Inbound Marketing: Give Me FREE Stuff Plus Your Secrets?

Apr 22

posted by Dr. James Barry in Social Media | 24 Comments

Did you ever imagine a world without cold calling or interrupting ads? How about one where marketers share secrets for free? That's where we are heading with social media and inbound marketing. Do you buy this?

Inbound marketing implies that our blogs, webinars and eBooks do the talking. Arguably, we can even post and tweet our way to a sale. In the process, we share valuable advice in order to build trust that is worthy of an invite. This makes sense given our aversion to pushy advertising. But why would marketers spend for us to download their FREE content only to wait for an invite?

Get Your Audience to Know, Like and Trust You

When marketed correctly, useful content can leave a trail of expertise backed by a likable persona. If delivered free, we can even be credited with acts of benevolence. What? Mother Teresa and marketing in the same mix? Yes, if you think of benevolence as blogging about solutions to your target's pain points but without wanting something in return.

Now imagine doing this with ads and cold calls. Where is the trail of expertise and trustworthiness? Let's face it. Today's consumers hold little trust in our promises and will demand a trail of trustworthy advice. What's more, they have the power to ignore unwanted emails and unidentified calls while fast forwarding through commercials. Instead, they conduct their own online evaluations and consult with social networking friends on who to invite to the cocktail party.

Show All of Your Cards for Free

So why not join them? And don't forget to bring a dish. You can start with a free blog that fits the conversation. Then reveal your secrets on how to help them. Before you know it, others will join the conversation. Some may even think you know what you are talking about. Finally, lighten up the dialog and even tell a story. Drop the PR and legal speak, and sound like a human. Better yet, say something funny. Who knows – they may grow to like you.

The same applies to inbound marketing just without the cocktails.

Wait for the Invite

So let's get this straight. We are asked to:

1. Share competitive secrets

2. Provide free content

3. Entertain if we cannot educate

4. Wait for an invite

Is Inbound Marketing Really Here to Stay?

With over a billion on social networks, consumers choose who to hear and who to ignore. But do we really expect to become blogging journalists and comedians to gain their favor? What happened to professionalism and timely savings broadcasted on your favorite channels? I would like to know what you think.

Is inbound marketing:

1. Here to stay for most businesses?

2. A mainstay for some businesses?

3. Likely to fade away?

James Barry, D.B.A. is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Nova Southeastern University. He develops, teaches and consults on a variety of social media marketing subjects. He can be reached at jimbarry@huizenga.nova.edu or 954-262-5134. More About the Contributor

This entry was posted on April 22, 2013 at 9:02 AM and has received 4978 views. There are currently 24 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

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• #1 by Andrew Ruiz on 4/23/13 - 1:02 PM

  

  Inbound marketing is here to stay, at least for most businesses. Throughout the last few years power has been gradually shifting from massive corporations to the end consumer. Technology has expanded great knowledge, and with it power, to the masses. Clarity and openness are key. Corporations can no longer hide behind a veil of obscurity, a shroud which relied on their traditional marketing to get their brand message out. People can find out virtually anything, from anywhere, and then share their opinions with friends, networks, and even the world. The reason that inbound marketing is now a mainstay is that in order for the seller to stand out, the seller must be liked and perceived as a helper, a consultant, even a friend. Trust is the new currency, and it can be gained through benevolent actions. These acts will then be the catalyst of a well-deserved and hard-earned reputation. So if the seller can educate, entertain, and provide remarkable value in a noble and unselfish manner, the prospective client is apt to start liking the seller. And If like is established, then the relationship and subsequent reciprocity may be set in motion. Even if the decision is not to buy, she or he might just tell a friend about you. The cycle begins.

• #2 by Jim Barry on 4/23/13 - 2:42 PM

  

  Andrew, I often believe your mention of likeability is the reason that inbound marketing can be a mainstay. There is a lot of research that suggests buyers actually credit suppliers with relationship benefits. This, in turn, leads to more trust as the buyer sees a friend with shared values. This sounds like old fashioned relationship marketing. But consider how many people want to share volumes of helpful information through social media with folks they never met. This may suggest we underestimate the power of online friendship. And now that we have all of this donated advice, I find myself tuning out any outbound messages, I'd rather conduct my own research and discover suppliers on my own. Thank you for sharing. JB.

