Inbound Marketing Myths and Urban Legends
Posted by John McTigue on Wed, Jan 20, 2010 @ 08:30 AM
Say something clever often enough and it becomes a buzzword. Make people believe it, and your idea becomes a myth or urban legend. People tend to believe myths until they are debunked. Inbound marketing is no stranger to myths. Why? Because it's trendy, it's hot and it's all over the Internet. Everybody's got a spin, and there are way too many how-to's, top-10's and best practices out there. Let's take a breather for a second, review some of the headlines and apply the BS meter to the more common myths and urban legends.
Myth #1 - Create Great Content, and You Will Get Leads
Really? That's it? I think I hear the Aflac duck quacking in the background. Certainly great content beats lousy content, but who's to say which is which? The audience, that's who. And what if you don't have an audience to quack to? Hmmm, oh yeah, there is that. You need a big audience first.
Myth #2 -You Can Be a Thought Leader By Participating in Social Media
Well, maybe, but what kind of participation and with whom? The truth is, leaders are leaders. You can retweet lots of great blogs, but of course, everyone else is doing that. How is that leadership? You can write thought provoking, controversal blogs, but in view of Myth #1, who cares? Thought leaders are recognized for the work that they do, not the amount of stuff they put out there. Thought leaders come up with new ideas and approaches, they don't regurgitate.
Myth #3 - Inbound Marketing is Cheaper Than Outbound Marketing
Really? So all you need is a website, blog and presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Let's see how you do. Truth is, it takes effort and lots of it. We're talking manpower, and not just human grunt cycles. You need creative manpower, leadership, and all that good stuff. Cha-ching! Have you looked at salaries for creative types lately?
Myth #4 -You Can Achieve Positive ROI in a few Months
Wow, that one's pretty strong. Truth is, it can take months just to figure out your brand, come up with great offers that will capture leads and create a compelling website, blogs and landing pages. Once you're there, you still have to deal with Myth #1. If your tree falls in the woods, will anyone hear it? Does anyone give a rats $%^&@ who you are and what you're selling? No, they don't. You have to earn that. Sure there are exceptions, but are you one of them?
I'm just sayin'... What are your myths and urban legends?