Inbound and Outbound Marketing: An Infographic

  

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Information graphics or infographics may be used interchangeably with data visualization, information design, and editorial graphic.  All of them, however, have the same basic ingredients such as data, information or knowledge.  In other words, infographic is the visual representation of any, or a combination of two or all of those ingredients.  Its basic function is to inform or communicate.

Early humans have created the first infographics like carvings and paintings found in caves. Today, people from all walks of life (scientists, teachers, engineers, others) are using infographics to disseminate information or to communicate to their target audience.    

In the business world, infographics have been used by marketers to get customers.  These are in the form of print ads on the pages of newspapers, print flyers and brochures, outdoor ads (billboards), tv spots, etc. – also known as “Outbound marketing”.

But when the internet revolutionized the marketing landscape, consumers no longer relied on outbound marketing channels to seek information on the products they wanted to buy. 78% of today’s internet users turned their attention to the web to conduct product research online.  Social media, due to its two-way communication capability, became the forum for information exchange.

As social media became the top source of information sharing, the use of infographics is also shifting from outbound to inbound marketing.   As they are not only effective but cost-efficient as well.  Here is an example of infographics about inbound and outbound marketing designed by Voltier Digital.

According to HubSpot's 2012 Report on Inbound Marketing Practices and Trends, "Inbound Marketing Channels continue to grow importance. Not only are customer acquisition trends shifting toward inbound methods, but marketers are also becoming more aware of the advantages of inbound marketing". In the same Hubspot's report, 89% of the companies who responded to their survey said they are either going to maintain or increase their inbound budget for reasons of "past success with inbound marketing." 

Evidently, businesses are racing toward shifting to inbound marketing. Some are more aggressive and surely will outsmart the others.  For the marketers and business owners, the earlier you get into the bandwagon of inbound marketing, the more likely you get the most its benefits.