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You've probably heard a lot about inbound marketing during recent years, but you're still a little confused about what that means...and you're probably thinking, "What's the difference between inbound vs outbound marketing? And why should I care?"

When comparing inbound and outbound marketing, it's important to understand what inbound and outbound marketing are, the different types of tactics used for both and why inbound marketing is more effective.

Inbound marketing is one of the most popular marketing strategies—not only because it’s effective, but also because it’s cost-effective.

The average cost per lead drops by 80% after consistent inbound marketing for more than five months, according to HubSpot. They also state that the return on investment is higher, with an estimated three times more leads for every dollar spent when compared with other forms of traditional marketing.  

What is Inbound Marketing?  

Inbound marketing is a process or technique that uses digital content to draw customers to your products or services. It’s been around as a strategic approach since the 1850s, when Cyrus Hall McCormick generated inbound results by making use of market research.  

Want to know what’s new in inbound marketing or what the hot topics were in 2018? Check out our list of some of the latest and greatest inbound marketing content during the past year in terms of traffic and social sharing.

It is no longer enough to satisfy your customers. You must delight them.- Philip Kotler

I mean. Philip Kotler. Really I could just stop there...but I won't. Because if you're a marketer in any facet, and you don't know the "Father of Modern Marketing Philip Kotler," then I owe it to you to introduce you to him.

There are a number of reasons I love and follow Kotler, so many, in fact, that it's probably just easier to bullet point some of my top highlights for you:

• he was born, lives, got his Master's at and teaches (at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern) in my beloved Chicago-land (best place in the U.S.)
• he has a PhD from MIT and did post-doctoral at Harvard and University of Chicago (so smart)
• he has written more than SIXTY books (again. so. smart.)
• he's bridged the concepts of economics and marketing (two things I am wildly fascinated with)
• he won American Marketing Association's (AMA's) Marketing for a Better World award (love it)
• I have a secret-almost-crush on him (like in a grandfatherly way...he's smart, funny, charismatic, and totally adorbs)

A lot has happened in the last week in the world of inbound...check out the top five stories we think were the best of the best. 

1. The customer is always last: Looking at marketing from a different perspective (Forbes)
   An interesting take on not only inbound, but marketing as a whole. Learn how important data is, how to implement inbound strategy that will reach your consumer and how to let go of the "all" and hone in on the "best."
2. Five ways to create great B2B content (MarTech Series)
   You could post a blog an hour and never really see any results. Why is that? MarTech Series looks at what content works and how to do it. 
3. Why digital marketing campaigns fail & what you need to do to see real results (Business 2 Community) 
   If you've ever even THOUGHT about launching a digital campaign, this. is. a. must. read. Hint: purpose and strategy are key. 

Are you attending any great events coming up in the next few months? Here's a look at our top five marketing events in August. Think of it like our wish list of events...if we didn't have to work, we'd hit them all! 

What? DigitaLatest
When? August 6-9, 2018
Where? Industry City, NY

Targeting CMOs and senior marketers, brand leaders, agencies and media partners, DigitaLatest was designed to keep marketing executives and leaders in the know with the most up-to-date technology and tools in the industry.

What? Digiday's Content Marketing Summit
When? August 6-8, 2018
Where? Vail, CO

Digiday's content marketing summit has it all...stellar speakers, engaging activities and networking opportunities galore. Throw in the morning yoga sessions and you will NOT want to miss this event. See how content marketing has changed and what your brand needs to do to keep up. 

Are you blogging with little to no reward or measure of success? It's frustrating, right?

We know...we've all been there. But what if I told you actually writing and posting your blog is really only half the battle?

Want to know how to IMMEDIATELY make your blogs more effective and more engaging?

I'll be honest – there is a lot to learn, know and do, but I promise you this: if you follow these (read: very simple) 11 tips, you'll begin to see more results from your blogging efforts, virtually right away. And isn't that what it's all about anyway? 

Check out the full infographic below!

(and, if you want to read more in-depth notes on the topic, you can check out my full blog too). 

Can you believe it's already that time again? Time for the Flair weekly roundup...and with summer flying by as quickly as it is, I totally get it if you missed some of the content marketing news this week. No need to worry, though...Flair's got your back. Check out the latest and greatest in the world of content marketing with my weekly round up. There are some  REALLY great ones this week! Happy reading!
 

1. Why brands need visual and image guidelines (The Content Standard by Skyword)
   If a picture's worth a thousand words, then imagine what the right picture can add to your content. Learn more about how to create and implement visual imagery that works to get you noticed...which, after all, is the whole point of content marketing, isn't it???
2. Content marketing ROI: 5 ways to measure content marketing success (Business to Community)
   Whether you're a one-person show or you're trying to validate the worth of content marketing to the powers that be in your organization, learning how to measure what's working (and what's not) is powerful. 

3. Self-improvement through content marketing (Target Marketing)
   All of us over here at Flair have a common bond in our vested and intense interest in mindful health. From essential oils, to Eastern medicine, to natural and alternative healing, to whole foods, to meditation...if it has the phrase "self-improvement" in it, sign. us. up. Check out how two of our collective favorite things in the world combine...self help and content marketing.

Those who know me well will tell you...I can apply movie quotes to just about any scenario in life. Jerry Maguire, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Field of Dreams are a few in particular I tend to over-use.

"Show me the money," 

"It's not show friends..."

"YOU'RE Abe Froman...the sausage king of Chicago???" 

and, of course,

"If you build it, they will come..."

But the latter really isn't true when it comes to marketing, or at least when it comes to content marketing. Because it doesn't matter how awesome your content is...if you're not throwing the gasoline on it, it's probably going to die out. So how do you add that spark to your content marketing flame?

One way is the oh-so-powerful social media. Social is bringing brand awareness through influencer marketing, audience connection, inbound marketing and even the odd unboxing trend that seems to have weirdly taken off in the last couple years. 

In the words of Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it." Same could be said about inbound marketing. But you don't have to worry if you had a busy week and couldn't keep up – we rounded up our fave news articles for you. Check out this week's top five inbound marketing news clips. 

1. The future of B2B marketing: A much-needed human touch (Forbes)
   Inbound marketing, by definition, has the human factor embedded into its very philosophy. Everything (read: EVERYTHING) is about making that connection. See how this relates even to the world of B2B, because even in biz, it's still about the people.