What Is “Inbound Marketing,” Anyway? [Marketing Mojo Video]

Apr 2017

Recently I got a request from a local marketing organization to come speak to them about inbound marketing. Apparently there’s a lot of confusion around this concept, so allow me to offer you my short-and-sweet explanation (featuring a video-bombing pug who was in the mood to play):

If you’re ever confused about inbound marketing, think of it this way:

Outbound marketing is interruption-based (think banner ads, billboards, TV ads)
Inbound marketing is attraction-based (think content marketing, SEO, podcasts)

If you want to learn more about content marketing — a vital component of any inbound marketing strategy — grab a copy of The Content Marketing Coach: Everything You Need to Get in the Game … and WIN. To learn more about the book and to download a free chapter, visit contentmarketingcoachbook.com!

Today’s Video Transcript

Hey! Folks Rachel here with you ‘Monday Morning Marketing Mojo’ and Sophie is in a playful mood today, so please pardon the background noise. I’m going to try to multitask while I play with her.

So happy Monday to you, I have my big ginormous Monday coffee mug with me because it’s Monday. So today I want to talk about ‘Inbound Marketing’. I recently got a call from someone at one of the organizations that I have spoken to several times, and they want me to come talk about ‘Inbound Marketing’, and I said well that’s fine, there are entire week long conferences dedicated to Inbound Marketing, what do you want me to talk about? And he said, you know our membership, there’s a lot of confusion about inbound marketing, about what it is, and how it; what it looks like when it’s done right.

So today I really want you to talk about ‘Inbound Marketing’, what is it really? You know is SEO Inbound Marketing, is it the same as Content marketing, so what we; the way to understand inbound marketing, first we need to talk about out bound marketing. Which is the practice of interruption based marketing, for lack of a better word. Its, you know someone is driving down the street Boom! they see a billboard, or someone is reading a magazine Boom! There’s an Ad, or someone is visiting a website, Boom! There is a banner Ad, that’s what outbound marketing is, and I wouldn’t say that out bound marketing is ineffective, because it definitely does work, it just doesn’t work as well as it used to. There are many reasons behind that, but that’s another Mojo for another day.

So what we need to do today is to practice inbound marketing. So whereas outbound marketing is interruption based, inbound marketing is attraction based, inbound marketing says “Hey! I have something of value that I thing you would appreciate, I have a podcast that I think you would really enjoy listening to. I have a blog where I share some deep industry insights that can be really helpful to you”, and so we’re attracting people rather than picking up a bull horn and saying buy my stuff.

So what does inbound marketing encompass? SEO is part of inbound Marketing, content marketing is part of inbound marketing, social media done a certain way is inbound marketing. So social media saying buy my stuff is not inbound marketing, but social media where we share relevant, interesting, engaging insights that is absolutely inbound marketing. So that’s all inbound marketing is. Its marketing based on an attraction rather than interruption.

So that is your Monday Morning Mojo for today, and if you want to learn more about content marketing, which is of course and aspect of inbound marketing , pick up a copy of “The Content Marketing Coach” – Everything You Need to Get in the Game and Win!, and you can actually download a free chapter at http://contentmarketingcoachbook.com/

Have a wonderful week, I’m going to get back to play with the Puggy here, and I will see you next Monday. Take care.

Remember to snag your copy of The Content Marketing Coach: Everything You Need to Get in the Game … and WIN! — now available on Amazon!

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About the Author

A self-described geek who can recite entire episodes of South Park by heart, Rachel Parker has had a passion for content ever since she was old enough to hold a crayon (purple, please).

As Founder and CEO of Resonance, Rachel helps businesses publish content that connects with their audience … and converts those followers into customers. She’s also the host of the Content Marketing Podcast and author of the book The Content Marketing Coach: Everything You Need to Get in the Game … and WIN!

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The result was two-fold. Not only did our ranks of followers grew steadily, the steady drip, drip, drip of content helped us train our personnel and direct their own individual social media efforts.

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