• #3 by Kellie King on 4/26/13 - 7:17 PM

  

  Inbound Marketing is here to stay and that most Multi Nationals are slow to catch on to the trend. They have yet to figure out that sharing competitive secrets is a good thing and will bring more customers through the door, and providing free content is still not fully embraced even though that is what the consumers want.
  In the last two MNC's I have worked in social media sites are banned such as facebook, twitter and pininterest. They do not want their staff out socializing in cyberspace when they are paying them to work. This is a real conflict in todays organizations, therefore they are slow adopters to this change in how we do business.

• #4 by Southwest Heating & Cooling on 5/20/13 - 3:19 AM

  

  Inbound marketing has risen over the years. Sharing the competitive secrets is truly a good thing that would open a wide space for the business and the customers too.

• #5 by Tiffini Redler on 6/1/13 - 12:53 PM

  

  Inbound marketing has proved successful for most businesses that have chosen to embrace it. Consumers are looking for a relationship with brands and that starts with trust. Providing useful content to consumers will help develop this trust and upon making a purchase consumers will choose those businesses they have become familiar with through blogs, facebook posts, etc.

• #6 by Nina Chandler on 6/2/13 - 7:47 AM

  

  I think that Inbound Marketing is a waste of time and should not be trusted. If we are in the same market and we are competing with the same products and services, why should I be concerned about what your business secrets are and if you are willing to share them with me. It's a business and as a business owner I may have secrets of my own, but its for my personal knowledge of my business because I have strived and strategized on several ways to make my business successful. However, as a business owner, I will hold back on my business secrets because if I'm willing to expose my secrets, then it would not be a secret anymore. Furthermore, my competitors will know the basics and the breakdown of my business and how I operate and stay at the top of the market. If that is revealed, then I feel that I am no longer competing unless I create more ways to stay at the top of the market. I will not give my ideas away for free because this is a game about running a business and I will not show all or any of my cards. I will have to leave something to the imagination and keep my competitors guessing and wondering about the operations and success of my business. I know every business should be professional and maybe indulge in timely savings broadcasted on your favorite channels, but I will still broadcast my business on TV, newspapers, blogs, social networking, word of mouth, etc., without exposing my business secrets to my competitors. Therefore, inbound marketing is not an interest of mine as a business owner.

• #7 by Wilhel Kelly-Hoilett on 6/2/13 - 12:19 PM

  

  In an age where more focus is on Social Media, Social Networking and our worlds becoming connected via the internet; Inbound Marketing is here to stay. Consumers will be cautious, so you must develop a level of trust through the information that you are sharing with them and be responsive and timely with feedback. It cannot be random information you are posting, because of technology, consumers are intellectually informed on the types of products and competition in the market. So a company or blogger must be consistent, diligent and benevolent with their knowledge and product before you can expect to reach a sale.
  I don't believe you should give away all your company secrets, just give them enough to keep them coming back for more. Inbound Marketing, does size matter? It does not matter the size of your business, you are in business to make money so use the updated tools that is will make you successful. Inbound Marketing is one of the top marketing tools used today to keep consumers engaged and all companies if not already using such a tool should start.

• #8 by Nurylin Rivera-Weinstein on 6/2/13 - 7:41 PM

  

  Inbound Marketing is here to stay. A good relationship with consumers is important in order to establish trust. Consumers can consult with friends, relatives and social media in order to obtain information, therefore, be honest with them could bring trust.

• #9 by Augusto Gallardo on 6/3/13 - 12:57 AM

  

  Nina, it isn't only about your competitors and if you keep secrets or not in your business, it is everything towards the customer relationship and trust and how you deliver that superior customer value, it is true that you are competing with the same products and services, but somehow you need to manage a way to attract new potential customers, this is what the essence of the inbound marketing is about.

