Attracting attention on the Internet can be a full-time job. Inbound marketers will plan, automate, and execute a content marketing strategy that includes, blogs, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and social networking to steal the show. It’s no longer easy just to put up a website and expect traffic from it. Neither is it a viable long-term strategy to assume that outbound marketing strategies, like cold calling, will work in an age where people can screen calls or put their names on a "Do Not Call" list. Similarly, fewer people are buying newspapers or watching television. Thus, in the near future, if you’re not in the inbound marketing game, you’ll probably be out of the game entirely.
Outbound marketers are intent on blasting the marketplace with their product offerings, to get the most attention. Inbound marketing isn’t about pushing out your message to the masses to find new customers arbitrarily. It is a way to make your message so attractive that it creates a magnetic environment where people actively seek you out online because they like what you have to offer. In other words, they come to you.
Inbound marketing research will know who the perfect consumer and will attract their attention via interesting content that appeals to search engines as well. That’s why social networking is an integral part of inbound marketing. You are trying to generate more of a genuine one-on-one connection with website visitors so that you earn their trust early in the sales process. Once you have a large group of friends and followers, you will find they can also be your biggest advertisers through online word-of-mouth.
The methodology aims to time the customer in the buying process so that they are most likely to convert. Initially, the idea is to generate content that will attract the exact demographic that has the highest potential for converting. Each stage will provide opportunities to market, as follows:
The modern buying cycle is driven mostly by the customer. Today’s buyers will educate themselves about the solutions they need by performing their own research online at their own pace. By the time they reach out to sales, they will have completed a significant portion of the journey into the buying cycle and are very close to making a decision. This means that businesses now need to focus on creating enough content online to educate their customers about the solutions they offer and how they help the buyers instead of spending time finding prospects.
Understanding this phenomenon and getting your business on track is crucial for consistently generating fresh leads, making solid conversions and getting repeat business.
Raise Awareness – During the content marketing stage, they can focus on educating the public by setting up expert panels, online events, or even “how to” videos that exemplify the benefits of the product lineup while advertising an introductory offer. Ideally, inbound marketers will attempt to interact with their audience to increase participation and generate the needed buzz to go viral, through comments, likes, and shares.
Consideration – To convince someone you are worthy of their consideration, you have to create a persona with some authority. This is also useful for the Google search engine, which will be scouring the web to find articles that you authored and on what topics to determine your standing in the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). Use white hat SEO strategies to help your online reputation with search engines. Provide high-value initial offers to tempt your audience and issue a call to action to get the sale and convert the buyer and close the deal.
After the purchase – The aim of inbound marketing is to make sure that your customers are delighted with the purchase enough to go out and tell all their online friends. You can nudge them to do that by offering them incentives for sharing via online contests for those who commented the best or shared the most.
Inbound marketing will aim for a less-centralized presence on the web, with a defined content marketing strategy in place to draw attention to multiple venues as a means to increased sales.