Inbound marketing is a method increasingly used by digital companies to attract prospects or customers.
The idea is to provide internet users with relevant information, so as to position yourself in their eyes as an expert in the field concerned. It differs from outbound marketing, which involves actively reaching out to potential customers through direct methods like advertisements, cold calls, or email blasts.
Inbound marketing is based on a content marketing strategy, often combined with cross-channel marketing techniques.
Invented recently, in 2006, by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, it’s based on the observation that internet users are naturally interested in qualitative content, and that this has a direct impact on their online purchasing behavior. This strategy also reinforces brand image by consistently delivering valuable and trustworthy content that reflects the company’s core values and expertise.
In fact, many internet buyers compare products and look for relevant information before finalizing a sale. This aligns with the principles of the 4 Ps of marketing—product, price, place, and promotion—by ensuring that potential customers receive the right information about a product at the right time and place.
The aim of inbound marketing is to provide them with the information they’re looking for to generate traffic and, ultimately, encourage purchase and conversion.
Inbound marketing emerged as traditional marketing began to decline.
Today, advertising is less effective at convincing customers of a product’s effectiveness. Moreover, traditional marketing tends to target everyone, without distinction.
Inbound marketing is much more personalized. The message provided by the company is necessarily target oriented, which generates a better return on investment.
Inbound marketing offers users a unique experience, based on their profile and buying behavior. It’s very different from mass marketing.
Inbound marketing aims to provide the right content, at the right time, and in the right place. Of course, for the strategy to work, it requires careful preparation.
First, you need to do the following:
- Carefully define your target customer’s profile.
- Create quality content.
- Set up a website, perfectly optimized for the user experience and search engines.
- Develop a strategy to capitalize on this marketing and close sales.
Inbound marketing is based on four distinct, successive stages:
- First, it’s about attracting as many visitors as possible, either through social media networks, blog posts, or online advertising.
- Then, it aims to convert each visitor into a lead, via calls-to-action or contact forms.
- Once leads have been identified, the next step is to convert them into customers.
- Finally, even once a sale has been made, the work continues with loyalty building. Distributing relevant, intelligent content helps to retain customers and increase sales in the long term.