• #10 by Deinys Martinez on 6/3/13 - 10:47 AM

  

  I would argue that Nina Chandler (comment #6) has one very good point when she states “why should I be concerned about what your business secrets are and if you are willing to share them with me. It's a business and as a business owner I may have secrets of my own, but it’s for my personal knowledge of my business because I have strived and strategized on several ways to make my business successful”. To me this very true in the sense that people are proud to develop a business with their own sweat and sacrifice and certainly this is what makes a business unique because not every business owner operates the same way. I see this argument in similarity to trademarks and patents for innovations; since the business owner is the creator of an idea or practice therefore; they should not share with anyone that they are not willing to do so. Business practices are exclusive to each business and that is what makes them differentiate themselves from the competition. On the other hand, I can disagree with Nina when she states “I think that Inbound Marketing is a waste of time and should not be trusted” because there are certain aspects of inbound marketing that can be extremely beneficial to your company’s success. By blogging, podcasting, networking etc. a company can obtain great feedback from many parties and implement on weak points or perhaps take opinions on wherever they thinks is needed. Moreover, a business can obtain great exposure to future clients and develop great relationships. Can it be trusted? Good question in my opinion but public information is available to everyone and from personal experiences when writing reviews for hotels, restaurants and more I try to be as honest as possible.

• #11 by Cody Nelson on 6/3/13 - 6:16 PM

  

  I think that inbound marketing is a successful strategy, but maybe it isn’t for everyone. If you have trade secrets that just should not be told like your secret sauce recipe then, by all means don’t share it. But in terms of sharing what you do as a business, there is value in educating people on what it is that you do. Take for example beer brewers; most beer recipes are available for anyone to try and everyone if trying to make beer, however, it takes a special mix to get it just right. I think that this is what it takes for a business to be successful. You can share the recipe all you want, but it does not mean that everyone will get it right.

• #12 by Samar Akbarian on 6/3/13 - 10:46 PM

  

  It seems that inbound marketing helps the companies that ebook, webinars do the talking for them. The social net works and media also plays important role in inbound marketing.

• #13 by Abbe Sandler on 6/5/13 - 11:58 AM

  

  In response to Nina’s Comment #6:
  
  Inbound marketing allows business owners to share information with the world, and in turn, it has the potential to turn complete strangers into potential customers. Transparency is key in today’s modern market and the outreach for generating new customers is far greater online. People respect business owner’s that have shared their secrets for success and have inspired other individuals to work towards their dreams.
  
  Customers perform their own research easily online before buying a product or service, so if your company is not keeping up with competitors then they will most likely loose out. I do agree with Cody’s Comment #1 that if it is your “secret sauce” you do not want to share, then it is safe to keep that secret, however, it is unrealistic to think that your company has hundreds of trade secrets that someone else is not going to find online or figure out on their own.
  
  The benefits from sharing information and creating content outweigh the risks of someone reading it and stealing your entire business. When companies keep things “secret” it often makes them untrustworthy. Inbound marketing is not for everyone, however, those that invest time in learning the best methods for attracting their target customers, and creating content specifically designed to appeal to those customers, will not regret joining in on the conversation.

• #14 by Daniela on 6/5/13 - 10:56 PM

  

  Dear #6,
  
  I find it interesting that given this day and age you claim that Inbound Marketing is a waste of time. As you may be aware, part of the business secret given away by many (and proven to be successful) is the concept of Inbound Marketing, rather than cold sales calls and promotions on the mail. The Secret lies in not giving away everything you know, but in order for your customers (not your competition) to get to know you and trust you, they must have gotten to interact with you on several occasions. If you spend any time online in social media sites, you would've noticed that people share everything from reviews (yelp, trip advisor) to blogs and videos on the most popular social media site: Facebook. Therefore, you will not be playing with the Big Boys if you are not even in the same play ground.
  
  My suggestion is to give away what you consider a non-crucial secret, be selfless and help others in order to gain the trust that is needed in order for people to put their money where your mouth is.

• #15 by H on 6/5/13 - 11:15 PM

  

  In response to Nina's post (#6), inbound marketing does not necessary require a company to reveal competitive secrets. A company can reveal “secrets” that are simply informative to customers, but hold no real advantage to competitors. For example, Coca Cola may reveal in June that it’s releasing a new beverage over the summer. This “secret” gives Pepsi no major advantage, as it would not have enough time to develop and bring-to-market a competitive product to go up against Coca Cola’s summer release. It appears you have taken a “secret” to mean a literal secret that should never be revealed. For example, Coca Cola would never reveal the secret of its beverage recipes. Inbound marketing is all about giving out information that creates a trust and loyalty with your company.

