B2B Inbound Marketing

What is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing is not online marketing, but it may look similar at first.

Inbound marketing relies on acquiring and nurturing leads, through tactics such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), content and social media marketing. By offering prospective leads useful content, a marketer attracts leads to their company and cultivates them until they are sales-ready.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing

Inbound marketing tactics, such as social media, webinars, and SEO, have grown to a major component of B2B marketing budgets. In comparison, outbound marketing has taken a secondary role, often playing second fiddle to the growing attention towards inbound.

With the increase in B2B marketing budgets towards inbound marketing, the results are clear: Inbound marketing is more cost-friendly and efficient, allowing the company to reap the benefits.

Consider the following chart:

Inbound marketing tactics such as SEO, blogging, social media, website lead generation and lead nurturing are generally more cost-effective than traditional forms of outbound marketing. Companies today are taking note of the shift in customer behavior and adjusting their marketing practices. By leveraging the power of inbound marketing, companies are able to find and nurture sales-ready leads at a lower budget.

Why Inbound Marketing?

Nowadays, if your company relies solely on traditional marketing, it’s living in the past. More and more customers are deeply entrenched in the Internet, whether from social media, blogging or simply browsing the Web. Online activity has integrated with real-world activities, such as reading news, sharing ideas, and networking. Furthermore, many customers are increasingly conducting product research online, often forming a purchasing decision before they even enter the store.

In order to effectively reach these customers, companies need to follow where their customers are going. As more customers rely on the Internet, it is crucial that companies do the same.

A lot of our activities are done online, including product research, shopping, social networking, or simply passing the time. Without inbound marketing, marketers miss out on a powerful market.? As a whole, companies are taking note of the shift in consumer behavior, and adjusting their budgets accordingly.

Get Started with Inbound Marketing

Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned marketer, or just discovering the world of online marketing, it is important to learn the valuable tactics of inbound marketing.  For more information, you can get a copy of our free ebook, “INBOUND MARKETING 101“