In our last few blog posts, we’ve talked about the nitty gritty of inbound marketing, honing in on different aspects of the inbound approach. Today, we’re doing something a little different. Instead of looking at something more practical and hands-on like CRM systems, we’re going to take a look at one of the overarching themes of inbound marketing.
We’re talking, of course, about the fact that inbound marketing is a long-term approach. Traditional, outbound marketing tends to focus on trying to score direct sales through intrusive forms of advertising. With the inbound approach, it’s all about nurturing leads over time, and that requires a certain amount of patience that not everyone has.
But when you’re a B2B company, the long-term inbound approach just makes sense. After all, B2B companies tend to have longer buying cycles and so they need to spend more time with potential customers before they go ahead and make a purchase. Inbound marketing – and the technologies which make it possible, like CRM systems, lead scoring and marketing automation – is a B2B marketer’s dream.
Patience Sells
The thing about inbound marketing that makes it such a smart choice is the fact that it tends to snowball over time. Sure, when you first start out you might struggle to get a return on your investment, but sometimes you have to look at it as an investment in the future. Once you start to generate leads – and even better, when you start to convert them into paying customers – you’ll make that initial investment back in no time.
Don’t make the mistake of just blindly pouring money into your inbound marketing strategy, though. Mix things up every now and then and feel free to switch budgets around if one avenue is proving more successful than another. In the meantime, you can look at engagement-based metrics so that you can at least see whether your audience is interested in the content that you’re creating. As long as you’re reaching the right people with the right message, it really is just a matter of time.
When you get it right, you’ll know it. You’ll be able to tell from your website’s metrics and the number of leads that are turning into customers. Your followers will let you know by engaging with you and telling what you like and what you don’t like. It might take you some time to get there, but you’ll get there.
Conclusion
Geoffrey Chaucer said, “Patience is a conquering virtue.” Benjamin Franklin added, “He that can have patience can have what he will.” Neither of them was talking about inbound marketing, but they might as well have been. You can’t grow a tree without time, and you can’t grow a business without patience. Luckily, if you get the approach right and wait patiently enough, you’ll be rewarded.
Struggling with lead gen? Don’t worry – we’re here to help you to gather the leads you need to boost your business. Request a demo of Bant.io to find out how we can help your company to grow by sending hot B2B leads directly to your inbox. You won’t regret it.
Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.