I see messages similar to this all the time on the internet for everything from weight loss to getting rich quick, and in some ways, the inbound marketing methodology CAN seem a little “too good to be true.” It can seem easy to blame for the phone not ringing and sagging sales. To be honest, it is a powerful way to inject life into your sales pipeline, but it is far from easy or a “quick” win for any B2B marketer. If you’re willing to be diligent and stay the course, these 5 good things will happen using sound inbound techniques.

It helps you find your positioning.

Most of the B2B clients we speak with have an interesting story to tell. The main problem is, they have heard it so long, even they are bored with it. Inbound marketing forces you to strengthen your story, define your position in the market place, recognize your best prospective and existing customers and replicate your best sales practices at scale. If you cannot find the interesting angle in your business, inbound will never work for you.

It is not an annoyance to your customers.

No one that I know enjoys interruption marketing techniques like junk mail, cold call sales pitches or spammy emails. People just do not trust buying that way anymore and try to avoid dealing with these methods as much as possible. The great majority of B2B buyers are searching for solutions and products on the internet. Getting found organically happens when you offer relevant and helpful content for these customers to find when searching. This gives you the opportunity to be there for a prospective customer when they are ready, at any time from anywhere in the world.

It is trackable and measurable.

Unlike interruption marketing, you can measure, analyze and adjust your inbound strategy based on actual numbers and real data with an inbound marketing dashboard. You can see where the leads are coming in from, which offers get the best results and which messages qualify your leads and close the sale. Plus, the longer you keep it up the better your data and insights become.

It offers you long term results.

Unlike ads or one-shot marketing materials, your inbound B2B content will show up in search for months and years to come. When customers locate these vintage nuggets, they get interested in the content and that generates leads for your business. Your blog posts, ebooks, webinars, reports and virtually every piece of content is a little salesperson working for you 24/7 to bring in prospective customers.

It can complete your marketing strategy.

Inbound is powerful, but it is not the only solution. It can be a strong backbone to better targeted direct mail pointing to online calls-to-action, add another level to your event or tradeshow activity and be a day-to-day bolster to paid search techniques. A mix of smart outbound techniques, with solid inbound methods and marketing common sense will make any B2B program a success.

What are some of the things you find best in the inbound methodology? Share your ideas in the comments below.