For the slightly curious entrepreneur, it is impossible to ignore the frenzy surrounding content marketing. And what if it was all a bluff? What if content marketing was the new rainbow unicorn of the communication world?
Dear readers, at the risk of disappointing you, the effectiveness of content marketing has been proven. Less expensive than its outbound equivalent, it has quickly won the hearts of those who have given it a chance.
Don't be fooled: a well-executed inbound marketing campaign will always be cheaper than advertising, be it traditional or online. And why is that? The answer is threefold.
Down with advertising!
In 1984, the average internet user was exposed to about 2,000 ads a day. Today, only 5,000 advertisements are shown on their screen every day. So what is happening? Are Internet users gradually turning away from screens? Have advertisers slowed down the frequency of their ads? No, they haven't.
Blocker. From. Ads. Three words used to describe a small piece of software that has given business leaders the cold shoulder. According to a research report released by PageFair in 2017, 615 million devices are now equipped with anti-adware software.
In Canada, 24% of the population has chosen to stop watching ads. In Switzerland, Germany and Poland, the figure is 27%, 29% and 33% respectively.
When you invest in a search engine campaign or display advertising, this segment of the population automatically becomes unreachable. They may use your carefully selected keywords, but they will never come face to face with your products.
Financially, this partial invisibility is a financial drain. To think that with content marketing, you could have reached them all without spending a cent...
Inbound marketing vs. SEA: who will win the crown?
You've probably already done a search on a search engine. At the top of the organic results, there are always 2 or 3 URLs highlighted by advertising. How many times have you clicked on them?
If you have been honest, the answer to the previous question is not smiling... Don't beat yourself up. You are far from alone.
Despite their discreet appearance, these sponsored links are not favoured by Internet users. In fact, an analysis conducted by Kapost in collaboration with Eloqua has shown that, when compared to SEA, content marketing generates three times more leads per euro spent.
While paid advertising requires a permanent cash flow, content marketing weaves its web over time. Before they realise it, the prospect is caught in its web.
An unbeatable performance/expense ratio
Although it is well known, it is important to repeat it once again: content marketing generates three times more leads than outbound marketing while costing 62 times less.
Every year, critics of Demand Metric, the agency that published these figures, try to discredit this statistic. And every year they have no choice but to bend over backwards.
But beware... This doesn't mean you'll publish a few articles or upload a video and get the glory. Depending on your budget, the channels you use and the tactics you employ, your sales will go up and down. However, one thing is certain: inbound marketing was, is and will remain cheaper than traditional advertising.