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).

Google Paid Search Ad

Google recently implemented a Bid-Per-Call feature.  Bid- Per-Call is an enhanced version of Google’s Click to Call.  Bid-Per-Call allows advertisers to bid for phone calls in the same manner they bid for clicks  in standard PPC search ads.

Bid-Per-Call works by assigning and placing a toll-free forwarding number adjacent to the advertiser’s paid search ads.  If a potential customer sees the ad and calls the tracking phone number the call is automatically routed to the advertiser’s business line.   Google Adwords provides statistics to identify and assess ROI. The data details each call including: call time, duration, caller area code, and the adgroup delivery the call.

Call The InterCon Group today to learn how we can make Google’s new Bid-Per-Call feature will work for you and your paid search ad campigan.

So here it is—one of my favorite examples of crowdsourcing. It’s from a website called “The One Million Masterpiece.” Its designers want to “create a true snapshot of global society, and sum up its diversity in one single picture.” So they’re “crowdsourcing,” utilizing web technology, asking everyone and anyone to submit their own artistic creations. Doodles, sketches, paintings, you can submit anything.

What will become of this when it’s all done? It becomes the world’s largest-ever artistic collaboration. Why is this important to all of you? Because crowdsourcing is an effective, inexpensive way to gather opinions, market research and ideas from the vast public that is online.

Companies are doing it via Twitter, Facebook  and other social media channels. We all need to learn what’s out there and what’s working. The more cost-effective the better. The next time you’re planning your business’ marketing budget do yourself a big favor. Think about how crowdsourcing and technology together can move your business forward. It’s an economical solution that can deliver phenomenal results.

Some respondents offered an unequivocal “yes.” They compared it to your company having a different radio presence than can be offered through television.

I’m not so sure I agree. Each media has its own attributes and strengths. Each media tends to excel at a certain aspect of communications. For radio, it is the voice, the sounds, the intonation we so often miss with text messaging and email. For television, the power of the images married to words and sounds can be mesmerizing. For the internet and social media, the ability to track changing stories, issues and topics, and its rapidly expanding capacity to deliver all aspects of human communication directly to us has become overpowering, if not narcotic.

So I would have to agree that indeed social media represents not just a new set of technologies, but a potential new anthology and customer psychology into the arena. The depths to which this channel can provide communications opportunities seem endless. Because of this, as online marketers here at the InterCon Group and for the clients and business owners we serve, we need to choose wisely, and explore how we can use this channel to further deepen our customer relationships.   So tell us, what do you think?  We’d love to see and share your comments.

Facebook’s “visible-to-connection’ tag shows the contents within one tag to those who like a page, and an entirely separate message to those who haven’t liked your page. The tag makes it possible for you to make your FBML tab available only to those who are a fan of your page, and a terrific marketing tool for things like coupons, trials, samples, sales and advanced looks at a special product or service you’re planning to offer.

When utilizing the code, make sure the messaging you send to non-connected users includes text instructing them to like the page for more information, with a ‘Like’ button included to make the process quick and easy. If you’re using this tag for the first time, just be aware that the tag could throw some users for a loop, as it only allows those with Facebook accounts the ability to view the content.

Users that are not logged into Facebook will not be able to see the content. Think you might be ready to try this tag? For more detailed technical information on how to implement this code, check out the visible-to-connection tag and the else tag on Facebook.  If you’re interested in learning more about custom Facebook applications, contact The InterCon Group today.