Many marketers see inbound marketing vs. outbound marketing as a cut and dry choice they need to make for their business. Belief is that you have to choose one or the other, and stick to it in order to see the best results. If your business is undertaking traditional marketing tactics like cold calling, exhibitions and sending bulk emails, you could transform your efforts and get better responses, by tying in some inbound marketing tactics into your marketing process.
Inbound marketing tactics for e-mails
If you’re not prepared to give up sending bulk emails to purchased lists, contemplate updating the messages you send to those lists. Stop sending these people product promotions and other content they might not be ready for.
The problem with paid lists is that the recipients often don’t know who you are. If your very first interaction with someone is a blatant advertisement, they’re likely going to view your company as annoying and a pest and hit the unsubscribe button.
On the other hand, you might send an email that will appeal to a recipient that doesn’t know anything about your company. What industry related questions do these people have? Send them an email containing some information that answers these questions. Rather than an obvious advertisement, consider linking to a popular blog post that covers a hot topic in your industry, or a landing page for your latest topically-relevant e-book.
When you give someone information they can use instead of an advertisement, you set your company up as a resource. You can still have a sales message within the email, but make it a secondary message. Focus first on educating your prospect on how to solve some of their major frustrations.
For more information regarding email marketing please read this article: What is the Best Way to Market My Business?
Inbound marketing tactics for print or online display advertisements
Consider using your print ad space or online banner ad space as a place to offer useful content to viewers. Many traditional marketers use advertising space as a place to promote their company’s brand message. These ads often contain a website address or link to your homepage.
Simply sending prospects directly to your homepage can confuse them because it’s not specific to their needs.
A great way to get more interest from your ad is by advertising your content like an e-book. If you have an e-book that addresses your reader’s daily concerns, use that as the focal point of your advertisement. You can do this by directing people that see your ad to a landing page instead of the homepage of your site.
Promoting your e-book has an added benefit – generating relevant leads! If you send readers from your ad to a landing page for your e-book or premium content, they’ll have the chance to fill out a form to read the information. Now you’re creating a database of people who are interested in specific topics, and could potentially be highly qualified leads for your sales team.
Inbound marketing tactics for exhibitions
Exhibitions or Trade Shows are traditionally focused on companies and their offerings. Companies set up their stand, give away branded items, and promote their latest product or service to passers-by.
This kind of information is good for someone who knows exactly what they’re looking for, but not everyone at a trade show is ready to buy there and then. Alongside your branded offerings, consider offering some useful information to nurture that lead long after the exhibition is closed.
A great way to do this is by choosing a blog post that you think would be relevant to your exhibition audience. Copy the blog post onto your letterhead and make copies of this content available at your booth. Passers-by will then pick this up and you can hand them directly to prospective customers. Once someone reads this relevant content you are then seen as the problem solver and you can start to create credibility in being the market leader in your industry.
Another quick and effective inbound exhibition tip is to build your email subscriber list. Make an iPad or even just a sheet of paper available at your booth that invites attendees to sign up for regular, relevant tips from your company. Send them a “thank you” email after the trade show for signing up, and send them new blog posts as they are posted to your website.
What to do next
The reasons you’d use these inbound marketing tactics in your traditional marketing is to engage the buyer and get new, warm sales leads which your sales team can follow up on.
By sending readers to your website, you can position yourself as a resource for your consumers as they read information they can use. An added benefit of a form on a landing page can encourage people to convert, become leads, and potential customers. For an inbound marketing assessment by our specialist team please click on this image below to find out more.
Article by Dale Bonser