Inbound Marketing is the thoughtful consideration of what your future customers are actually looking for, being there when they need you. So, then what is traditional marketing? It is the perpetual interruption, the all glam no goods... it is the Johnny Bravo of the marketing world. Are you familiar with Johnny Bravo? Just considering writing this post had our team in stitches, laughing about the terrible charicature of self-absorption that we landed on as the classic picture of traditional marketing. So here it goes, Johnny Bravo and traditional marketing: The Comparison.
Traditional marketing is all about what they want you to see, when they want you to see it. In the market for a snow-blower? Nobody cares in the traditional marketing world! In stead they interrupt your favourite television program or drop down on your website to disrupt your reading of that article. Traditional marketing doesn't care if you want to see it or not, it will be there, infiltrating your day and disrupting your activities for sponsored messages.
The messages from traditional marketing are short, they are designed to capture your attention and get you to focus on the brand. So, there is often little substance attached to the strategy. It is all about brand recognition and encouraging a consumer mindset, when what you should be doing is educating your consumer and demonstrating your expertise. Inbound is style and substance, traditional is snapshots of great ideas executed with tired tactics.
The issue with traditional marketing is that there is little to follow-up the initial contact with. As in, the attraction is there, the advertisement shines, but then what? You need a strong inbound strategy to ensure that prospects are encouraged to convert and do business with your business. In the research-age of 2014 you have to give your prospects something to sink their teeth into. Once you have their attention, how do you keep it?
With more than 30,000 marketing messages disrupting the consumer experience every day, it is very hard to be memorable. First, you hope that you are hitting people at their buying point, then you hope that your message is impactful enough to be memorable. That is a lot of hoping and very few gaurantees.
So there you have it. The charicature that is Johnny Bravo and the marketing tactics that match! Inbound marketing for profitable results and business growth, Johnny Bravo for a good laugh (although, we think the success of your marketing is no laughing matter...)