Nailing down your positioning from the beginning makes everything else easier. This is crucial in marketing, because you can't be everything to everyone, but you can be something great for someone, and for that you not only have to know your product/service, you have to know who you are trying to reach.
When it comes to finding gift ideas, social media now rivals word-of-mouth and store advertising as a source of inspiration for shoppers, according to a new survey of 1,035 U.S. adults from Research Now’s consumer panel conducted by ConsumerSearch.com, part of The About Group, from October 8-12.
The ConsumerSearch.com survey found that 65% of respondents said they rely on word-of-mouth to come up with gift ideas, while 64% said they consider advertisements, emails, and retailer Web sites. That compares to 62% who said they turn to social media, including user reviews and online wish lists, as well as a variety of content on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Online reviews were far and away the most popular source of gift ideas, consulted by 41% of the U.S. adult online population.
Overall, in terms of their preferred method for finding gifts, 37% of respondents said they conduct online and offline research equally, while 24% said they prefer to research and shop online, and 17% said they prefer to research and shop in stores.
Carey Rossi, editor-in-chief of ConsumerSearch.com, noted: “Retailers have begun using social media more to reach shoppers with deals and information and we can expect this trend become even more popular over the next few years.”
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Thanks to the Internet, marketing has evolved over the years. Consumers no longer rely on billboards and TV spots — a.k.a. outbound marketing — to learn about new products, because the web has empowered them. It's given them alternative methods for finding, buying and researching brands and products. The new marketing communication — inbound marketing — has become a two-way dialogue, much of which is facilitated by social media.
Another reason why inbound marketing is winning is because it costs less than traditional marketing. Why try to buy your way in when consumers aren't even paying attention? Here are some stats from the infographic below.
44% of direct mail is never opened. That's a waste of time, postage and paper.
86% of people skip through television commercials.
84% of 25 to 34 year olds have clicked out of a website because of an "irrelevant or intrusive ad."
The cost per lead in outbound marketing is more than for inbound marketing.
Inbound marketing focuses on earning, not buying, a person's attention, which is done through social media and engaging content, such as blogs, podcasts and white papers. This content is interesting, informative and adds value, creating a positive connection in the eyes of the consumer, thus making him more likely to engage your brand and buy the product. So it costs less and has better a ROI.
Read more at: http://mashable.com/2011/10/30/inbound-outbound-marketing/
