Inbound Marketing is one of Digital Marketing’s favorite strategies. Although it’s not exclusive to the internet, the technique has gained popularity on networks, finding a very fertile field in which to develop.
Currently, research in the area shows that 75% of companies, non-profit organizations and other institutions adopt Inbound Marketing, and this number is only growing.
But if you’re still not familiar with the strategy, don’t despair.
In today’s post, we’re going to talk about what Inbound Marketing is and how it can help your company.
Did you find it interesting? Then read on.
What is Inbound Marketing?
The concept of Inbound Marketing emerged in 2009, in the United States, with the publication of the book “Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs”, by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah.
From then on, the strategy exploded. It didn’t take long for companies to realize how effective Inbound Marketing is, whether for large multinationals or for a self-employed maintenance electrician.
After all, Inbound Marketing is a strategy capable of winning over a large number of potential customers and promoting brand awareness, in a much more effective way than traditional marketing (or Outbound Marketing).
In translation, Inbound Marketing means “attraction marketing”. It means that instead of the company looking for the customer, as is the case with Outbound Marketing, it is the consumer who is looking for your business.
But how do you do this? The answer lies in producing relevant content.
For this reason, Content Marketing is one of the pillars of Inbound Marketing.
In practice, instead of a sensationalist advertisement about a candle wick, for example, Inbound Marketing produces an article talking more about the product, its differentials and curiosities. In this way, it attracts people to the shared content.
As a result, people who feel impacted by this material tend to feel more confident about the company.
Little by little, Inbound Marketing builds a healthy relationship with customers, which can result in a sale.
On the internet, sharing content is even easier, with the use of websites and blogs.
In this way, a private motorcycle courier can create a page where he shares information about his service through attraction marketing.
In summary, then, we can say that Inbound Marketing is a strategy in which customers come to your brand because they are attracted by your message.
To do this, the content must present solutions to those interested, as a way of making them promoters of your company.
For this reason, Inbound Marketing is seen not as a cost center for the company, but as an investment center.
But how can I apply Inbound Marketing to my strategy?
According to research, more than 60% of consumers have a more positive view of a brand after consuming its content. This alone shows how much Inbound Marketing stands out.
However, it’s not enough just to produce content and stop there. You need to know more about your customer’s profile, target specific efforts and offer really interesting material.
After all, an article on the treatment of exposed concrete will interest a specific niche of people. Therefore, the content produced must be targeted.
Here are some ways to apply Inbound Marketing to your strategy.
1. Get to know the Inbound Marketing process
To apply Inbound Marketing, you need to know how it works. Generally speaking, the strategy operates in 4 stages:
- Attraction;
- Conversion;
- The sale;
- Charm.
In attraction, we have the number one rule of Inbound Marketing: to increase visitor traffic to your digital channels. In other words, it’s about attracting people who didn’t know about your business and turning them into recurring consumers of your content.
Then, in conversion, the aim is to convert visitors into leads (potential customers) and thus bring them closer to real sales opportunities.
Then there’s the sale. This is the stage for nurturing leads through more in-depth content, assessing whether the potential customer is at the right stage of the sales funnel (buying journey) to close the deal.
Finally, we have enchantment. Here we deal with the post-purchase relationship, since it’s not enough to “forget” the buyer. You need to enchant them so that they become brand promoters and thus attract more customers to your company.
Here’s an example of an inbound process
A collective meals provider can attract visitors to its blog by explaining the main technical standards for offering meals, according to the Health Surveillance Agency.
Here’s an example of an inbound process
A caterer can attract visitors to its blog by explaining the main technical standards for offering meals, according to the Health Surveillance Agency.
They can then convert visitors by demonstrating that the company meets all the requirements, through a quality article about the brand’s differentials.
After the sale, the supplier can nurture customers by offering even more in-depth information, with exclusive content just for consumers.
Finally, the company can maintain a close relationship with its customers, with new informative content on collective meals and related subjects.
2. Learn how to apply Content Marketing
As we can see, Content Marketing is always involved in all stages of Inbound Marketing.
However, it is essential to know how to use it in the strategy, checking which stage the customer is at.
At the moment of attraction
For example, to attract visitors to a website that offers executive transfers, it is important to develop more general content that arouses the curiosity of users, even those who are not looking for the service.
They should be engaged with quality, informative and interesting content, so that more people want to find out more about the subject.
Techniques for attracting visitors include:
- The use of SEO (Search Engine Optimization);
- The use of CTAs (Call to Actions);
- The production of interactive content;
- A basic explanation of the topic.
It’s worth saying that the moment of attraction is when you educate the visitor. For this reason, the content must be didactic and explanatory.
At the moment of conversion
When it comes to conversion, we want to turn visitors into leads. A good way to do this is to offer even richer material in exchange for the user’s e-mail address.
In this way, when talking about TV maintenance services, the company can leave a call-to-action button for the visitor to sign up for a newsletter and receive more related content.
Remember: conversion occurs when the visitor leaves some kind of contact or gets in touch with the company. That’s why they want to receive something more, new information and content.
You can offer e-books, webinars (educational videos), whitepapers and many other materials to help with conversion.
At the point of sale
Here, the customer is very close to making the sale. So it’s time to highlight the qualities of your product or service.
For example, if your parcel delivery service has a great advantage over the competition, show this to your customer.
They’ve already been educated and know your work, so it’s time to convince them to close the deal.
What’s more, to ensure that the sale goes through, it’s important to integrate content production with sales professionals. Include case studies, market research and mental triggers to influence your client.
The moment of enchantment
So far you’ve followed all the steps in content production. But it doesn’t stop there. Customers like to feel important to the company, so you need to delight them after the sale.
You can invest in the consumer’s own purchasing success. In other words, if they have bought a product or service that has brought great results, they will certainly buy again and recommend your company to others.
So ask your customers what they think of your business. Have feedback in hand so that you know what needs to be improved and what really appeals to your audience.
It’s also important to maintain an active relationship. In other words, don’t forget about your customers and don’t let them forget about your company.
The best way to do this is to send regular messages with content, via email or social media.
However, remember that in the post-sales period, customers already know your business very well.
Therefore, offering top-of-the-funnel content, i.e. the same materials for attracting visitors, is a waste of time.
Create content that is specific to the needs of each consumer, according to their particularities and buying behavior. Show that your company is genuinely concerned about its buyers’ wishes.
In this way, you create a healthy relationship, making customers love your brand and be loyal to the company.
This text was originally developed by the team at the Guia de Investimento blog, where you can find hundreds of informative pieces on various segments.