A recent Marketing Sherpa survey found that, when in purchasing mode, 80% of customers felt they had found their supplier rather than their supplier finding them.
Wow! 80%! That seems incredible! But let's just stop for a second. There is a phrase in this sentence that is key. "Customers felt they had found their supplier".
From the customer's perspective feeling like you have done your own research and selected a number of companies to talk to, makes you feel in control of the purchasing decision and process.
Therefore the task of the inbound marketer is to ensure that your company is highly visible in the places where buyers carry out their research. As it turns out these places are shifting and in some cases they are shifting rapidly.
Inbound marketing is, in this sense, "PR 2.0". The difference is that inbound marketing is multimedia and multi channel, thus there are a multitude of mediums the inbound marketer needs to master.
There is one tactic that is non-negotiable. Your website MUST be search engine optimised, it's compulsory. It's that simple, end of story. You must strive mightily to be on page one of any search a prospect might perform.
How one proceeds after that is more complex and depends greatly on your market sector, your own size, resources and budget. A social media strategy of some form is becoming increasingly important. Whether this means establishing a LinkedIn Forum for your area of specialisation or a multifaceted strategy incorporating RSS feeds, Twitter, Facebook, Blogging and so on, will vary greatly.
But how do I know where my customers go to do their purchasing research? Ask them! Good, old fashioned, research. The good news is that this research is increasingly affordable. In fact many new media formats such as blogging and LinkedIn Forums provide excellent ways of creating communities of interest around common issues. Participating in these discussions is an excellent way to keep your finger on the pulse of the market.
I would love to hear your experiences. Do you believe there is a shift in power towards the buyer?