Is Inbound Marketing Right For Me?

Inbound Marketing works. Allow me to elaborate

When executed properly with the right balance of analytical thinking, creativity, and persistence, inbound marketing works wonders. We would like to believe that inbound marketing is great for everyone, but here are five big reasons why companies question its success.

1. You need leads “right now”

Let’s face it. If you are having a business crisis and need more leads in the next month, chances are inbound marketing isn’t going to turn your world around. In retrospect, though, inbound marketing is a long-term process that provides real results for return on investment. We normally see inbound marketing take the stage after about a year of working the system. Inbound marketing is very powerful, sustainable, and more efficient than any other lead generating process. It just takes time.

2. You don’t have a strong sales process

Inbound marketing is not the Houdini of marketing. It takes a strong sales process to convert leads into customers. If you feel your sales process is not clear, repeatable, or effective, you might get frustrated with inbound marketing. Whip your sales process into good shape before taking a stab at this bad boy.

3. Your company has a “closed” line of communication

It takes an open line of communication between sales and marketing for inbound marketing to work. If your sales team doesn’t want to be bothered with “silly things” like social media and digital content, you’re going to see some major red flags. Similarly, all aspects of your business need to be open to the process of inbound marketing. The customer service team may have great ideas for marketing content. Product delivery departments are a waterfall of knowledge when it comes to technical details. These teams need to share their ideas and collaborate for inbound marketing to truly work.

4. You want to do inbound marketing and nothing else

Wait. Isn’t inbound marketing super effective and powerful? Yes, it sure is. It’s even more powerful when combined with networking, referrals, and relationship building. In fact, most marketers would argue that these are all parts of inbound marketing. I am one of those people. Your social media and blog posts aren’t going to do all the work for you. Start nurturing the relationships with customers you already have, and work on generating new leads.

5. You fear change and don’t want to take any risks

To really soar with inbound marketing, you have to take a step outside of your comfort zone. If you keep rejecting ideas for content and campaigns because you think it’s controversial or thought-provoking, chances are you’re not going to see results. Why? Because you are only going to approve safe, standard material that feels good to you but doesn’t resonate with your audience. Learn to let go a little, take some risks. The most valuable part to learn about this process: be prepared to fail. If you don’t make mistakes, how are you going to learn at all? Seth Godin, marketing extraordinaire, believes innovation is a series of failures.

Are you ready for inbound marketing? 

That is the question to ask yourself if you struggle to adapt to current changes in the marketing industry. How is your sales process? How big is your appetite for taking risks? Are you willing to allow open communication and collaboration among all aspects of your business? If you feel you have some work to do on these areas, then there lies your starting point. If you have these areas tackled and want another challenge, inbound marketing is the perfect route to take.