flyers. It was easy to create content or an outbound message and grab the attention of your target audience. Now, however, consumers are confronted by outbound strategies constantly. People have become numb to it. When a consumer gets a sales call they know it's a sales call and they lose interest immediately.
9.Save money
They money that are you are spending on a low-efficiency outbound team could be divided into your inbound efforts. Rather than hiring dozens of outbound sales reps, invest in a fraction of the work force that creates twice the productivity through inbound marketing.
10.Get more customers
Effective inbound strategies will generate more lead flow than any amount of outbound marketing. Customers want a company who they can trust and they can believe in, and there is no better way to create this impression than with inbound marketing.