Muggles are non-magical people, most of whom are completely unaware of the existence of the wizarding world.
Why would you want to be a muggle if you could be a wizard? Any good wizard knows how to cast more than one spell, and only the best wizards know how to cast the best spells.
In order, to delve deeper in understanding the marketing concepts discussed through Marketo's article, we will continue to discuss the topic with a Harry Potter lens. The article highlights the need to learn better spell casting. Weaker spells (outbound marketing) will be no match for the more advanced spells (inbound marketing) when faced in a head-to-head battle!
Weak Magic...
Outbound marketing is becoming obsolete, though it will never die. Traditional advertising methods can still be used, and are still used. Though, they are becoming less effective compared to newer methods. A large part of factor is that there is just so much noise! So many blinking lights, buttons to press and adds that pop-up without an invitation. Consumers are just tired of it. Especially if those ads interrupt them in the middle of something. Traditional marketing is interruptive, and overtime strategies for silencing many of the interruptions have been put in place. Former pop-up ads are removed by Ad Blockerswhich prevent ads from interrupting your browsing experience. Even television commercials can be avoided. Options range to pre-recording shows, allowing you to fast forward through commercials, to purchasing subscriptions such as Netflix. Many streaming services allow you to avoid the commercial hassle altogether. Clearly, people do not take too kindly to interruptions and will do what they can to avoid them. But imagine if consumers decided to come to you instead on their own accord?
Powerful Magic!
If you want to defeat the dark forces Harry.... you must master powerful magic! If marketing strategies are spells, then what makes a spell powerful? The key is communication.
You go Harry! Catch that key!!!
Thankfully in this instance your key will not be flying away from you. Inbound marketing contains the key. As discussed in some of my previous blogs, organic advertisement is best for optimizing your online presence, and driving not only sales, but customer loyalty. Rather than pushing customers to click on an advertisement such as outbound marketing does, we are pulling viewers in with inbound marketing. Consumers are more powerful than ever! So it will take powerful magic to convince them to give your company any attention. Inbound marketing allows consumers to engage and talk back to the brand. They can send an email, leave a review on a third-party site, like a post or tag their friends, leave a comment on your blog, or even talk directly with the company via chat. All of these are powerful powerful spells. The trick is to create valuable content that attracts visitors with it, and to build a strong customer relationship.
Spells. Those are spells ^^
Ok, now for the real question. What even got me on this Harry Potter kick in the first place? Blame it all on Pottermore. It is a prime example of business-to-consumer marketing (B2C). Pottermore's target audience are those who read/watch Harry Potter, and are already committed fans. Not all B2C companies will have a plethora of already loyal fans, but regardless the same technique is used whether you have a large fan base or not. The trick with B2C is to appeal to emotions, the goal is to connect with costumers on an emotional level. Let me tell ya, they do a good job. Pottermore is an e-commerce site, with blog postings, interactive quizzes, and has plenty of opportunity to purchase books or other Harry Potter themed merchandise. The quizzes allow you to discover exactly where you would fit in if the Wizarding World existed.
For research sake I really only needed to take one of the quizzes to see what Pottermore was about. But the allure was too strong! As a Harry Potter fan... I could not help myself. After I was placed into House Gryffindor, I decided not only to discover what wand I would have, but what my my patronus would be.
I even took the quiz on what school I would attend in the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them (JK. Rollins spin off of the Harry Potter books). I have not seen her new movies or even read her new books, but thanks to the quiz you better believe I will be watching the movie right after I finish this blog posting.
Whereas, B2B marketing targets emotions, Business-to-Business Marketing (B2B) taps into the power of knowledge. A great way to implement this is through Whitepaper. This is different than a blog post or an e-book. It is an informational document, used to persuade businesses to use their product by supplying facts and evidence. The platform HubSpotoffers free courses on inbound marketing. They also provide text videos, and exams. The motive here is that if you understand the importance of inbound marketing, and its effect on ROI (Return on Investment) you will be much more likely to purchase a monthly subscription.
Thanks for the read! If you are even remotely a Harry Potter fan I recommend taking the Pottermore. If you do so feel free post your results in the comment section.