Inbound Marketing in 2020
“Inbound marketing in 2020 should be about what’s it’s always been, providing value.”
We're just shy of the second quarter of 2020, with fear of the unknown affecting countless people worldwide. Our health, safety, sanity, and family values are tested. Businesses are releasing statements of being crippled while their owners are expressing sentiments of a loss of spirit. Whilst the struggles we are and will continue to be faced with are potentially damaging, inbound marketing doesn't need to change. In fact, it's one of the few things that shouldn't.
There's a story behind why we've comfortably adopted the term inbound marketing in our own copywriting. The reason being, it takes into account all aspects of digital marketing with the key difference (between digital marketing itself, that is) being that your website is the central hub for all marketing (and in many cases) business operations. How this is relevant is simple. As a publisher, you have the ability to control your message. The story is yours and what you do with it can change lives; it's up to you whether it will be for the better.
Right now isn't the time for selfish acts of material gain. It's a time to share (and appreciate what is shared with you). From a capitalist perspective, it might seem counter-productive to give when scarcity is imminent. But is it? Monumental shifts will be made to help us adapt. Wealth will be redistributed within companies as much as between them. Contributions will be made that influence the greater good.
However, inbound marketing in 2020 should be about what it's always been, providing value. It's a necessary constant that will bring much-needed order to chaos. When the right individuals & entities are either approached by or introduced to websites (and the products & services behind them) corresponding to their needs, it's more than a match — it's essential.
Customers will reciprocate, if not monetarily, with an exchange. In B2B especially, partnerships will be formed that weren't previously considered. The greater the amount of value offered as a result of your inbound marketing efforts, the more will be returned. We just need to ensure that we're open to alternate methods of compensation (at least until markets stabilize), and, more importantly, that we too give what we can.