What is Inbound Marketing & Why Will it Change Your View on Marketing?

Inbound marketing is all about creating specialized content designed to appeal to your ideal customers. By providing quality content that aligns with the clear-cut interests of your customers, they begin to see value in what you have to offer and are left feeling empowered in the buying process.

There are four specific actions your company must take in order to gain visitors, leads and finally, customers: Attract, Convert, Close, Delight. These four steps will allow you to take your marketing efforts farther than you ever thought possible.

There are several major themes that make up the inbound marketing method. 

• You first must create content that meets the needs of your potential customers, and share that content in every way possible.
• You must take into account that consumers go through several stages, and each of these requires different marketing strategies from your company.
• You can begin to personalize your information as you learn more about the leads you are gaining.
• You will find that you can spread your marketing efforts across multiple channels – the point of inbound marketing is to approach people where they are and to offer them something they need and want.
• You will learn through analytics and metrics how to produce the right content in the right place at the right time.

Attract

In the first step of inbound marketing, you begin by targeting the exact customers that you want. By developing buyer personas you learn more about your ideal customer and are therefore more prepared to provide what they need. There are numerous ways to attract your target clients. A few of our favorites are blogging, social media and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Convert

After getting the traffic to your site, your next goal is to convert that traffic into leads. Obviously the ultimate goal is to gain their contact information. The best way to do that is by offering them something in exchange. This is where quality content comes into play. Whether it be in the form of eBooks, whitepapers, or tip sheets, if you are providing content that is aimed at your specific buyer personas, you are well on your way to meeting your goals.

Close

You’ve converted your traffic into leads – now what? Somehow you’ve got to effectively turn those leads into actual customers. There are several marketing tools that can assist you in this process. Emails, marketing automation, and closed loop reporting are all excellent tools to utilize.

Delight

Once you’ve transformed your leads into customers, it is imperative that you don’t drop the ball and forget about them. How you treat them now is just as important. You must continue to engage, delight, and upsell your current customers. After all, a satisfied customer can be one of the best marketing tools around! Once your customers are loyal, they will spread the word far and wide. Keeping them happy is essential.

The great thing about inbound marketing is that it doesn’t feel like marketing to the consumer. You are providing them with something – personalized content – that they want. You aren’t pushing a message or a service or product down their throat. You are offering them something that will help them and is significant t to their individual needs – therein lies the beauty of inbound marketing.