• #16 by Liz Godinez on 6/6/13 - 2:55 PM

  

  I can see Nina’s point in sharing her secrets, however I cannot agree with her. I believe inbound marketing is imperative to the success of a company. Sharing information and free content to potential customers does not harm the company. In this day and age many customers and companies gather their information from online media sites and blogs. Companies need to make sure they are present on online media to continue to keep their company relevant. Providing free information keep prospective engaged in your products and services and helps develop trusting relationship that can potentially lead to a sale. I am a believer in inbound marketing and I feel it is important for a company to do. Each company has secrets to their trade, but you cannot hold back from obtaining more customers because of fear that a competitor will copy you.

• #17 by Stephanie Pagan on 6/6/13 - 9:14 PM

  

  In response to comment #6, I actually think this comes from a very old school mentality. The reality is that inbound marketing is here to stay – and those that play the game the best, win. Inbound marketing is a way to drive the conversation with your prospects and customers in an effort to keep them engage and drive business. It is not necessarily a form of divulging business secrets. It is a concerted attempt by brands to earn the attention of their customers, with the ultimate aim of attracting more people to brand websites. Inbound marketing should be thought as a holistic approach that should be adopted by marketers as part of a shift in focus. We are in an information-driven era, and customers are looking to do business with the companies that can provide them with the answers they need. They are also looking to build relationships and trust in those they do business with. This cannot be accomplished by running marketing solely through traditional mediums. This doesn’t generate the buzz needed to reach a wide audience and let’s face it – customers are becoming better and better at ignoring and even opting out of these outbound marketing tactics, aka interruptions.
  
     As traditional marketing channels lose their popularity, the need to develop an innovative content strategy is more important than ever. Companies have to deliver the right selection of information/content to their target audience in order to keep them engaged. Inbound marketing is focused on building a relationship with your customer rather than selling to them to earn their business. It is not about giving away business secrets. Instead, it is about establishing your company as a leader in its industry, an expert source of information, and a trusted advocate to the consumer. This in turn drives the business back to you.

• #18 by Joe Gerbino on 6/6/13 - 9:44 PM

  

  In response to post #6, all I can say is "huh?" What does exposing secrets have to do with inbound marketing? We're clearly not dealing with a marketing mind here...or maybe not dealing with a much of a mind at all. Inbound marketing is about consumer engagement. Sharing content that is socially and culturally relevant to your target so they gravitate and engage with your brand. And while the most effective calls to action involve sharing added value content and thought leadership and a particular subject, that doesn't amount to disclosing business secrets. With inbound marketing your engaging people who have approached your brand because they have an interest and are vested in some way in your brand. Hence the "Inbound" in the term inbound marketing. To suggest one would share secrets or that those engaging with you via inbound marketing are their to gain secrets about your company makes no sense whatsoever.

• #19 by Fouzia G on 6/6/13 - 10:59 PM

  

  Inbound Marketing is not something that everyone feels is necessary, but it is something that is popular. I think Nina (#6) made some great points about worrying about you. It is important to stay on top of the market and continue to compete effectively. On the other hand, people use Inbound Marketing to engage consumers and to create conversation with potential consumers. You don’t always have to give secrets away that may harm your business in the long run. Sometimes by engaging consumers with just enough information to keep them guessing will allow for a greater response. People want information, so keep them informed. The important part of this is to remember how important “free advice” is in the consumers eyes.

• #20 by Michael Tatak on 6/9/13 - 2:25 PM

  

