Is it Inbound or Outbound Marketing

Social media, an excellent opportunity to grow your business, embrace millions of people globally in its different platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp, etc. If you are into selling products or services then social media is a great place for advertisement with its large pool of people.

The latest research by Global WebIndex shows that 57.6% of the world’s population uses social media and the average daily usage is 2 hours and 27 minutes. Businessmen consider social media the topmost marketing strategy where they can connect with their audience directly. The content here in the form of photos, videos, and more can be posted free of cost and it also gives an option to run paid advertisements.

What is outbound marketing?

Inbound marketing promotes your product or service and mostly includes the traditional methods of advertising such as TV, radio, banner display, billboards, telemarketing, newspaper, magazines, cold calling, pop-ups, and pop-unders. This kind of advertising, irrespective of what the audience wants, pushes itself on them. With the advent of the internet, outbound marketing has gradually declined for the past ten years.

If you want to acquire a single lead, outbound marketing would want you to break your bank as it is quite expensive. The biggest drawback that outbound marketing comes with is, it consists of mostly a one-way communication system that gives very little or almost no scope for engagement with your target audience. While conducting a marketing campaign you would want to find out how people are responding to your ads, and the only way is to organise focus groups and carry out surveys, which can again cost you time and money.

What is inbound marketing? 

Inbound marketing is the most recent and most effective marketing technique where businessmen can easily attract potential customers with interesting content. It involves creating and updating blogs, social media ads, social media content, white papers, email newsletters, and infographic to which the new generation can easily relate. This type of marketing can be a great career option as a digital marketing agency, local SEO expert, or PPC management company.

Hubspot’s State of Inbound 2017 states that 71 percent of companies globally reported that they are primarily focused on inbound marketing methods. It provides a better rate on investment because it is 62 per cent less expensive as compared to other traditional methods.

Inbound marketing does not have direct involvement or intervention, there is never a noticeable sales pitch. Inbound marketing pushes customers down the sales funnel by increasing their engagement with the products and services of the brand.

Social media- an inbound marketing 

Now that you know the difference between inbound and outbound marketing, you would have known by now where social media lies. It is an inbound marketing technique that is most effective with its millions of global users. All you have to do is creatively curate interesting content and get in touch with your target audience by pitching in attractive offers regarding your product and services.

Social media has a wide reach and it is so powerful that in a matter of time your post can get viral, garnering you billion of views. Marketing via social media is entirely free, all you have to do is create a brand page, followers will automatically knock at your door. If you think your page isn’t getting the attention it deserves, there is always an option of paid advertisement that is a sure-fire way of getting noticed.

Benefits of social media marketing

• Create brand recognition: Social media brings your brand the attention it deserves much more quickly and easily. It does its job all the time even if someone is not even thinking of buying a product or service.
• Increases sales: Social media can convert potential customers into actual customers, taking the help of many features that it offers.  
• You can analyse your success: With the help of tools such as Google Analytics, you can measure each social media platform to know which of your social media post and content is performing best for you.
• Higher Conversion Rate: Around 66 % of marketers experienced lead generation benefits by using social media advertising methods. Putting your brand in an environment where people are liking, sharing, and talking about it can only help your potential visitors convert better.