When it comes to marketing, most businesses want to cast a wide net. It only makes sense to try to reach the largest audience possible in order to build brand awareness, increase traffic, and boost patronage. Right?
The only problem with the blanket approach is that you’re spending money to reach a few people that are interested in what you’re selling, and a whole lot of people that aren’t. Wouldn’t your money be better spent finding and targeting consumers that are most likely to reciprocate with a purchase, providing for the greatest possible return on investment?
Since small, niche businesses are often working with limited marketing budgets, they have to make every dollar count, and this means making wise marketing decisions. In this regard, inbound marketing can serve as an ideal solution. What is inbound marketing and how can niche businesses use it to their greatest benefit?
Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing
Even if you aren’t familiar with the term “outbound marketing”, you’ve definitely experienced it. This traditional form of marketing involves casting the wide net mentioned above. Advertising in print media and broadcast radio and television is outbound marketing, as is placing fliers on cars, cold calling, and sending out blanket mailers or emails. You can put out a lot of feelers and get just a few nibbles in return.
Inbound marketing is a completely different beast – one that is made much easier with the use of online and mobile technologies. Inbound marketing focuses on connecting with targeted audiences, ones that are already interested in what you have to sell, and bringing them to you.
This can be accomplished through SEO efforts that match your keywords and content with related user searches. It could include utilizing tools in Facebook advertising that allow you to target users not only through common criteria like age, gender, and economic status, but also by the jobs they hold, the areas they live in, and even their personal interests and previous browsing and shopping habits.
It’s a brave new world, to be sure, but one in which brands can save money by connecting exclusively with consumers that are already interested in their products or services, and consumers need only be exposed to advertising for things they want. In other words, everyone wins.
Reaching a Niche Audience
Niche businesses have niche audiences. If you sell plus-size clothing, you don’t want to advertise to women of all sizes. If you offer dental services in Austin, TX, you shouldn’t waste your money on ads in New York and California. When you offer specialized goods or services, reaching the ideal audience is crucial to making your marketing spend count, and inbound marketing is the best way to reach and attract your niche audience.
Efficiently Meeting Goals
Inbound marketing is a bundle of targeted activities, but it’s also an overall strategy that helps you to reach specific goals. Partnering with an experienced online marketing service provider like Next Level Technology is the best way to create the inbound marketing strategy that delivers optimal ROI. If you’re tired of wasting money on traditional outbound marketing, the right inbound efforts can make a huge difference for your niche company.
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