  Without getting too personal here, Nina, I have to tell you kind of flatly that you’re looking at inbound marketing in all the wrong ways. From your perspective, you see inbound marketing as a means by which you publically get to know the customer through the publication of your trade secrets, and thus you may lose whatever competitive advantage you’ve carved out for yourself in your industry. Well, while I can understand your reticent attitude towards simply “giving up the goods” and sharing your business competencies in an open forum for any and all to see, I think you are missing the big picture here. The point of inbound marketing is to use all your available tools to bring customers in to you, to create a dialogue with them, to begin a discussion, to create a foundation, to develop their trust, and to do so without invading their space or pushing them to the limits of what normal outbound marketing strategies typically involve. The thought being that once you have instituted this “conversation” that you can now begin the journey down the sales funnel with them and hopefully escort them to a buying decision which they feel comfortable with, and which because of the nature of the relationship already developed during the “conversation”, will bring them back for repeat purchases multiple times into the future. Sure you have to put yourself out there, and yes you have to discuss what your product brings to the table, but frankly speaking, unless you’re talking about serious technology, or some kind of advanced weapons system, odds are your competitors already know exactly what you have and exactly how you’re doing it. What makes it unique and special is the manner which you do it in, and the intricacies on the business side (which it is beyond doubtful that they will ever come up during the “conversations” in the sales funnel) which make you successful. At the very end of the day, competition begets better business, Nina and moreover, the best companies in the world hold their products out, not in fear of the competition, but rather as a barometer for the competition to measure up to. Of course, this subsumes that you must continually improve your products and processes to protect your competitive advantage into the future, but I’m sure you already knew that. Well, if you did, you shouldn’t be so worried about putting yourself, and your business out there. In my opinion, inbound marketing is the way of the future, and those who resist the change are going to be left behind to die.

• #21 by jim barry on 6/11/13 - 3:05 PM

  

  I am a firm believer in inbound marketing as a consumer. The more I am exposed to FREE content, the more I expect it. i.e., those with special offers to save the day go into my Junk Box. But more importantly, as inbound marketing takes off, traditional techniques begin to stand out in my mind as "uncooperative" and even "lazy." I feel like these folks are short-cutting the trust process.
  
  Regarding the secrets divulged under inbound marketing, I believe it's a sacrifice worth taking. Just consider how Marcus Sheridan went from "near bankruptcy" to the largest fiber glass pool provider in the US mostly because he was the first to discuss his secrets (e.g., price, problems in installations, etc.).
  
  I have been in many high tech businesses where, in hindsight, I question how valuable our secrets really are in the marketplace. The internet divulges so much that even the best of business models cannot be kept secret for long.
  
  In the end, I believe the choice of inbound vs. traditional has more to do with the time we are willing to commit to blogging, webinars, social networking, etc. But as the content marketing tools get increasingly simplified, I believe this effort winds down to what we should be doing anyway. For example, some eBooks I am about to release forced me to do the necessary research required to advise my clients. The same goes with webinars. I was forced to pick up the pace on my Email 2.0 background when asked to release a webinar on the topic. It not only led to more current research, it forced me to communicate more professionally.
  
  Here is my recommendation: This is as good as it gets in marketing. As a practitioner in the field since 1977, I have never found as many angles for competitive advantage as I find today. Creating great and well optimized content, as well as devoting conscious efforts to boost thought leadership, is a lot easier to pull-off than forking out the money to place costly spot TV ads or rolling the dice on cold called proposals. i.e., Enjoy the ride.

• #22 by Donnajean Wellington on 6/19/13 - 11:28 AM

  

  With the emergence of social media, it seems as though inbound marketing is the way of the future. Social media gives companies the chance to not only contact consumers but to interact with them. Companies are beginning to dedicate resources to listening and interacting with consumers in real time. Dell, for example has a "Social Media Command Center" where it has a staff dedicated to monitoring the company's presence on the web. Dell also credits it's Twitter presence for generating more than $6.5 million in revenue. Inbound marketing certainly seems to be a more effective and efficient way to get your message out there. Social Media gives companies the opportunity to engage consumers in conversation in ways that were not possible even a few years ago. Blogging, sharing white papers, establishing and interacting on web forums, give companies the opportunity to inform consumers and invite interaction that can create favorable impressions and generate good will at minimal cost. Inbound marketing is here to stay and will continue to grow as more of the world becomes involved in social media. Inbound marketing is not a fad, it is a part of the new business world does business.

• #23 by Marguerite Inscoe on 4/1/14 - 4:01 PM

  

  I see a considerable number of comments regarding the management of secrets and inbound marketing. I'd like to share my perspective through a post I recently wrote. In my opinion, secrets really don't exist anymore, or at least that is not what people are willing to pay for.
  
  http://relaunchuoff.com/is-knowledge-marketing-a-p...

• #24 by Shane on 8/9/15 - 12:01 AM

  

  Appreciate your valuable piece of advice will definitely beenfit many new comers like me keep us update with more stuffs thanks in advance