Inbound Marketing vs. ‘Interruption’ Marketing
In Rand Fishkin’s announcement of the retirement of SEOmoz and the unveiling Moz, he included a comparison diagram that got some attention. It contrasts “interruption” marketing (i.e., outbound marketing) and inbound marketing, and illustrates what Moz is trying to do: shift marketers from interruption to inbound marketing by equipping them with software.
As cleanly as that visual lays things out, there’s still lively discussion about what inbound marketing truly comprises. Larry Kim, founder and CTO of WordStream, takes a closer look at PPC specifically. While Moz puts PPC in the inbound bucket, the interruption nature of PPC can certainly be argued. In the end, it boils down to whether you define inbound marketing as being based on cost of distribution or context.
Kim frames inbound marketing as “any kind of marketing that reaches customers when they go looking for something to buy.” He reminds everyone that there’s no such thing as a free marketing channel.
For more on inbound marketing in 2013, see HubSpot’s presentation below:
