Traditional, some would say old, marketing involves the big three of radio, print, and television. These mediums dominated in a world of limited choice even though they offered hazy metrics and high premiums. Now they are all staring down the barrel because the Internet, with its associative technologies, offers the exact opposite — abundance, precise data, and much lower costs.
Consider a recent interview between Mitch Joel and Marcus Sheridian. During the podcast Marcus touts the advantages of inbound marketing he directly used to grow his very analog, small business. Marcus reveals how he was able to increase sales of in-ground pools while taking his marketing spend from around $250,000 to roughly $18,000. He was able to make this transformation by asking for the customer’s permission to provide them value through many outposts. Marcus’ blog, centered on educating potential pool buyers, was the cornerstone of his inbound marketing efforts.
Types of Content for Inbound Marketing
- e-Newsletter
- Blog
- Social media updates, posts, etc.
Does this mean that there is zero value in the traditional media? Not necessarily, but the traditional mediums have to adapt by adopting some of the advantages found in inbound marketing. Print media, as an example, needs to take advantage of technology for personalization, tracking, and cost reduction. Digital printing with pURLs and/or 2d barcodes would be one way to compete. The printed piece, unlike those e-mails, can cut through the clutter since there are fewer mailings.
photo: Affiliate
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