techniques -- such as cold-calling, cold-emailing, direct mail, or TV and radio advertisements -- to procure leads. Most platforms that help share content, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and various blogging websites, are free to use and sign up for, which further offsets costs. Since inbound marketing is cheaper to execute, smaller businesses are able to compete for leads on the Internet on a level playing field with bigger companies. SEO on content can replace some advertising spending since content is made more visible on search engines and other customer-facing channels.