Remember the pushmi-pullyu from the Doctor Dolittle books? It was an antelope with a head at each end, and try as it might it couldn’t get anywhere unless both ends cooperated.

via softwarefreedom.org

Marketing has become a bit like the pushmi-pullyu. Consumers now have control over how and when they interact with marketers. Thanks to everything from caller ID to Tivo, marketers can’t force consumers to pay attention. They need cooperation from consumers if they want to be effective. It isn’t enough to “push” messaging at consumers. They need to get consumers to “pull.”

Marketing that is oriented toward the “pull” is called “Inbound Marketing.” The HubSpot marketing blog defines it as “marketing focused on getting found by customers [instead of] finding customers.” People who are looking for you are likely to be more interested and motivated than people you go looking for, and can become part of a community, not just a customer base. That’s valuable, because engaged customers are your most influential customers.

In some ways, inbound marketing is similar to conventional marketing. You still need content, targeting and a distribution channel. However, since you are trying to “get found” your targeting will be based on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and since you are trying to develop relationships, your distribution channels will consist largely of social media sites. In other words, according to HubSpot,

“Instead of interrupting people with television ads, [inbound marketers] create videos that potential customers want to see. Instead of buying display ads in print publications, they create their own blog that people subscribe to and look forward to reading. Instead of cold calling, they create useful content and tools so that people call them looking for more information.”

Who is using inbound marketing? As you might imagine, some of the biggest bets have been placed by the biggest companies. Perhaps the best-known inbound campaign is Best Buy’s “twelpforce” program, which empowers employees to respond to customer posts to the company’s twitter feed. Best Buy is hoping to engage customers by “answer[ing] product questions, troubleshoot[ing] technology challenges and solv[ing] customer service issues.” The program launched this summer and has been supported by a large promotional effort including national TV spots.

What about a business like yours? Is there a place for inbound in your marketing mix? Sure – just bear in mind that inbound marketing requires a commitment: as John McTigue points out in the Kuno Creative blog, inbound isn’t a “fire and forget” strategy and it isn’t free. On the other hand, it’s practical and measurable, and easy to adjust on the fly.

Is inbound marketing just the latest fad? We don’t think so. In a world where consumers can and will punish marketers for unwelcome or useless messages, obtaining permission and providing value – the essence of inbound – are the keys to effective marketing. Like the pushmi-pullyu, inbound marketing may be a strange-looking beast, but it is turning into a vital part of any successful marketing program. And that’s no myth.

Thinking about giving inbound marketing a try? Already out there with an inbound strategy? How has it worked for you?