The traditional advertising model has relied on a few powerful broadcasters delivering their product (TV, radio, press etc) to the public for free (or close

Inbound marketing is like a customer magnet for business

to it) then charging companies a fee to advertise to this audience. And for a long time it has worked. Mass media was the easiest and most cost-effective way to reach a broad audience with your business’ message.

Then things started to change. The mass media has fragmented over the last 20 years. More magazines, more television channels, more radio choices and then the internet. No wonder so many advertisers are starting to question where they should place their marketing dollars.

The ever increasing speed of the internet is the final straw. Suddenly traditional media is being delivered online and the consumer is spending less time reading newspapers, listening to local radio and reading actual newspapers. Suddenly advertisers are in a real quandary about how to market themselves.

But the fact is, this changing media landscape is good news. The low cost of production, the massive migration to online media consumption and the creation of a “search economy” means that advertisers are now in charge.

Its just that they need to re-frame their thinking.

Advertising is all about outbound. Interruptive messages that try to vie for the consumers attention while they are doing something else (watch a TV show, listen to music, read news). Its a shotgun effect, where advertisers hope to hit enough targets to make the advertising worthwhile.

The new paradigm is Inbound Marketing. Its about being in the right place when consumers are looking for something, giving them the information they need and converting them into customers.

Inbound isn’t interruptive, its helpful. Inbound isn’t like a shotgun, its like a magnet drawing in only the most qualified prospects. Inbound doesn’t require constant reloading of the budget, its long-lasting and extremely cost-effective.

Inbound turns advertisers into marketers.

And the good news is that Inbound Marketing can level the playing field, allowing smaller marketers to compete with larger competitors.

Here’s how Inbound Marketing works:

• A consumer decides they wish to buy a widget.

• Consumer uses a search engine like Google, Yahoo or Bing to search for widgets from their PC, laptop, phone or netbook.

• Finding a large range of widget retailers around the world, the consumer refines their search to suit their chosen criteria (geography, price, models etc)

• The consumer scans search results for most relevant listing, usually from the first page of results.

• The consumer clicks through to relevant information and gets more details about the widgets on offer

• If that website is properly designed for sales or inquiry conversion, the consumer proceeds to make the purchase, make an inquiry or phone or visit the business and becomes a customer

Its that simple.

The keys are:

1. Your business must be able to be found on the first page of relevant searches,
2. You must provide the consumer with relevant & helpful information, and
3. You must have strategies in place to convert the consumer into a sale or inquiry.

Do this and its win – win all round.

Next steps to becoming an Inbound Marketer:

Find out how your website rates as an Inbound Marketing resource

Discover how many people are searching online for your services each month

Josh Bernoff from Forrester Research has just posted a piece on AdAge discussing the latest findings of a survey taken in the USA with leading marketers. The results should be alarming for traditional advertising media and agencies.

It strongly echoes our observations here in Australia. I have written a series of posts in the last year pointing to the same conclusion: Advertising shift permanent, What will agencies do when everyone can bypass advertising?, Perfect storm causing traditional media bloodbath, The sound of a marketing revolution, and A turning point in marketing and media history?

Here is what Josh had to say:

In this recession, marketers have learned that interactive marketing is more effective, and advertising less effective, per dollar spent. While budgets for online have decreased, they decreased less than other budgets. Six out of ten marketers we surveyed agreed with the statement “we will increase budget for interactive by shifting money away from traditional marketing.” Only 7% said “we have no plans to increase our marketing budget.”

Unlike the last recession, digital marketing is no longer experimental. Now it looks more like advertising is inefficient, relative to digital. More than half of the marketers we surveyed said that effectiveness of direct mail, TV, magazines, outdoor, newspapers, and radio would stay the same or decrease within three years. In contrast, well over 70% expected the effectiveness of channels like created social media, online video, and mobile marketing to increase.

The result is that digital, which will be about 12% of overall advertising spend in 2009, is likely to grow to about 21% in five years. Along the way overall advertising budgets won’t grow much.

This is huge.

It means we are all digital marketers now, since digital is at the center of many campaigns anyway.

It means media is in trouble, or at least in the middle of a transformation. For example, online video ads, which will be about $870 million this year, will grow to over $3 billion in 2014. What will this do to networks plans to put more of their shows online in places like Hulu. How will it accelerate some newspapers plans to become more and more centered around online?

And it means that social “media,” which will account for $716 million this year between social network campaigns and agency fees, will generate $3 billion in five years. And this doesn’t even count displays ads on social networks (which are in the display ads category.) Of all the parts of digital marketing, social network marketing one is poised for the most explosive growth.

Pundits have been declaring the end of mass media and advertising for years now. From my 14 years of experience analyzing this stuff, I’ve learned that things die very slowly, but there are real trends you can see. If you’re in advertising, you’d better learn to speak digital, because that’s the way the world is going.

