Inbound Marketing Myths and Urban Legends - Part Deux

Once upon a time (2010), I wrote a blog post called Inbound Marketing Myths and Urban Legends. In the blog post, I addressed some of the more common misconceptions about inbound marketing and attempted to set their proponents straight—with little success, I'm afraid. Many of those myths are alive and well today, despite all of the great content that has been published to the contrary. So here's my myth-busting update for 2013.

Myth #1 - Create Great Content, and You Will Get Leads

Partly true folks. The real headline should be as follows:

Create High Quality Content Consistently That is Relevant to Your Buyers and Publish it Where They Congregate and You Have a Good Chance of Capturing More Leads.

Keywords: Quality, Consistency, Relevance, Targeting

Myth #2 -You Can Be a Thought Leader By Participating in Social Media

OK, this one's partly true, too. What's really true is the following:

You Can't Become a Thought Leader Online Without Participating in and Contributing To the Most Relevant Online Channels for Your Industry.

Keywords: Participating, Contributing and Relevant Channels

Myth #3 - Inbound Marketing is Cheaper Than Outbound Marketing

OK, alright, this one has some merit, too. Give me a break. That was three years ago! But here's the amended true story about cost:

Inbound Marketing, Because it Creates an Ongoing Investment in Valuable Content, Delivers Residual Income Beyond One-Off Campaigns and Drives Down Cost Per New Customer.

Keywords: Investment, Content, Residual, Cost Per Customer (CAC)

The caveat is that inbound marketing requires a substantial investment in talent—so it ain't cheap. It just pays off better in the long haul.

Myth #4 -You Can Achieve Positive ROI in a few Months

Well, it depends, of course. It is possible to achieve great success quickly. Check out this Case Study if you don't believe me. But here's the deal:

Strategy, Planning and Process are the Keys to Inbound Marketing Success. If You Can Get it Together Quickly, You Can Succeed Quickly. For Most of Us Mortals, It's Going to Take at Least 6-12 Months to Put The Process, Team, Content and Other Pieces Together to Meet or Exceed Business Goals.

Keywords: Strategy, Planning, Process

What are your favorite Myths and Urban Legends about inbound marketing?

Photo credit: MCAD Library

With over 30 years of business and marketing experience, John loves to blog about ideas and trends that challenge inbound marketers and sales and marketing executives. John has a unique way of blending truth with sarcasm and passion with wit. Connect with John via Twitter, LinkedIn or Google Plus.