I cannot tell you how many times manufacturers tell me that they don’t need to be online. I gasp! Really? In today’s technology-driven world, how can you not be online and leveraging inbound marketing? As your buyer gets younger, you are, in turn, getting older and you need to adjust to how they shop and look for business online.
How are they seeking various parts or products for their business? Step one, they go to their most familiar friend: GOOGLE! If you are online and use inbound marketing for your marketing and sales strategy, you are most likely will get found. If you are not online, your competitor will pull ahead and get the business YOU want and need!
You will miss out on the following if you do not use inbound marketing:
- Reaching new prospects. Must I say it again? Your buyer is online for EVERYTHING! They range from regular individuals like you and I shopping for clothes to manufacturers trying to find what they need for their business. 90% of B2B buyers start at Google for their search. Are you there? Well maybe you better start working on your SEO and inbound strategy so you are! In a nutshell, your prospect is looking online for solutions to their needs and they are engaging on social media everyday, multiple times a day. You don’t like Twitter or Facebook? Well, honey, it ain’t about you! Your future buyer loves both of them and they are interacting on them daily!
- It costs less per lead. Did I mention yet that 70% of the buyer’s decision is complete before he or she even engages with a salesperson? So where are they getting their information to make an informed decision? Online. Your customer is doing their homework by asking questions to various online resources relating to their needs. If you are online and engaging in social media and blogging and your SEO is up to speed, you will be positioned as someone they trust and look to for a potential solver to their problem. And that means they buy! Therefore, you can track where they came from and follow where they will go in the future. This will help you know what pieces of your inbound marketing are working without investing in countless ads that you cannot not track or measure. Oh and by the way those ads are expensive! Note to remember: Inbound marketing cost 62% less than traditional outbound marketing. Go figure!
- Buyer power. Lastly, you don’t have the power, your buyer does and you want them to come to you! Don’t be stuck in a time warp with sales and marketing. Your customer is different. They are online researching and shopping and if you don’t change, well that’s your loss!
It is time to update your sales and marketing and implement inbound marketing now. Don’t lose out, contact a digital strategist at Marketing Essentials and jump into inbound marketing and increase your ROI today!
