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Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about “inbound” marketing being the best way to generate leads. For a lot of marketers, however, there is still quite a bit of confusion around what exactly that means.
To start, “inbound” can be a very misleading term. In reality, inbound marketing is about as outbound as any traditional marketing strategy. So… what is an inbound strategy you ask? Recently I asked Sean Dwyer, CEO over at Loopfuse to offer a definition, and he came up with “using all possible channels, with an emphasis on social and search, to drive highly customer centric messaging.” Sounded pretty good to me.
What really differentiates inbound is the emphasis on the social and search channels. The way customers interact with brands is becoming more digital and social everyday, and this combo promises to be the most efficient and effective way to build awareness. Capitalizing on this, however, is dependent on creating content that is in demand.
Therefore, being customer centric is core to inbound marketing. Just like the other new schools of thought around “engagement” or “content” marketing, everything is based around the customer. To create compelling, relevant content you need to have a thorough understanding of the customer. Period. If you can’t get this right, you will not be successful with any of these approaches.
Another compelling element of inbound is the use of social as a proactive, managed marketing channel. While I certainly believe in the need for valuable content, at times I feel the social fundamentalists have lost sight of that fact we are marketers. As unpleasant as it may sound, as marketers, we exist to sell stuff. Don’t be afraid to be what you are. Campaigning and marketing in the social world is okay. It just has a different etiquette that must be respected.
Advertising is moving from the periphery of the page to the center. When you develop content that is valuable and interesting it can take on a life of its own. The concept of earned is important. Unlike paid media, like display or television where you pay for your impressions, social distribution is based upon the opinions of your audience. If they like it, they will share it near and far in a medium that’s far more trusted than any paid medium.
(Alterian Brands At Risk)
While maybe lacking some of the sex appeal, search also plays an important role. Yes, Google rankings are important, but you should also be taking emerging search channels like Facebook or LinkedIn into consideration. Regardless of the engine, there are structural best practices you should be incorporating into your content creation. SEO is a vocational skill set that you can’t afford to have underdeveloped.
In conclusion, if you are responsible for lead generation for your organization, then you should be educating yourself on inbound marketing. Beyond the increased awareness you can achieve with social and search campaigns, refocusing on the customer can also help your traditional on and offline campaigns. For B2B and B2B2C marketers, inbound marketing should be a high priority item for the next twelve months.
