Marketing your business can be exhausting. Sometimes, you have tried everything but the results aren’t what you’ve expected.
The digital landscape made information bigger and customers’ attention shorter. Anyone with a device can create and consume content. Attention has become scarce. Buying behaviours have changed.
Without rethinking digital marketing, your business will suffer. How can you stand out in the ocean of information? One proven way is inbound marketing.
Here are some basics of inbound marketing and why it works.
What is Inbound Marketing?
Inbound Marketing is about making customers attracted to your brand. From its root word, it’s about making your customers be bound towards you. It’s about attracting customers through helpful and relevant content.
Through helpful information, you create meaningful connections. Your potential customers find you through search or shared posts. They discover compelling reasons to connect with you. They then subscribe and follow you through social media channels, blogs or video platforms. They gain value from your outputs for every stage of their buying journey. Instead of getting distracted by your promotion, they wanted your outputs.
Marketers have a hard time getting the trust of people. But with inbound marketing, trust comes easier. They know you’re helping them. Through time, you build value and trust.
In inbound marketing, instead of looking at your sales process as a funnel, you look at it as a flywheel. Your goal is not only to push deals to closed deals. Your goal is to keep the wheel running by (1) attracting, (2) engaging and (3) delighting customers. Once you keep working on these components, your brand spreads through word of mouth.
Helpful blog content is an example of inbound marketing. You attract audiences through high-quality content. With content optimization, you guide your audience in their buying journey. In the long run, you assist in converting them. But it doesn’t stop there at the closed deal. The cycle continues to lead-nurture and customer delight.
When you do these, this encourages the customer to keep coming back. They’ll recommend you to others. A happy customer is an effective marketer. Turning your customers to promoters is the noteworthy effect of inbound marketing.
Why Does it Work?
Buying behaviors have changed. For many decades, traditional advertising seems to be the only way. It interrupted the audience with ads so that the program can run. Those were the times that mass media was the only option. The audience didn’t have much choice on what to watch, read or listen to. Mass media was the driver of content. Time is limited for marketers to air their promotions. Engagement is absent.
As a business, interruptive marketing gives the impression that your brand is a disruption. You’re also not given permission to use their watch time but nevertheless, you’re there since the show needs it. It also causes you to spend more in order to get the engagement you want. In today’s world, interruptive marketing is difficult. The arrival of ad blockers made it more difficult for interruptive marketers. Your audience can now block ads using software.
When the digital revolution came, behaviors changed. Marketing changed. Mass media channels like TV, paper magazines, radio and print ads are experiencing decline in a major way. Interruptive marketing no longer works as it used to. With the advent of internet, the power of choice moves to your audience’s hands. They search or browse the content that they want. They exit anytime. They leave if they’re not satisfied with the content. Now, a new (but classic) concept works better – inbound marketing.
With inbound marketing, you understand that customers have the power of choice. You welcome engagement. With inbound, you’re found because you’re helpful. The intent of your customers is there because they need you, they want you. Inbound promises better results. Instead of buying email lists, doing cold calls, paying for ads, you attract your audience through quality content.
They give you “permission” to promote without them getting distracted. Your high-quality content helps them and they delight in following you. Your content is helpful no matter what stage your audience is in.
Embracing inbound marketing is the best decision you’ll ever make.
In Summary
Like any other revolution, the digital revolution offers threats and opportunities. Advantage awaits to those who adopt and innovate. Inbound marketing can change your business for the better. It can transform your brand as a thought leader. It will enable you to work long term on a topic where your business revolves. It will open up new opportunities, new leads and new customers for your endeavours. It’s the best step to take.
If you need assistance with any inbound service, contact us today.
