It’s an undeniable fact most business people must market their business to the outside world. The marketing efforts need to create an awareness of the their products and services plus stimulate interest or desire in prospective clients. Every product or service solves a problem; either real or imagined. If your roof is leaking, you are aware of a need to keep dry. Different needs satisfy “wants”.Maybe you simply have a desire to visit someplace tropical and lush. Either way; keeping your head dry or satisfying a lingering desire for a tropical vacation will motivate you to make a buying decision. Marketers use both inbound and outbound marketing strategies to influence us to make a buying decision in their favor. Knowing the difference between inbound and outbound marketing and plus synergies between complementary approaches is fundamental to a successful marketing plan.
Examples of Outbound Marketing:
- Making cold calls to identified prospects who may need your product
- Sending emails to people who dropped their card in your fishbowl
- Canvassing a business park speaking to business owners.
- Placing a billboard on the side of the road.
- Sending a postcard via US mail to a targeted zip code.
Examples of Inbound Marketing
- Optimizing your website so it ranks well in Google
- advertising in the Yellowpages directory
- Creating a Youtube channel that provides practical advice
- a permission based newsletter.
The outbound methods are seen by your audience as an interruption while the inbound methods requires an effort made the prospect. Both methods can be effective, especially when they are interwoven together in a natural way.
Examples of a complementary Outbound/Inbound Approach.
- Click to call button on a website.
- Advertising your website on a billboard.
- Sending a mailer which invites the recipient to a seminar
- Handing your business card to a social acquaintance.
At some point the prospect is given a choice to continue or not with a complementary approach. When you hand someone your card, it is up to them to contact you. When someone clicks the “call button” on your site, they are are asking for to continue the conversation. When your prospect gives you permission, it is no longer an interruption but a real business conversation.
When a business has a website that does not motivate a visitor to take immediate action or at least continue the conversation further, most of the positive synergies of the website visit are lost. Not every visitor will immediately go further, but if someone is inclined, they should feel very comfortable requesting more information at alater date. The long lasting effect is the positive awareness of your business in case a need arises for themselves or someone close in the future.
If you have doubts on the effectiveness of your website to motivate visitors to become customers; contact TaylorTown SEO and we will utilize website tracking software and usability standards to gauge the effectiveness of the site. It’s easy to overlook one factor which may be killing your online conversions. Let us take a second look using our methods for no charge.
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