How the Inbound Project will Rock Your World
The term “inbound marketing” was coined in 2005, and in less than a decade has become nothing short of revolutionary. It has overhauled the marketing operations of major enterprise corporations, and given a fresh voice to small and medium businesses across the country.
“It’s no longer about pitching the Today Show. It’s about creating content that will attract the Today Show.” – David Meerman Scott (@dmscott)
“If you have more money than brains, you should focus on outbound marketing. If you have more brains than money, you should focus on inbound marketing.” – Guy Kawasaki (@GuyKawasaki)
Early adopters have paved the way for the marketing masses to jump on board. Inbound marketing isn’t reserved to one industry or niche, marketing outlet or budget, corporation type or size.
- 58% of companies engage in inbound marketing
- 65% of B2B companies, and 45% of B2C companies use inbound marketing
- Most marketing teams will double in 2014, with enterprise corporations expecting to hire an average of almost 20 new, full-time marketers
But inbound is more than a marketing trend, so while it’s approaching a new zenith of acceptance and adoption, there is no bell-curve decline on the horizon. Inbound is simply best practice, and it always will be, because it always has been.
“Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.” – Walt Disney
“The audience is the best judge of anything. They cannot be lied to. Truth brings them closer. A moment that lags – they’re gonna cough.” – Barbara Streisand
While some of the very basic principles of inbound are tried and true, practicing inbound requires a serious mindset shift for marketers. Do you know how to build trust with new buyers? Does your marketing team know how to develop a content strategy that establishes your brand as a thought leader in its field? Inbound marketing is the new reality, so taking the time to dig in and rethink communications will make or break organizations in the new marketplace.
Introducing the Inbound Project
It almost feels like cheating to have two amazing introductions to make in one day. Our whole team is excited to unveil Profound Strategy today, and part of our enthusiasm is about finally launching the Inbound Project. This project is a strategic, high-level journey that explores why inbound marketing is so critical to effectively connecting with customers in today’s market. It will span a number outlets, find expression in a number of different forms, and ultimately become a huge resource for anyone in marketing – from the enterprise-level head of marketing, to the startup owner bootstrapping his new idea. We’ve gathered the best information and insight from marketing experts, and created some pretty killer assets (if I do say so myself). Take a look at some of the pros who have lent their experience and expertise to the project.
- Ann Handley (@MarketingProfs), MarketingProfs
- Joe Pulizzi, (@JoePulizzi), Content Marketing Institute
- Rand Fishkin (@RandFish), Moz
- Jason Miller (@JasonMillerCA), LinkedIn
- Jason Falls (@JasonFalls), Social Media Examiner
- Ross Quintana (@Ross_Quintana), Social Magnets
- Ian Brodie (@IanBrodie)
- Stephanie Miller (@StephanieSAM), Direct Marketing Association
- Dana Todd (@danatodd)
- Kent Huffman, (@KentHuffman)
- Paul May (@PaulMay), BuzzStream
- Christina Latimer (@PDiscoveryUK), People Discovery
- C.C. Chapman (@CC_Chapman)
- Phil Gerbyshak (@PhilGerb)
- Sam Mallikarjunan (@Mallikarjunan), Inbound Commerce
- Eric Tung (@EricTTung)
- Matt Heinz (@HeinzMarketing), Heinz Marketing
- Brian Kardon (@BKardon), Lattice
- Chad Pollitt (@ChadPollitt), Relevance
- Jonathan Block, (@JBlock)
- Dana Todd (@DanaTodd)
- Jason Keath (@SocialFresh), Social Fresh
The collective wisdom in this list, and the presence of some of our personal inbound heros, is pretty exciting. They talked with us about the marketing realities of inbound, as well as about how inbound marketing best attracts, connects, communicates with, and converts clients.
What to Expect from the Inbound Project
You won’t want to miss any of this, so here’s the plan:
Weekly Inbound Resources
We have five resources packed full of inbound marketing gold, that will be available every Monday for the next five weeks. This week’s resource, Marketing Reality, discusses some fundamental shifts in the new marketplace, and how inbound marketing addresses and solves all of them. The next four resources will break down different stages of the new sales process that uses inbound philosophies to turn strangers and visitors into customers and promoters.
Daily Influencer Features
Each resource features four or five of the biggest names in marketing today, so this space will feature one of the influencers from the latest resource every day. Recognize some names? Check in to get the latest from the leaders you respect. See some unfamiliar ones? Start every day – for over a month – meeting new marketing experts who can help you up your game.
The Inbound Project Page
The Inbound Project page will collect all this good stuff, and grow into a formidable inbound resource. Set up your bookmarks and links now so you can say you knew it was it was small!
We Hope You’ll Join Us!
One of the best aspects of inbound marketing is the way it levels the playing field and creates dialogue. We, of course, hope that you will like, post, share, and tweet any and every part of the Inbound Project that you find valuable, but we also hope you’ll add your voice to the dialogue. Use the hashtag #inboundpro on your social networks to ask questions, share ideas, give feedback, and lend your unique insight and experience to the project! Inbound marketing is poised to become the new marketing norm, and it needs to be. We’re looking forward to sharing some of our resources, and taking this journey together. What to do next? Dive into the Inbound Project, share it, and grab your copy of the ebook, Marketing Reality.
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