Modern marketers face a lot of binary choices when it comes to strategies and tactics. Do you focus on demand gen or brand? Field marketing or virtual events? Outbound or inbound marketing?
The truth is that focusing on one tactic or strategy over another is often a false choice. With the tools given to marketers today, teams can piece together the best aspects of a strategy or tactic without compromising on quality. Inbound and outbound marketing provides a great example.
Check out The Accelerated Buyer: How Personalized Content Journeys Impact the Buying Process to learn how you can create digital experiences with a personal touch.
The Outbound v. Inbound Dilemma
Outbound marketing, where marketers reach out to audiences in the hopes of engaging potential customers, has drastically changed since the days of cold calls and commercials. Today’s digital era has inspired the rise of banner ads and media buys, changing how marketers reach audiences. But outbound marketing is still largely the same in three ways: it’s expensive, uncertain and typically not as profitable as other methods.
By contrast, inbound marketing, where marketers provide content relevant to niche audiences, has turned marketing organizations into hubs of information. Combined with digital marketing tactics, such as SEO, social media marketing, and blogging, inbound marketing is a powerful tool pulling relevant, interested audiences to an organization’s website and its products.
But, where inbound marketing strategies are more effective at generating leads and engaging with audiences, they lack the element of a human, personal and emotional touch.
How Personalization Revamps the Marketing Funnel
Enter personalization. By catering to prospects and client’s individual needs, personalization has become a secret tool marketers use to achieve high conversion rates and customer satisfaction. And it does so by combining the best elements of outbound marketing with inbound marketing.
Personalization takes inbound marketing one step further by recognizing the individual preferences of audiences and using that data to inform content creation. Each buyer is met with content suited to their consumption styles, from white papers and blogs to video content and webinars. Content can also be arranged the order that is best suited to the viewer, effectively curating content by incorporating ongoing feedback and following the prospect with relevant content throughout their buyer’s journey.
It’s Time to Deliver Better Digital Experiences
Consumers, including B2B buyers, are becoming more accustomed to targeted marketing. And that trend is having a positive impact on both digital marketing and consumer perceptions of digital. In fact, according to a Harvard Business Review study, when online shoppers were told an advertisement was shown to them based on their on-site behavior, click-through rates increased by 11%, time spent viewing the advertised product rose by 34% and revenue grew by 38%.
Organizations that get ahead on providing personalized experiences are much more likely to find success by winning over buyers. This doesn’t mean scrapping existing marketing and starting from scratch. Rather, all it takes is a concentrated effort to understand the performance of your existing content and the different personas it resonates with.
To learn more about how you can go beyond traditional inbound/outbound marketing, check out our new e-book: The Accelerated Buyer: How Personalized Content Journeys Impact the Buying Process.