5 reasons to Use Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing

Email marketing has always been seen as an outbound marketing effort. But, could it be an inbound one?

It’s probably hard for most of you out there to remember a time when email wasn’t a part of your daily routine. Having an email address these days is no different than having a phone number. It’s simply something that people expect you to have. And with e-mail comes spam… and lots of it.

So, how do you differentiate your marketing emails from the rest of the noise? Simple – by taking an inbound marketing approach to a tactic that has traditionally been viewed as an outbound one. Here are five quick tips to help you do that:

Entice People to Opt-In

The best way to receive a positive response from your email marketing efforts is to ensure that the recipients actually want the emails. You can do this by getting a person to opt-in to receiving them, which can be done through the use of helpful blog content, downloadable content that is accessed via an email address, social media campaigns, and an informative newsletter sent via email. All of these inbound options will improve your email marketing efforts with a much lower risk of annoying potential customers and being ignored.

Create Targeted Content

Think of blanket email efforts as a remnant of an era long since passed. A dinosaur, if you will. The truth is, people don’t want to get every single email under the sun from a company, because many of them might not apply to their needs. What you want to do is create targeted content that has a reader’s interests and needs in mind. This is where the development of buyer personas come in. By knowing what your potential buyers are like and focusing on that, your response to a campaign will be a lot more positive.

Show Value to Each Recipient

The goal for any type of marketing effort, whether it’s email, social, direct mail, etc., is to create an inherent need within the consumer. It is important that you show your value to each recipient of an email marketing campaign. They might not even realize they need you, but once they do, it’s almost as if they can’t live without you. Then, when each email comes in, they will absolutely sit up and take notice.

Avoid Spamming at All Costs

The biggest flaw of email is the ease with which your inbox can quickly fill up. Think about it – do you read even HALF of the emails you receive on a daily basis? Spamming is what happens in an outbound marketing campaign, but we’re talking about treating emails like an inbound strategy. For this to happen, you must limit the number of emails you send on a regular basis. One per day is way too often. Sending one email every two weeks (with an occasional extra for really exciting news) is a good strategy, as it creates consistency without the constant barrage.

Provide an Easy Way to Change Subscription Options

There are few things more frustrating than wanting to be removed from an email subscription or at least lessen its frequency and having no idea how to do it. Many people who unsubscribe do so because they’re simply receiving too many emails, not because they don’t like you or won’t remember you in the future. But, if you want them to really remember you, make it difficult to subscribe – they’ll definitely remember you, then, and not in a good way.

Are you interested in creating an email marketing campaign that will bring results? Or are you leaning more toward blogging and/or social media to increase your brand’s vitality and reach? The professionals at Madison Taylor Marketing have literally written the book on email marketing and various similar subjects. Reach out to us today and we’ll develop a strategy that’s perfect for your business.