As the name suggests, inbound marketing strategies are marketing techniques that help bring more customers your way – “inbound” to your business. HubSpot, a leading marketing software company, defines inbound marketing as “a method of attracting, engaging, and delighting people to grow a business that provides value and builds trust…Unlike outbound marketing, with inbound marketing, you don’t need to fight for your potential customers’ attention. By creating content designed to address the problems and needs of your ideal customers, you attract qualified prospects and build trust and credibility for your business.”
What are the inbound marketing strategies that reach the most customers?
Inbound marketing helps businesses grow their reach by positioning themselves as a resource and solution to customers. Here are some inbound marketing strategies and examples to consider when organizing your inbound marketing plan.
1. Blogs
Blogs are a popular way of driving more traffic and visitors to your site, as the content can be crafted to appeal to the specific needs of your buyers and appear in online searches. If your blog content is accurate, reliable, and consistent, it will create trust with your audience. If they believe that you are genuine in your desire to provide solutions and are not just pushing a product or agenda, you will likely find yourself with a community of content followers who may convert to customers.
2. Whitepaper or case study
One of the most valuable pieces of inbound marketing content is a story that tells how a product or service has been used in real-world situations and allows customers to get a feel for how it might work for them. This kind of content comes later in the inbound marketing funnel, for people who are doing more than just researching and gathering information but are usually looking for supporting documentation and are closer to making a decision or purchase and this marketing medium is very helpful in this stage of their journey.
3. Email
Email is a direct way to create inbound marketing results. It can help drive inbound traffic to your landing page, offer page, or other relevant content.
4. Social media
Social media is a great place to engage with customers. One of the reasons that social media is such an effective way to use inbound marketing is because there are so many people engaging with these platforms. Not only can you use it as a source to ask questions and get feedback so you can customize the content that your customers actually need, but you can post content like infographics and other visuals that don’t work as well in other formats.
5. Video marketing
Videos can be a great way to reach customers and help them engage more with your brand. Creating content that can help or entertain audiences is the number one focus of inbound marketing and video is no exception. In fact, it’s a very popular medium when considering marketing and information methods that actually engage potential clients or customers. Videos need to be specific to your customer’s needs, however – going on about how great your business is or the history of your product might not win anyone over. Explaining your simple business model, easy shipping and returns policy, or offering tutorials or tips on how to use your product might be a way to get your customer more interested in your business and products.
6. SEO
Ultimately, the main goal of inbound marketing is to drive customers to your website. One of the long-standing ways to do this is to use search engine optimization so that your website consistently ranks high enough on a search page for a customer to take notice and click on it (without paying money for ads that land you at the top of the page but cost you every time someone clicks on the link). SEO strategy involves using keywords that potential customers may be searching for, such as product type, service type, and location.
Using inbound marketing strategies is a great way to help expand your overall marketing plan and developing inbound marketing content can be more cost-effective than many traditional advertising methods, such as radio and TV. With several inbound marketing strategies and tools, it’s easy for your business to embrace it as part of your marketing plan.
