Lucidica Blog

Inbound marketing seems to have become increasingly popular within the business world. But what is inbound marketing? I believe that I should first quickly define the two key expressions I will be mentioning through this post.

“Inbound marketing” is a marketing strategy that focuses on getting found by customers, letting the customers come to you and engage with you; it is part of what “marketing guru” Seth Godin calls “the permission marketing”. On the other hand, outbound marketing can be observed in most of the traditional marketing techniques that interrupt customers through excessive and inappropriate advertising and promotion. Many would consider outbound marketing as cold, or unwelcoming as it includes techniques such as cold calls and print ads. These are something that the receivers haven’t asked for.

Through inbound marketing, companies tend to generate warm and qualified leads, rather than cold ones, as described in outbound marketing.

Mashable have expressed the pros of using Inbound Marketing strategies and why it’s “winning” over the “out-dated” outbound marketing methods.

• 44% of direct mail is never opened; a waste of time and money for the organisations
• 86% of people skip through television adverts
• 84% of 25-34 year olds have clicked out of a website because of an “irrelevant or intrusive ad”
• The cost of outbound marketing is more than for inbound marketing

With the development of technology, many businesses have the opportunity to use inbound marketing strategies – which previously may not have been an option. For those of you who still use outbound marketing strategies, here are a few tips that can assist you with the switch.

1. Write a blog: Blogging is a great way to create valuable content for your readers. You need to address and discuss current topics, or answer questions that are being asked by your target audience in your field of expertise. By doing so,  you will gain the respect of your audience and readers will value your organisation, especially as they aren’t receiving any unwanted outbound marketing. In addition, blogging can impact positively upon your Search Engine Optimisation strategy (SEO).  The more blog posts you have, the more opportunities you have to create inbound links from other sites and social networks back to your blog/site.
2. Host Webinars: Webinars are another great way of providing value to your customers. They’re convenient for you and for the customer, as it means that they can listen without having to leave home or the work place. You just need to consider what to discuss – it should be something that hasn’t been previously overdone as otherwise no one will tune in –  and the last thing you want is a lot of effort gone into something with no return. Most webinars require a booking confirmation, and so therefore you can monitor how many people will be listening.
3. Social Media: Social media can be linked in to the above and plays such an important role of inbound marketing. Once you have written blogs, or decided to host a webinar, you can promote them via social media. The people receiving the content are actually interested in it and have chosen to read your blog or listen to your webinar, rather than be abruptly cold called by someone! There are many social media channels, but the most used ones are Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. All 3 have a different audience so it is important to get an account for them all. If you are not familiar with these communication methods, I would recommend to tune in, listen and observe how it works before making any rash decisions – you need to feel comfortable with what you’re doing and make sure you’re using the channels that your target audience is most susceptible to use. For more detail on social media, you can access our blog post on “Top Tips on Social Media for Business” that goes into further detail on how to create a succesful social media profile.

I certainly believe that inbound marketing is the new way forward. For centuries, small businesses have known that listening to their clients, treating them with respect and taking their feedback on board was a ‘must’. However with the rise of large ‘corporations’ over the years and increased marketing competition, those notions were slowly lost in the marketing mix. It is nice but equally necessary to see them coming back as social media work their way through any marketing strategy.

Stop ‘shouting’; learn to ‘whisper’ in the right ears.

Whilst visiting the International Technology Show, I came across, what I believe to be some interesting and unique gadgets. There were numerous stands, with information on their products, varying from fun toys, complex computer games and your day-to-day essential products.

I could talk about the mainstream products that were at the Technology Show, but the chances are, you already know about them, so I would like to discuss 3 of the most unique products, which I feel could make a bigger impact on the market in the future.

1. Mobile Phone Watches by Vivifi

The first gadget that stood out for me was the mobile phone watch, from Vivifi. They are a UK based company, established in 2008. Mobile phone watches aren’t something I’ve come across before, so I found it quite fascinating. The two main watches that Vivifi offer are the Titan and the Eclipse.

These mobile phone watches don’t look like phones at all, which is why they’re interesting gadgets to me. Both the Titan and the Eclipse have similar characteristics, offering Bluetooth, touch screen, internet, a camera, multimedia: including an mp3 player, SMS/MMS and Quad Band – meaning that it will work in almost any destination in the world and they are also unlocked, so are suitable for any sim (except for those on the network 3), pretty handy when going abroad.

These mobile phone watches can be used in numerous ways, either by putting it to your ear like a normal phone, by using the included Bluetooth headset, or by using the on-board loud speaker.

There isn’t much of a difference between these two mobile phone watches except for the design. The Eclipse is considered to have a more fashionable style which is why it is slightly more expensive, priced at £249.99 rather than £239.99. However,  in my opinion, they both look fashionable.

I believe that these watches could become more of a trend in the future – especially for those on the go and those who regularly exercise. Vivifi are still new to the market and their unique products are still developing, and so the most interesting aspect about these products is what the future holds for them, is there a place for them?

2. The Powerbank 8000 by Sandberg

The PowerBank 8000, by Sandberg, is a portable battery, which can transfer power to other electronic devices on the go. For people who are always moving, it’s a really useful invention as it can conveniently fit in your bag – this is why it interested me, as my mobile phone always loses battery! This gadget can charge an iPad twice and a mobile phone 9 times before needing to be charged up itself, moreover it can also charge two devices at the same time. Pretty impressive. This is priced at £75.99 – I believe this is a good price for those who are constantly forgetting to charge their phones and other electronic devices or simply for those of us who travel a lot and are always between flights. For those of you who think the PowerBank 8000 is a little too big, or too expensive, Sandberg offers a smaller version, the PowerBank 3000. This has the same features, but is a little smaller and doesn’t have such a long battery life, priced at £43.99.

3. The All in One PC by Wonhe

Wonhe is an organisation that I had never heard of before. They are based in China and the majority of their market is over there. They attended the International Technology Show of London with a number of very professional representatives, glossy brochures and products, such as smartphones, a portable pad and a home multi media centre, that looked pretty close to HTC and Apple items in terms of design. Below shows a comparison between the HTC Radar and the Wonhe W700.

One product in particular that I believe has a lot to offer is their All in One PC. This piece of technology offers 3D TV Play, a multi-media centre, HD video hardware decoding, home theatre, game functions and HD digital TV. They are claimed to be energy efficient, easy to transport, easy to operate and suitable for the home. The price for an All in One PC hasn’t been stated on the company website, but I’m sure a price can be given by contacting Wonhe.

The UK technology market hasn’t seen much from Wonhe, so it will be interesting to see if any of their products take off in the future, as the Chinese market has already welcomed their products with open arms.