Inbound is overtaking outbound internet marketing techniques

Friday,  November 4, 2011 : A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO ONLINE MARKETING
 
Inbound is overtaking outbound internet marketing techniques
 
A fresh look at marketing by Voltier Digital, using a very practical infographic presentation, is achieving wide internet coverage as it considers the efficacy of inbound vs. outbound marketing.
 
The internet has made a tremendous impact on how products and services are marketed. Consumers no longer rely on direct mail, billboards and TV spots (outbound marketing), and are increasingly absorbing information from inbound sources (alternative and internet-based methods for finding, buying and researching brands and products in a two-way dialogue, much of which is facilitated by social media.)
 
Costs have also been a significant factor in the divergence, with inbound marketing showing more bang for the marketing buck.
 
The presentation can be found here for detailed study: http://www.brandingmagazine.com/2011/10/31/inbound-vs-outbound-marketing/ but some of the interesting highlights include:
 
44 percent of direct mail is never opened; it's therefore largely wasted time, postage and paper resources.
 
86 percent of people skip through television commercials.
 
84 percent of 25 to 34-year-olds have clicked out of a website because of an “irrelevant or intrusive ad.”
 
The cost per lead in outbound marketing is more than for inbound marketing.
 
Average market investment in social media has doubled in the last two years
 
61 percent of marketers will have invested more on in-bound marketing by the end of this year
 
200 million Americans have registered on the FTC's "do not call me" list.
 
91 percent of email users have unsubscribed from company emails that they had previously opted into.
 
"Inbound marketing focuses on earning, not buying, a person’s attention, which is done through social media and engaging content, such as blogs, podcasts and white papers," claims the Voltier study.
 
"This content is interesting, informative and adds value, creating a positive connection in the eyes of the consumer, thus making him or her more likely to engage your brand and buy the product. So it costs less and has better a ROI."