One of the fast-growing categories of marketing is inbound marketing, or drawing prospects in using social media, SEO, blogs, and other online content. Using inbound marketing techniques, instead of you finding prospects, your prospects are finding you.
According to HubSpot’s State of Inbound Marketing (2013) survey, nearly 60% of marketers have adopted some kind of inbound marketing strategy and more than 80% of those have integrated inbound marketing into their broader marketing goals. Nearly 50% of marketers have increased their inbound marketing budgets for 2013.
What makes inbound marketing so valuable is that these respondents are pre-qualified. Because they found you, they have already demonstrated interest in your products or a certain level of trust in your company. Consequently, they are more likely to convert to sales than respondents to outbound marketing techniques.
According to HubSpot, which coined the term “inbound marketing,” inbound strategies are especially effective for products with high dollar values, products that have long research cycles, and products that are knowledge-based. In these markets, consumers are more likely to purchase from a company that has demonstrated expertise.
This is where print can play a critical role. Although prospects may find you using online channels, you still have to convert them. Because print is a more trusted medium than e-media, printed collateral can provide the depth and trustworthiness of information prospects need to move them along the sales funnel and ultimately to help them make a purchasing decision.
So coordinate your printed content to support your inbound marketing efforts. For anything promoted through Tweets, blogs, or social media, have four-color informational brochures, printed case studies or use studies, infographics, tri-folds, or other resources ready to go. Think about what information prospects will likely need to make a decision, then have those print materials available.
Inbound marketing techniques helps draw prospects into the sales funnel. Print helps to convert them to sales.
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