Conclusion: Ignore the transition from old, less effective traditional advertising techniques to effective, highly measurable digital marketing at you peril. The way you customers shop and research has changed. Will you change with them or be left behind?

Here at Sticky we have developed a range of services and products to help marketers compete online and make the most of the transition from Outbound to Inbound Marketing. A good start would be to run your website through our free Web ANLYZR tool to determine its marketing effectiveness.

Inbound Marketing turns your website into a customer magnet

Inbound marketing is the approach behind most successful internet marketing systems. Done well, inbound marketing can turn your website into a customer magnet, drawing motivated prospects towards your business.

Traditionally businesses have relied on broadcast style marketing and advertising to create awareness of their existence and offerings. Television, radio, press, billboards and Yellow Pages have all been the cornerstone of marketing efforts for the last 50 years. And these media have served us well, offering the most efficient means with which to reach a large audience quickly.

Broadcast marketing by its nature is like using a shotgun. You aim it roughly in the right direction (ie. general target demographic), pull the trigger and hope that you hit the right audience. Of course, you’re also paying to hit some unwilling bystanders (non-target demographic) but that’s unavoidable. You then trust that the people you have hit will react to your efforts.

Inbound marketing turns this approach upside down. It involves discovering where potential customers are searching, positioning yourself correctly so they’ll find you and letting them discover whether you have what they are looking for.

Notice the difference? Rather than trying to force yourself onto unsuspecting masses, qualified prospects are ambling up to you.

Broadcast marketing relies on potential customers noticing you when YOU are ready (spending money on advertisements). It also means they won’t notice you if you aren’t active.

Inbound marketing allows potential customers to find you when THEY are ready. Any time, any place. It delivers motivated, qualified consumers to your door (website) 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.

Inbound marketing basics:

• Create a search engine friendly website

• Discover what customers are really searching for and how many of them are searching monthly

• Optimise your website to be found in these relevant searches

• Give visitors to your site information that will help in their decision making process

• Capture information about visitors to your site

• Provide methods for visitors to make inquiries or purchases

• Repeat

The result can be a cost-efficient, totally measurable marketing strategy that turns your business website into a customer magnet.

IF YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW TO INTRODUCE INBOUND MARKETING TO YOUR BUSINESS PLEASE COMPLETE THE FORM BELOW or TEST YOUR SITE ON OUR INBOUND MARKETING TOOL:

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Is your business still rolling out the same marketing plan in 2009 as you have in previous years? If so, why?

There is now an abundance of evidence that audiences are changing their media consumption habits and that online is becoming the hottest place to start directing your marketing dollars. Even traditional media placement legend Harold Mitchell told Adnews recently that he saw 2008 as a year of significant change in the advertising industry, one that cemented the digital age as the permanent force in media.

But how many businesses owners and marketing managers have started making the transition with their own businesses? How many are currently sitting down and mapping out the same old marketing plan for 2009, allocating a budget to Yellow Pages that go unread or old media with declining audiences but higher rates?

There’s no doubt that we are entering a difficult economic climate. Businesses that adapt quickly and implement cost-effective changes reflective of the new media landscape will emerge in a much stronger position.

If you haven’t already begun exploring new options for your marketing, then make 2009 your year of transition:

• Create a truly informative, conversational and interactive website

• Cut back your Yellow Pages spend and allocate it to search engine optimisation so you can drive more relevant traffic to your site

• Begin exploring social media and engaging with people in and around your industry

• Ensure all your advertising encourages people to visit your website where you can explain more about your product or services

• Discover the amazing measurability of online marketing where you can constantly tweak your efforts to improve results

• Generate free publicity online or in the traditional media from strategic website content and commentary

• Place your TV and radio ads online

• Create online video content so people can see your product or services in action

• Create an online community around your business or product

Don’t get left behind. Start allocating part of your advertising budget to digital media. If you have any doubt at all about the effectiveness of your marketing then you owe it to yourself to explore more measurable and cost-effective options.

And of course, we’d like to help you.

Sticky understands how effective a good online strategy can be and we know how to achieve it.

This website has the highest traffic rank (according to Alexa) of any Newcastle advertising agency.

Sticky have 3 sites ranked in the top 50 Australian marketing websites

Our sites rank very highly in online searches and so do our clients

Last year it was suggested that Sticky could be the “top dog in social media by 2010″

We have contributed to two international marketing books discussing social media

In short…we live and breathe this stuff.

If you’d like to discuss how you can blend your traditional media budget with an powerful online strategy, give us a call, drop in for a coffee and lets talk.

By the end of the 1990’s most businesses had a Web 1.0 website. They were basically glorified brochures and they cost a lot. Then in the mid 00’s Web 2.0 begin to emerge. Sites were more interactive, linking and sharing became de rigueur and the power of the Internet took on a whole new meaning amongst the smart online operators.

