Marketing has changed. Gone are the days when a business would hire ‘door-knockers’ that would go cold-calling, hoping for that one person who would need their product so much that they wouldn’t get annoyed with whomever is knocking on the door at the most inconvenient time of day. In our digital world we make use of digital means to reach prospective customers, moving them to approach us for our products and services.

Today, business has two buzzwords: branding and inbound marketing. The idea is that you brand your business in such a way that you don’t have to constantly canvas for new business anymore. If done right, marketing will be inbound, with paying clients headed straight in your direction.

Inbound, the New Word in Marketing

Not so long ago a marketing director of a company would put together a team of telemarketers or door-knockers that would approach potential clients on behalf of the company. We have all been the object of affection that are approached by these marketers trying to get us to buy.

In our modern, fast-paced world this has completely changed. Very few companies still find this way of marketing successful. Even something as simple as an email list is less and less successful when it comes to closing that deal. So it is taking a whole new way of looking at marketing.

With inbound marketing the prospective client gets to know your brand. By reinforcing your brand message, you build trust. But once that trust is built, you won’t have to do much marketing to hook your new client – they will ask to buy from you.

Outbound is not Dead

Although inbound marketing is all the rage (and why wouldn’t it be with all the tools at our disposal?) outbound marketing can still be very useful. Old-school advertising campaigns still has a role to play. The trick is finding a balance where you don’t spend all your time on outbound marketing so that you can spend more time and resources on delivering the best service or product – fulfilling the promise your branding made to your client.

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