The question I get asked by fellow marketers more than any other is: what is inbound marketing? Simply, it’s completely the opposite to the long-established method of broadcast advertising.

Inbound marketing is focused on the idea of being found by people who are looking for you, your product or your service. It mainly consists of intelligent web design, search engine optimisation, social media and conversion strategies with the aim of drawing motivated people to you.

Whereas broadcast advertising is typically focused on trying to influence your buying behaviour and habits by means of commercials on television and radio, printed advertisements in newspapers and magazines and printed directories such as Yellow Pages.

So, rather than forcing yourself onto the poor unsuspecting masses, inbound marketing allows potential customers to find you when THEY are ready. Any time, any place. It delivers motivated, qualified consumers to your door (website) 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.

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Every week, I read and watch lots of business and marketing articles and videos. Most are just good opinions pieces, but every few weeks there is a real corker that I want to share with people.

And this video by Gary Vaynerchuck is a corker. So please enjoy:)

Here’s a blatant promotion on my blog. If you are marketer or CEO who’s organization is struggling to come to terms with the digital revolution. Then, you ought to be interested in our latest news from Sticky Advertising. We’ve dropped the ‘Advertising.’

And, we’ve finally taken the plunge and repositioned the agency as digital with a focus on advanced digital strategies.

Why?  So we can take advantage of a growing need to manage the transition from a mainly offline business and marketing model to a growing digital and social business model. It also means higher profit margins and lower costs compared to advertising’s traditional cash cow of buying media which is now basically a commodity being sold by every Tom, Dick and Mary.

The process of change has been exciting, but at times scary especially for our principal, Craig (Media Hunter) Wilson – it’s his money we are playing with. However, Sticky has quickly scored some big goals by signing up a number of large national accounts. There is talk now of going International.

If you are interested you might want to see our new revamped Sticky and GetSticky sites…

I don’t usually make New Year Resolutions, but for 2010 I’ve decide to conjure up a few resolutions to help me focus on my personal brand and not to get distracted.

And by the time you read this, I will almost surely have reneged on the first two. I hereby resolve…

1. to be kinder to those marketers and business people who just don’t get it. People are real, they have real feelings and always deserve respect (most of the time).

2. to be kinder to those laggards at the Australian Marketing Institute – this one is going to be hard.

3. to be kinder to Craig Wilson(@mediahunter) by making more of an effort to respond to his emails, document all our Inbound Marketing processes and contribute more to our corporate blogs.

4. to be kinder to my clients. I’m not actually cruel and I don’t ignore them, but I can always improve.

5. to be more creative with my blog content by producing and publishing more focused content on digital and marketing strategy. And start using my nice new Flip video.

6. to be ready to challenge all industry sacred cows.

7. to be more conversational by means of exchanging a few extra words.

8. to be more inquisitive of all things digital and marketing.

But occasionally, I’ll still throw a few snowballs from time to time…

What do you think?

I know marketing is a challenging subject for many chief executives. I know boardrooms are full of analytical people struggling to come to terms with emerging marketing trends. I know marketing professionals have a tendency to follow rather than lead.

But despite this, I would like to throw-in a relatively new marketing concept of Inbound Marketing. I can reassure people it isn’t just another crappy made-up term to sell a marketing book. And my GOD, there’s been a load of crappy marketing books lately.

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