Internet marketing company Hubspot published a blog post recently on inbound marketing – that is, marketing focused on being found by customers – and how, because of the global economic crisis, it’s starting to replace outbound (or traditional) marketing, which helps companies find customers.
In fact, the folks at Hubspot have so much confidence in their position that they’re calling this shift “a new era of marketing on the web.” Snazzy.
And even though we’re still holding a grudge against Hubspot for recently doubling its monthly fees, we tend to agree that these tight financial times are causing marketers to turn to thriftier means of bringing in new business.
While Hubspot gives several reasons why inbound marketing makes sense in a recession (i.e. it costs less; better targeting; it’s an investment, not an ongoing expense), we think it makes just as much sense when placed in the context of our search-engine society: instead of inundating consumers with expensive print and TV ads, e-mails, and cold calls, why not produce dynamic content aided by SEO and social media that people interested in the brand – for whatever reason – seek out. Cultivating customers through inbound marketing also helps build a more loyal base – because these people are looking for you (and you’re offering something they want), opposed to the other way around.
In addition – and this is just sort of an added bonus, from our perspective anyway – inbound marketing forces marketers to be more creative in their campaigns. The days of buying customers with shiny billboards and nagging telemarketers are coming to a close, opening the door for a renewed sense of resourcefulness among creatives because we’re now charged with thinking of ways to be found by customers.
So how much progress will inbound marketing make in 2009? With such a bleak financial forecast, it stands to reason that a large-scale effort is not only inevitable, but preferable. If you look closely enough, you can already see it.
More on that next week…
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