The backbone of digital success many businesses is now marketing “inbound.” Unlike marketing messages, which are pushed onto audiences, inbound marketing seeks to create value for potential customers. Inbound marketing draws these potential customers towards a business offering with helpful content, solutions and personalised experiences and enables a business to listen and engage with that prospective customer to create a culture that empathises and values the potential customers.
If you need to boost traffic, increase engagement, and bring in more conversions with your inbound marketing strategy, then this guide is for you.
What Is Inbound Marketing?
Before we get into the specifics, let me explain what inbound marketing actually is. Basically, inbound is “pulling” customers toward your business with valuable, relevant, and individualized content, vs. the “pushing” of traditional advertisements in their face.
Inbound marketing encompasses tactics such as publishing content, SEO, Social media marketing and email communication, all of which work together to get the company noticed by the right people and make them come back for more.
It’s marketing, in other words, based on the needs and interests of customers first, instead of taking its cues from the company’s latest greatest product offerings.
Why Inbound Marketing Matters
It Builds Trust
It’s all about trust in today’s competitive market. Through the use of valuable, timely, and non-disruptive content, inbound marketing positions your brand as an industry authority and a provider of dependable information.
It’s Cost-Effective
In fact, HubSpot says that inbound marketing costs 62% less than outbound and delivers about three times as many leads, meaning it’s a godsend for your return on investment.
It Builds Up Long-Term Relationships
Rather than pushy, fly-by-night ad campaigns, inbound marketing seeks to establish a lifelong relationship between the company and the consumer, converting leads into life-long believers in your brand.
Best Inbound-marketing Strategies To Try Now
Develop Interesting And Alpha-Pointing Content
Content is the core of inbound marketing. It teaches, demonstrates, commands your audience, which in turn supports them to solve problems and make decisions. Start by focusing on:
Blogging
Regularly publishing valuable, well written blogs can bring a constant flow of visitors to your site. Writing about things that people are searching for and answering pertinent questions. For instance, a fitness brand might post a, “10 tips to stay healthy between workouts.”
E-books and Whitepapers
Provide in-depth guides or research papers in return for an email address. This is how you generate leads and position yourself as an authority in the market.
Video Content
When you create video content such as tutorials, webinars or “how-to” videos you create a bigger emotional bonding with your audience. Try your hands at making a short video about your product or service and how it will help customers.
Leverage the Power of SEO
The term for this is “Search Engine Optimization” (SEO) and it’s a great way to light up your content! Because, when it comes down to it, the most outstanding blog post, if nobody can find it, isn’t much good, is it? Here’s how to prioritize SEO:
Keyword Research
Discover what keywords your target audience are searching and use them in your content (related naturally, of course). The idea is to use tools like SEMrush or Google Keyword Planner to discover high-traffic, low-competition keywords.
On-Page Optimization
Make sure your content is also organized with great featured placement for headlines, keywords, and meta descriptions. Image, alt tags, and internal links need to be optimised for better positioning.
High-Quality Backlinks
Building your websites authority from some reputable domains its important. Try doing some guest blogging or forming mutually beneficial partnerships to get links you didn’t have to ask for.
Create an Exciting Online Social Profile
Social media is an inbound marketer’s dream. You can create a community, build a brand name and don’t forget 10 time more traffic.
Interact With Followers
Answer to comments, queries and engage with followers to build a loyal community.
Post Tailored Content
Different Platforms Serve Different Segments. For instance, utilize Instagram to push something more visually regarded, LinkedIn to share professional knowledge, and Twitter for industry news.
Use Social Proof
Post user-generated content such as reviews, testimonials, or shoutouts from happy customers to establish credibility with potential leads.
Make Email Campaigns Personalized
Email is still one of the purest forms of engagement you can have with your audience. But this is no blue-stockings generic newsletter! And instead, concentrate on personal value-oriented messaging.
Segmentation
Segment your email list from your various sources by behavior, purchase history, or demographics so you can send the most relevant messaging.
Automated Workflows
Build email chains based on triggers like when someone signs up or you have to remind people about their abandoned carts.
Add Value
Instead of spouting promotional spam, offer up something special: curated content, exclusive deals, behind-the-scenes updates.
Run Lead Nurturing Campaigns
Some leads will not immediately turn into converts. Lead nurturing is a series of steps or a planned sequence that take someone from being interested in their product or service to buying it.
Drip Campaigns
Drip email campaigns that are completely automated can deliver a steady flow of content to leads until they are ready to purchase.
Scoring Leads
Utilize lead scoring to pinpoint optimal prospects and to focus your efforts on their pain points.
Free Resources
Provide free trials, demos or consultative sessions to instill confidence in your brand.
Build Active Content and Community
Developing spaces where individuals come into contact with your brand is a great way to mobilize interest and loyalty.
Host Webinars
Host free webinars on subjects that will appeal to your ideal customer. These are not only informative, but also allow for feedback in real-time.
Run Quizzes and Polls
Interactive elements such as quizzes will get your target audience participating at the same as providing you with some useful data to refine targeting.
Encourage Reviews
Encourage happy customers to leave reviews and testimonials on your website and on review sites such as Google and Yelp.
How to quantify and maximize your own success
Inbound marketing strategy is not like a one time use product. Continuous Exam: Always test and retest your campaign to be sure you’re getting what you pay for. Use metrics like:
Website Traffic
Keep a count of those who are coming on your site. Products such as Google Analytics makes it simple for you determine what content is actually working.
Lead Conversion Rates
Quantify our success at turning leads into customers. Does the strength of your CTAs reflect the quality of your intended action?
Engagement Metrics
Look at engagement stats such as social shares, likes and comments to determine how your readers are engaging.
Retention Rates
Determine whether new customers stay. If not, optimize your nurturing efforts to build better customer loyalty.
Just keep in mind for marketing, the secret is testing, using what works and then scaling.
Elevate your Marketing Game
Inbound marketing is about making those connections, earning that trust, and growing enduring relationships. When you integrate SEO, social media, customized email marketing campaigns and informative content together, your business can change the way it interacts with the company’s future customers.
Get started using these techniques, and see how inbound marketing can work its magic for your company. Want to take your strategies to the next level? Sign up to our Newsletter for more marketing tips!
