Caught In A Paradigm Shift – From Outbound Marketing to Inbound Marketing
Little did we know as pioneers in the Search Engine Optimization field in 1996, that The InterCon Group was present at the very beginning of a paradigm shift as to how marketing messages are delivered to the masses. The shift from an outbound model to an inbound model was just beginning to take hold.
Since the Internet and search has become commonplace, (and now you can add social media), marketing has transitioned from an outbound traditional model to an inbound model. Let me explain.
When thinking of making a purchasing decision, people today prefer to do their research via Googling the keyword of the product or service they are interested in, visiting social media sites to see what others are saying about it, reading blogs to get more information, or watching videos, etc. These are all examples of inbound marketing. The question is, why do people prefer this method today?
Inbound marketing is a 2 way communication. The consumer comes to you ready to make a purchase and you as a savvy marketer, provide value to them by educating them (and entertaining them) via your website or the mediums previously listed.
This is opposite of outbound marketing (1 way communication) where consumers are sought out via billboards, TV commercials, direct mail, phone soliciting, radio commercials, etc. wherever they are and whether or not they are in the purchasing mode. You, as a marketer often provide no value and rarely educate your consumer this way. In fact to a majority of people, you are intrusive and annoying.
Facts to support this:
- 200 million Americans registered for the do not call list
- 86% of people skip TV ads
- 91% – of email users unsubscribe from an email they previously opted into.
- 44% of direct mail is never opened.
More facts:
- 67% of B2C companies have acquired a customer via Facebook.
- The number of marketers who say Facebook is critical to their business increased 83% in the last 2 years.
- 42% have acquired a customer via Twitter.
- 57% have acquired a customer via a blog.
When you engage your target market with interesting and useful content and combine it with a strong presence, you will reap the benefits by obtaining new business.
Another advantage? Inbound marketing costs approximately 67% less per lead than traditional outbound marketing.
Today’s consumers are more educated and as a result, will never return to responding well to outbound marketing/advertising.
*All statistics are from ComScore. (ComScore is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital business analytics).
Wow, this is very interesting. Thanks for those statistics.
Participating and observing the paradigm shift from outbound marketing to inbound marketing has been fascinating. Businesses who have embraced inbound marketing are definitely benefiting from greater customer engagement which in turn has lead to greater returns on investment.
Our data supports the value-added benefits of inbound marketing particularly via implementation of social media marketing.
This is so true, well said! Most people I know almost always go to their computer to research a product or service way before they make a decision. There are times when an email or mobile text has some valuable information such as a coupon or deal, when that’s the case I do read them and may ultimately make a purchase based on the “deal”.