13 May Is inbound marketing dead?
Reaching key decision-makers is an important element of B2B sales lead generation, but in recent years, and especially during the pandemic, decision-makers are becoming more difficult to reach. Inbound marketing can seem like the ideal solution to reaching these decision-makers, but is it a strategy that pays off?
With many businesses experiencing challenges with inbound marketing sales conversions, you could be questioning its value in generating positive ROI. But does this mean inbound marketing is dead?
We explore the relevance of inbound marketing in today’s climate and how your business could implement it successfully in 2021.
The problem with inbound marketing in 2021
Inbound marketing has experienced an increasing number of challenges in recent years. B2B companies can spend a lot of time and money on their inbound marketing campaigns, but all too often they produce a weak ROI, stalling growth for businesses.
One of the reasons for this is that inbound marketing doesn’t work for everyone. Inbound marketing can produce results to a degree, but the strategy needs to be considered for every campaign individually to assess whether inbound marketing is truly the best approach.
Customers are also becoming savvier when it comes to the charms of inbound marketing. The quality of inbound marketing needs to be high to engage a potential customer, with new and fresh ideas to keep them interested. If you rely on the same familiar content, there will be nothing to distinguish your company from the competition.
The importance of buyer-enabled content
This leads us into the importance of buyer-enabled content for B2B sales lead generation. Since inbound B2B marketing first took off, the focus of marketers has been on creating content, with the hope that customers will be interested in what they see, and are then ready to get in touch. However, the content being put out rarely focuses on the buyer’s needs, and is instead focused on the lead generation element.
Buyer enablement should focus on providing the solutions customers need to solve a problem, focusing on meeting their different needs and requirements. Content needs to be more considered and informative, and not just designed to attract attention through tired tactics.
Buyer-enabled content and sales interaction – the secret to successful inbound marketing?
How can buyer-enabled content be improved to strengthen inbound marketing? The answer lies with your salespeople. By engaging them earlier in the buying process, your salespeople can help provide a steer and the support that buyers need to be able to make informed decisions. At the stage where buyers have an intent to purchase, this is where your salespeople can be the most valuable in accelerating the buying cycle by converting those leads into sales Getting their interest is great, but accelerating the lead generation or closing the loop through outbound calls is becoming even more imperative.
By implementing sales interaction earlier in the buying cycle, you could strengthen your inbound marketing activities and deliver a greater ROI. At Incognate, we provide the help you need to ensure positive, effective, outbound sales lead generation activity to help you reach your business goals. To find out more about our B2B marketing services, get in touch today.