Traditional Marketing Methods “Out” - Inbound Marketing Methods “In”

Over the past five years, the marketing playbook for professional services has changed. Professional services marketers are working feverishly and at breakneck speed. High stress and tight deadlines are always factors in the industry's traditional marketing methods. Traditional methods tend to be print collateral, including brochures, statements of qualification, postcards, and any other media marketers gratuitously provide to prospective clients. These methods often suffer from a mismanaged message due to intensive labor, cost constraints, and focus on collateral production.

Inbound marketing methods offer new opportunities and a more practical approach to being flexible and adaptive in meeting market requirements for quality content. These methods use technology to create, deliver and measure content effectively. The idea is to provide content to capture the interest of a firm's prospective clients – these methods are proving to be a revolutionary shift in the marketing paradigm. As an added benefit, inbound marketing methods significantly reduce the time and cost associated with traditional methods.

 

There are many reasons why traditional marketing is "out" and inbound marketing is "in." 

Traditional Marketing is "Out"

• Traditional marketing methods require high upfront costs and do not benefit the client's pursuit economically.
• Traditional marketing methods need more flexibility to be amplified through various communication channels. Oncece the message is delivered to a prospective client, it cannot be used again.
• The main problem is that traditional marketing methods do not have a way to track efficacy for the money we spend on production and print.
• Traditional marketing methods tend to need more targeted messaging. For example, a firm looking to spend a budget on a company brochure will want to broaden the message to appeal to a wider audience. With this approach, the firm greatly risks the ability to effectively position or differentiate itself from the competition in any one given market segment. 
• While traditional marketing collateral can be produced with recycled materials and generated on energy-efficient printing presses, traditional marketing can never be sustainable. 

Inbound Marketing is "In"

• With virtually no upfront costs other than labor, every firm has the opportunity to provide unique content to address client concerns specifically.  Inbou marketing methods allow for endless ways to provide targeted messages to earn the interest of target audiences. If you are interested in tailoring a message to attract the attention of prospective clients, read Market Segmentation: An Inbound Marketer's "Social" Bread and Butter.
• Content can be delivered through a range of channels. Content can be accessed through a website, blog, social media channel, automated marketing campaign, or email.  With is approach, a firm can fine-tune a message to include information client's value.
• Inbound marketing methods can be measured for efficacy.  Every inbound marketing effort provides a measured result that allows marketing professionals to logically conclude what seems to be working and what is not.  Inbou marketing uses technologies that measure the audience's response and interest level with each marketing effort.
• Inbound marketing helps you get found by prospective clients looking for your services via search engines. Incorp rating keywords in content, taking advantage of metadata, and indexing website pages are just the beginning steps to being found by audiences looking for your services. A good place to start would be to investigate the Framework for Professional Services SEO: A Keyword Placement Guide to learn more about how to get found.
• Inbound marketing methods are sustainable – all inbound marketing efforts can be deftly used and re-used to provide statements of qualifications, incorporated in a witty campaign, or used to ensnare customers with a great website and blog content brings them through the sales funnel or business development lifecycle.

Marketing professionals are experiencing the pain often associated with an unpredictable business climate.  All marketing professionals must seek relie with viable alternatives for effectively and efficiently marketing professional services.  Due to increased competition, today's envir ment requires effectively reaching a wider range of prospective clients.  Traditional methods cannot effectively meet anagement's business development goals, and inbound marketing methods can deliver desired results.

If you are not convinced that inbound marketing is,” then you may be persuaded with 5 Compelling Reasons to Prospect with Inbound Marketing Strategies.