The world of digital marketing has changed drastically. There has been a significant shift in the behavior of a consumer, which coupled with the growth of the internet has lead to the shift in marketing technique. In this era of digital advancement, customers are in the driver seat. They have the availability of an enormous amount of information which is present on the web and which can be accessed just on a click.
What is Inbound Marketing?
Inbound Marketing is a technique which is all about attracting and educating potential customers about your brand by providing them relevant content. It simultaneously utilizes various elements like SEO, Blogging, Email Marketing, Social media. Any successful inbound marketing campaign requires effective use of all these elements. It enables brands to spread awareness among the target audience, build a relationship and generate leads. Inbound marketing has been around since 2006 but it still holds its place as one of the most effective media to turn strangers into customers.
Unlike outbound marketing, which is all about pushing the promotional messages out to target audience, inbound marketing focuses on attracting prospects by sharing quality content with them. Seizing the right moment is the key to the successful execution of inbound marketing. Inbound marketing is customer-centric and does not interrupt the consumer. Marketers can provide the right content at the right time to the right audience which builds trust, belief, and reputation. Basically, the basics of “inbound marketing” are not “chasing” customers by push marketing “outbound marketing” such as telemarketing, direct mail, mass advertising, etc. but aiming to “get the customers themselves” (pull type) It is a basic way of thinking.
With Inbound marketing, brands no longer have to broadcast their services in search of their customers rather they produce valuable content through which potential customers find them and engage with them. Organizations must formalize a content creation plan. Having a well-defined content strategy is vital for inbound marketing to bring desired results. Brands should keep in mind the interest of their target audience and accordingly produce relevant content which is expected to turn prospects into a lead and finally converting into a customer.
One Simple answer to “Why Inbound Marketing”?
Inbound marketing can use your marketing budget more intelligently than outbound marketing. Regardless of the size of the business, inbound marketing is as effective as four to ten times. Moreover, it does not interrupt people’s lives. It is a smarter way of marketing in today’s digital era.
Elements in Inbound Marketing:
There are multiple elements that are part of Inbound marketing, where all are interconnected for successful results. Let’s know them some below:
SEO: Search Engine Optimization
Mere creating and posting content online is not enough. If your target audience is unable to find your content, you are unlikely to receive any website or blog traffic. SEO is a process which makes your content findable on the web. It optimizes the content and lists the website on a search engine for it to show up against the user’s search query. There are various parameters that improve the website’s SEO like the use of a relevant keyword, quality of landing page, readability of content, back-link to the website. Brands must choose relevant keywords with which their target audience are most likely to search them.
Social Media:
If you are only relying on your website and blog to receive online traffic, you will certainly miss out reaching out to a large chunk of users. Not all prospects will visit the website or read your blog, one needs to find a medium to share the content where it reaches to the audience globally. Social media serves as the perfect avenue for attracting a new audience by posting your content on social handles and staying active on it. With the advancement in mobile technology, the number of active users on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn have surged at a rapid pace. A brand must identify the platform where they are most likely to attract and engage the maximum audience and should share content on those platforms.
PPC : Pay Per Click
Pay per click is the paid ads that show up on the top of search results. PPC ads on the search network go hand in hand with organic placement on a search engine. Even after setting up SEO, there is no guarantee if the content would feature among the top results. With paid ads, brands pay to achieve top placement which improves the viewability. Identifying relevant keyword and adjusting the budget appropriately are key factors to gain maximum advantage from PPC ads.
Keywords:
There are billions of websites present on the web with each aiming to get higher placement than their rival. It’s the website ranking that determines its place on search engine results. To achieve better ranking there are various factors which are examined. One of which is the keyword. You must perform thorough research to identify relevant keywords which are frequently used by prospects to search similar product as that of yours. Use keyword while creating content, place it in the title and a few times within the content as well. But one must be cautious as you should not overdo it as it impacts the page ranking. Appropriate use of optimized keywords certainly improves the visibility of the webpage and helps in gaining more traffic.
Blogging:
Blogging is one of the best and most widely used techniques for reaching out to potential customers. It educates the prospects about the brand, the products, and services they offer. Organizations can include trending topics, the latest techniques, products reviews, upcoming events, a short video of work culture. Blogs are vital when it comes to driving quality traffic and turning them into leads.
Landing Page:
Landing page on the website is what creates the first impression on the visitors. It must be visually designed in such a way that it compels the visitors to stay on the site. Poorly structured landing pages fail to retain the users and hence the engagement rate goes down. Better the landing page higher is the page rank.
Conversion Cycle in Inbound Marketing
Attract:
The first step in inbound marketing process involves grabbing the attention of the stranger and compelling them to visit your website through quality content. But you wouldn’t want just anyone to visit the website. Only those individuals who are interested in your brand and are keen to know more about your products are ideal potential customers. Create a buyer persona which must clearly specify the characteristics that your prospects must possess. Some of the most effective ways to attract strangers are Blogging, Using Social media platforms and Focusing on Keywords while creating content.
Turning them into Lead:
Once the prospects arrive on the website, the next important step is to turn them into regular visitors. Brands should be able to reach out to them more frequently for which they would require the contact information of these visitors. As nothing comes for free, brands will have to provide these visitors with something valuable for which they willing share their contact details. Using “Call to Action” buttons users can be asked to take certain step. Options like downloading “Free Brochure” or “Free EBook” are usually effective ways to fetch contact details.
Customer conversion
The most important step that brings value to the organization is turning the lead into your customer. Pushing the users to take final step in conversion cycle doesn’t come easily. Brand need to identify the moment when their leads are willing to actually make a purchase. Tools like Lead Nurturing and Lead Intelligence can assist organization in identifying the purchasing mood of their leads. Email marketing is the most commonly used technique by which brands aim to motivate the leads to avail their services by sending them relevant and engaging content.
Advantages of Inbound Marketing:
Connects prospects with brand:
Inbound marketing focuses primarily on pulling in the willing consumers, the prospects those are really interested to engage with the brand. Connecting with the right audience ensures that the engagement rate goes higher. This quality traffic is more likely to share their details with the brand and turn into a lead. So, this results in effective lead generation and brings value to the organization.
Build trust:
If the users are provided the right information at the right time, it is bound to create trust in the brand. It compels the users to engage with the organization and know more about its products and services. A satisfied and happy customer usually turns into a long-term loyal customer which also brings new leads via word of mouth. Brands must focus on providing their prospects with relevant information which should be valuable for them and should educate them about the brand.
Budget friendly:
You don’t require a huge budget to pull off an inbound marketing campaign. It can be tailored to fulfill the requirement of all sorts of businesses. It utilizes various elements which are readily available like Email Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Keyword concept or blogging.
Better Conversion Rate:
Beneficial content is more than just a cognitive acquisition stage. Companies that work in inbound marketing can use content to help prospects consider buying their products and services.
As a result, companies can earn more opportunities and orders from the same number of prospects.
What is the difference between Inbound Marketing and Outbound Marketing: Click here!
What is the difference between Inbound Marketing and Content Marketing: Click here!