There are many things you should know about Inbound Marketing. The marketing world is constantly coining new terms such as Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Permission Marketing, and of course, Inbound Marketing. Coming up with new definitions means the public will engage in something new. However, the basics are still the same, and they will accompany you through your journey.
Inbound Marketing perfectly suits the challenges business owners expect in a digital world. Although it may seem challenging to start Inbound Marketing, you should know it can pay enormous dividends as time goes by. Benefits happen because it gathers many previously disparate tactics such as Search Engine Optimization, UX/UI, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Mobile Responsiveness, etc.
What is meant by Inbound Marketing?
According to HubSpot: “Inbound Marketing is a business methodology that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. Outbound marketing interrupts your audience with communications they don’t always want or appreciate. Instead, inbound Marketing forms connections they are looking for and solves problems they already have.”
As you can see, Inbound obeys a methodology, a series of ordered steps. Its goal is to attract customers through content. It doesn’t interrupt your audience. On the contrary, the audience looks for what the company produces to solve problems. This problem-solving approach is critical to understand the Inbound philosophy.
What are examples of Inbound Marketing?
I’ll show you a few examples of Inbound Marketing next:
- Search engine-optimized blog posts
- Automated nurture email campaigns
- Social media campaigns
- Whitepapers, eBooks
- YouTube videos around a subject
As you can see, blog posts are the preferred way for many marketers to get your attention. This preference is particularly true if these posts are optimized to be positioned high on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs)
Nurture email campaigns captivate users and help them become customers. Social media campaigns are all the rage; you can use them to get traffic and, more recently, get clients directly.
You can exchange whitepapers and eBooks for contact information such as name, email, or phone number. YouTube videos are all the rage since more than half of all the bandwidth consumption is in the form of video.
Inbound Marketing vs. outbound
When choosing Inbound Marketing vs. outbound, you’ll find the coin has two sides. Some individuals and organizations swear by Inbound exclusively. Some others perform outbound mostly.
You’ll find both bands choose their options following their skillset. The truth is, it all depends on the organization’s size and how they want to market itself. For example, if you’re waiting for a blog to gain traction on the SERPs, you can launch a limited ad campaign through Pay Per Click advertising, which blurs the line between Inbound and outbound.
What are the benefits of Inbound Marketing?
Regarding benefits, it’s common to consider the Return on Investment (ROI). However, you’ll be surprised that the first benefit is better ROI since Inbound Marketing obtains leads and sales at a lower cost than traditional marketing methods.
The second benefit is that you get more quality leads and traffic. These results mean that you’ll be closer to your ideal customer. Getting ideal customers is the perfect growth strategy for most companies since not all customers are alike.
A third benefit is transforming prospects into customers. If you think about it, most ad campaigns focus on making a direct sale. If you don’t capture your leads’ data, you won’t communicate with them again. On the contrary, you can sell to them repeatedly with Inbound Marketing.
Is Google Ads Inbound or outbound?
Google Ads is Google’s answer to advertising. You can increase your blog or website traffic, receive more phone calls from eager prospects, or attract more clients to your local business. First, you can set up the budget you wish. Then, you can test with a low amount and scale with a larger budget.
Depending on who you ask, Google Ads can be Inbound or outbound. The truth is, it’s an agnostic tool. You can use it for both ends. You can reach your audience directly with an outbound intention or make them part of an Inbound Marketing funnel.
What is an example of outbound marketing
The essence of outbound marketing is initiating contact with prospects. The first example is direct mail. Before the internet was a reality, mail was the favorite of many marketers’ toolkits. It was a favorite because you could measure return on investment easier than other methods at the time.
Another outbound marketing example is billboards which are also part of Out of Home (OOH) Advertisement. You can see these billboards and outdoor media throughout your city or town. This type of advertisement is adequate to get many people’s attention.
The third example is traditional media: Radio, TV, and print media. This media shows how businesses took advantage of advertising for many decades before the arrival of the internet.
Is SEO Inbound Marketing?
You can say SEO is a form of Inbound Marketing. Search Engine Optimization is a way to gather organic traffic from search engines such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing. You acquire traffic by ranking the content on each site. But, of course, there is much more to SEO than gaining traffic. Its main goal is transforming your audience into customers.
A clear advantage of SEO as Inbound Marketing is that the efforts are more focused. This concentration means that even if you’re reaching fewer people, you’re attracting just the right people. This perspective has much to be gained, including doing more with a budget.
How do you attract Inbound sales?
I’ll show you five ways to attract Inbound sales:
- Define your buyer personas. A buyer persona is a representation of your ideal customers. Picturing them means you’ll summarize your audience’s traits into one fictional person.
- Use sales funnels. Begin by attracting people to your funnel, then increase their interest. Then amplify the desire they have for your product. Finally, invite them to act (usually in the form of a purchase)
- Analyze your buyer’s list to understand them further. With this information, you can find lookalike audiences.
- Customize the shopping experience. You can apply this personal touch in simple and complex ways. For example, you can add the recipient’s name to an email blast.
- Provide excellent post-sale service. Special promotions and personal communications are just some initiatives you can implement.
Final words
I’ve shown you some of the essential things about Inbound Marketing. You should also know that for many practitioners of this type of marketing, Inbound is the way of the future. You can build it on permission marketing and other innovative ways to conceive how you exchange value.
With Inbound, clients need to find you. Once they see you, the customer automatically perceives the interaction as more valuable since they initiated it. The benefits of Inbound Marketing are many. However, it is also essential to understand other competing philosophies to balance your knowledge of modern marketing.
