Inbound marketing is a way for businesses to connect with and influence customers in a way that builds trust and fosters long-term relationships. It helps marketers create a customer experience that engages prospects and increases visibility in a way that people don’t feel ‘sold’. In this blog, we analyze what inbound marketing is, in what cases it is used and what is its importance for companies.
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Definition of inbound marketing
Inbound marketing is a strategic approach that focuses on creating valuable content and experiences tailored to the needs of your audience to build long-term relationships.
Thus, the key to inbound marketing is that it provides solutions to the needs of your customers. By doing so, you can build lasting relationships and cultivate brand advocates.
When should inbound marketing be used?
The advantage of inbound marketing is that it attracts people who are actively searching for the service or product that you offer. For example, if a user types “lightweight touchscreen laptop” and you sell that product, inbound marketing will help you be visible to that person. There are a few reasons why you might choose an inbound marketing strategy:
-You know your target audience.
If you know who to target, inbound marketing can be a great way to attract them. SEO is a great example of this. If you research relevant keywords, you can use them on your site and blog to attract the right people.
-You want to engage an audience.
If you are looking to have a conversation or drive engagement, inbound marketing techniques are very effective. Polls or surveys can be great in this scenario and not only drive engagement but provide more insight into your audience.
–You want quality leads.
With inbound, it’s quality over quantity when it comes to leads. That’s because you’re using a campaign targeting well-known characters.
-You need to measure ROI.
With inbound marketing you can continuously track and measure performance and modify content if necessary. As ROI becomes more important to senior executives, campaigns need to be measured to allocate budget and resources.
-You have a long sales cycle.
For many B2B companies, a long sales cycle is the norm. Prospects, in this case, need information and guidance, and videos can be helpful. Consider a series of videos featuring an expert or staff member with skills in a certain area. You can measure engagement to determine effectiveness.
–The budget is low or limited.
An inbound marketing campaign can be profitable. Blogs are also a great way to engage an audience if you know their needs and provide a solution. Remember to include keywords to attract your audience in the first place!
How do we use social networks for inbound marketing?
Social media aligns with the inbound methodology and provides a channel that you can promote content to your prospects and learn more about how to engage with them. Using social networks you can:
- Promote your content: It can take time for organic content to get views and backlinks. Promoting your content on social media allows you to create targeted campaigns that target a niche audience that is most likely to become your customers.
- Build a community: Channels like Twitter and TikTok offer a great way to build a community on social media through real-time posts and engaging videos. You can also take advantage and create Facebook groups that are relevant to your product or service and Instagram is a great place.
- Using influencer marketing: Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are the perfect tool for using influencers to promote products and content in a way that engages and delights.
- Offer customer service on social networks: Many customers use social networks to make inquiries or complaints. They can be used to offer solutions to customers and build relationships.
- Track performance and optimize: Through paid campaigns and Ads, you can quickly learn which ads are working and modify those that aren’t. This may include changes to the image, the format of the content, or the message used.