Inbound marketing is a strategy that brings in prospects to your particular brand who have indicated an interest in your product or service category. In essence, prospects are voluntarily opting in to hear your message. Various techniques are used to educate and inform prospects including search engine marketing, social media marketing, blogs, videos, white papers, and e-newsletters.

In contrast, outbound marketing pushes out commercial messages to a group of consumers who may have no interest whatsoever in your product. Outbound marketing techniques are considered invasive in nature because the recipients have no alternative to being exposed to your commercial messages. Commonly used outbound techniques include telemarketing, direct mail, and most forms of traditional advertising.

Inbound marketing has become one of the most talked about marketing strategies because of the notion that it represents a cure-all solution to the declining effectiveness of traditional advertising methods. Its popularity is both a blessing and a curse, and has given rise to a number of different opinions about what it can and cannot do. Whether inbound marketing would benefit your business can only be determined after you cut through the myths and misconceptions.

Myth Number 1: Inbound Marketing Will Work for Every Business
The truth of the matter is that there is no such thing as a universal marketing strategy that is the best choice for every situation. A comprehensive inbound marketing plan may require a substantial investment of time in planning, implementing, and lead nurturing. The necessary skillset includes expertise in SEO, social media, design and development, content writing, video production, and data analysis.

Inbound marketing is best suited for businesses that have a high-value client base, such as attorneys, elective health care professionals, high-end construction trades, financial services, and manufacturing companies.

Myth Number 2: Inbound Marketing Is a Complete Solution
While inbound marketing has been shown to double the average website conversion rate and deliver 54 percent more qualified leads than traditional marketing methods, it’s not a universal solution that replaces every other form of marketing. As long as other marketing methods are working and producing a solid return on investment, keep them in place to supplement your inbound efforts. Inbound marketing is not intended to replace SEO or your sales force; think of it as a way to enhance and improve the effectiveness of your overall marketing effort.

Myth Number 3: Inbound Marketing is a Fad That Will Eventually Fade Away
Inbound marketing was introduced to the marketing community almost ten years ago, and has been growing in popularity ever since. That’s hardly the definition of a passing fad. Businesses continue to adopt inbound marketing methods and more and more inbound marketing consultants are hanging out their shingle. Most significant of all, consumers in growing numbers are responding positively to the inbound marketing approach – a survey by the Custom Content Council has found that 7 out of 10 consumers prefer to learn about a company through a series of informative articles rather than a traditional advertisement.

Myth Number 4: Inbound Marketing Only Works With Younger Audiences
This is one of the most common and persistent myths about inbound marketing – because it’s geared to online methods, only a younger and more tech-savvy audience will respond. The fact is that the aging baby boomer segment is now spending more time online than watching television and is actually spending less time with newspapers and radio. Don’t let misconceptions about the technical orientation of the older demographics keep your company from reaping the benefits of inbound marketing.