Inbound marketing combines content, SEO, and emails to increase site traffic, leads and revenue.

The goal of inbound marketing is to attract, convert, close and delight users on your website. Inbound marketing focuses on a targeted offer where users can perform an action. Content marketing is a tactic and inbound marketing is the strategy. Inbound marketing helps you use content to win more customers.

Inbound marketing aligns your digital marketing efforts with the users’ decision making process. The aim is to expose your company’s expertise to them, when and where they are looking for it. To earn their trust and to help the right leads become your customers.

Why inbound marketing is powerful

All buying decisions go through the same stages of the user journey. These are awareness, consideration and decision. This model has worked over time.  But what buyers do and how they act, has changed because more information is available online. The rules of marketing has changed and users have taken back control of the buying process.

Inbound marketing helps to recognise you need to earn the buyer’s trust. The right to engage them into a conversation about what you’re offering should be earned. Help users make decisions by adding value to their research. Stop trying to sell to them at every opportunity.

Inbound tactics generate 54% more leads than traditional marketing

An overview of inbound marketing as a strategy

To attract prospects to your website you need to nurture them until they’re ready to buy from you. There are various components of inbound marketing. These include blogging, social media, search engine optimisation, web design, advertising, email marketing, and so on.

You can produce content online and offline. By attending events and participating in public speaking, can build your brand. These are effective ways to be seen as a thought leader, and are strong forms of inbound marketing.

Below are four stages of inbound marketing:

Attract

Attract the attention of the right type of users to your website. This is done through blogging, SEO and social media. People start to discover your brand. They visit  your website to know more about your company, its people, products and services.

Convert

Website visitors turn into leads by using calls to action, and email capture forms. You can do this by offering something to users to download, in exchange for their details.

Close

Transform leads into customers is the closing stage. Through customer relationship management (CRM) and sales software, you can close leads at the right time.

Delight

Keeping in touch with new visitors and existing customers can help keep them intrigued and loyal to your brand. This can be done through surveys, smart call-to-actions, and so much more.

95% of buyers tend to choose a company who gives them enough content to go on each stage of the buyer journey

How to start an inbound marketing strategy

Inbound marketing is a strategy you can start with using a blog. By writing regular blogs, you can attract users to your website. Make sure to promote your blog on social media to drive more traffic back to your site.

The benefits of inbound marketing

• It creates a qualified lead and it’s easier for your sales team to reach sales
• Inbound marketing helps customers gain trust in your efforts to teach them about your business and what you can offer them.
• Inbound marketing can be automated through a CRM and can help you gain more leads.

Crucial tasks beyond inbound marketing can help your business succeed online. These include content marketing, technical SEO, web design and lead marketing.  Once you manage to get these working, increase your metrics and find new customers will be get easier. Need help creating an inbound marketing strategy to generate leads and turn more site visitors into customers? Contact us now.