Finding new customers online can seem daunting at first, but if approached with the goal to educate potential customers, the task becomes less nebulous.

Where in the past, outbound marketing--cold calls, sales letters, and advertising campaigns--ruled customer acquisition, now, after the dawn of the information age, people want to be informed.

The best way to inform potential customers is to invite them to the conversation. Provide information for free and market that information through search engines, affiliations, and social media to expose your brand. Become a trusted thought-leader, and your readers will become trusting customers.

The following are some of the types of content that will help you find new customers online.

• Blogs (both your own and guest blogs)
• E-newsletters
• Infographics
• White papers
• Case studies
• Slide decks
• E-books

These are just some of the types of content that can draw readers to your organization. Inbound marketing content should be geared toward attracting new potential customers, educating them, engaging them, and finally inviting them to participate in a call-to-action.

Inbound marketing costs less to execute and helps potential customers feel as though they're part of a conversation, instead of making them feel hunted down by outbound efforts. Finding new customers online through inbound marketing creates a personal relationship in a venue that is characterized by sharing information over vast distances.

In some cultures, when a potential customer enters a shop, the shop owner offers a cup of tea or coffee. This builds a relationship--and that is precisely what it takes to draw customers online. Inbound marketing is like that cup of tea or coffee--it builds a one-on-one relationship and starts a conversation.