However, for much of the business world Web 1.0 sites are still being pumped out at an alarming rate. The boss realises he needs a website, or a new site, and then either the company IT person or contracted web designer dutifully bangs out a digital brochure. Build it and fill it with every detail about the company’s products or services and they will come.

No they won’t.

Your company doesn’t need a new website, it needs a great web strategy. Done well, businesses can derive an amazing number of benefits from its online presence. In fact, it’s arguable that you could build your entire marketing strategy around your web presence.

How? Let me explain.

You must immediately cease thinking of your online presence as a destination. That is merely part of its potential. A great web strategy allows you to find new customers, obtain information, broaden your geographic reach, streamline operations, improve customer relations, lower communication costs, generate PR and free publicity, look like an industry leader and…..have complete marketing measurability.

Find new customers
Excellent search engine optimisation (SEO) means that your site(s) will be found by more people who are making relevant searches around your industry. This can be as narrow or as broad as you desire. Whereas, most businesses are relying on potential customers to type in their URL or name in order to reach their site, good SEO delivers potential customers who are interested in what you have to offer but haven’t necessarily heard of you.

Obtain information
A proper web strategy can deliver a startling amount of invaluable information. Electronic newsletters can be tracked and measured in any number of ways. Site analytics can tell you wonderful information about who is visiting, what they are searching for and what they like on your site. Simple site prompts can have visitors leaving contact details.

Broaden geographic reach
This was part of the original promise of the Internet…..international businesses from the lounge room. Its still possible, but you must be realistic about the market you are trying to reach. Nonetheless, by concentrating on a niche rather than your broader industry you can become a leader in a much wider geographic market. Your online strategy can allow you to effectively network and market to that niche.

Streamline operations
The number of potential savings here can be staggering and too extensive to explain in one post. But needless to say, if your online presence is at the centre of your operations you can share information, market more efficiently, reduce travel costs, and complete projects in record time. This list goes on, as do the efficiencies.

Improve customer relations
When you start thinking of your online presence as an ongoing dialogue rather than an advertisement, you begin realising the potential to build goodwill amongst your people and customers. By creating an online resource for customers and potential customers you will have them visiting regularly and developing a better understanding of your services.

Lower communication costs
Spending a fortune on media and PR? The right web presence can reduce those costs quickly. If your search engine optimisation is right you will have a lot of relevant people visiting your site(s). If your site(s) are good you will have increased sales and enquiries. You can hit the right markets quickly and cost-effectively online and then measure the results immediately.

Generate PR
The PR industry is under serious threat from online. Why pay someone a fortune to send press releases to the media and hope for the best when you can reach the people you want with the right online communications? And then have those people extend your reach by linking and posting about your story! It can be so powerful. PR is short for public relations, and a good web strategy can be exceptionally effective for yours.

Free Publicity
The right web strategy can deliver free publicity in so many unexpected ways. Strike the right chord with your content and suddenly it can be spreading like a virus across the web. Mainstream media are now monitoring blogs and conversational sites for news, information and fresh perspectives. This can lead to interviews and profiles on TV, radio, press or even other online sites, raising your professional profile and credibility. Our own agency has benefited enormously from the free publicity our online presence has delivered.

Measurability
The Holy Grail for many marketers is measurability. So many forms of advertising and marketing see a lot of expenditure, which can be hard to measure in results. Online strategies can be measured in a number of ways and in amazing detail. Measure the traffic to your sites, the origin of the traffic, clicks through, search terms, electronic mailing hit rates and then, of course, sales. The level of sophisticated measurement can be staggering.

As you can see, your online presence has amazing potential. By changing your thinking from building a site as a destination to creating a total strategy, online can become the centrepiece of your marketing efforts.

If you’d like to know more about creating your ideal web strategy contact us here at Sticky.

Dolphcom was the very first website we built using the principles that have since become the GetSticky system.

Dolphcom owner Andrew Parker asked Sticky to design a new website for him to facilitate the growth of his business. The site had to be able to facilitate online inquiries, be easy to upload video to and perform substantially better in online searches.

We were excited when the Newcastle-based whale and dolphin swimming adventure company Dolphcom achieved immediate SEO success with the launch of their new website.

Dolphcom’s previous website, while visually attractive, was difficult to update and performed woefully in Google and Yahoo organic searches. Analysis of all key search terms revealed that Dolphcom did no better than the fourth page in most searches, and much lower in others.

Sticky designed a completely new website to suit Dolphcom’s criteria and then applied our search engine optimisation process to the site. Within 2 weeks of launching the new website, Dolphcom was ranking on the first page of Google and Yahoo searches for relevant search terms and web traffic had doubled.

Andrew’s recent trip to swim with the whales in Tonga can now be viewed on Dolphcom and plenty more sensational content is continually being added to the site.