What is inbound marketing?
With inbound marketing, you engage your audience through organic content. The common denominator is that the content is useful, valuable, and relevant for the recipient, which leads them to seek you out—unlike, for example, advertising, where you are the one approaching the customer.
Inbound can run through channels such as blogs, search engines, and social media. It could be a blog post that creates positive awareness around your product and then sends the reader directly to your online store. In this way, you get the audience to come to you, and you will convert new leads which in turn can lead to new customers.
But inbound marketing is not just about converting new customers. It is just as much about actively providing more value to the customer so that, over time, they become loyal and build strong relationships with your brand.
How does inbound marketing work in practice?
Inbound marketing is a method that delivers strong results over time. It is a process that gives potential customers the opportunity to get to know your brand and what you can offer them. You could say that inbound is a more sustainable way to build customer relationships.
Here is a simple overview that briefly explains the inbound methodology step by step:
- Attract visitors to the website through organic content
- Convert visitors into leads through your landing pages
- Convert leads into customers via email or free services
- From new customer to loyal customer – continue delivering value by using informative and useful content to build the relationship
From visitor to loyal customer
Once the reader has found you through a channel, it is crucial that they find the information they are looking for on your website, so they can become one of your leads. If you have done solid groundwork – for example by keeping a company blog up to date or offering downloadable guides – visitors can find answers to their challenges right then and there. Even better is if the reader leaves their contact information, with consent to receive emails from you, in exchange for free access to one of the guides.
Once you have delivered value to your leads through relevant and tailored content, and built up customer relationships, you have reached the stage that is all about delight. This is where the core of keeping existing customers satisfied comes in. By continuously producing customized content that meets your customers’ needs and expectations, you will both retain existing customers and attract new ones. Your company increases its credibility. This is what makes inbound marketing so powerful – it all works as a virtuous circle!
What is the difference between inbound and outbound marketing?
Outbound marketing represents the more traditional methods of marketing. Typical examples of outbound marketing include TV commercials, ads and banners, posters, or mass communication via email.
The method can be effective if your goal is to communicate a general message to a broad audience, or if you want to increase awareness of your brand.
Outbound summarized:
- A message is delivered to people who have not asked for it
- The communication is one-way – a monologue
- No focus on perceived value or benefits
Inbound summarized:
- You earn your audience’s attention
- It’s a dialogue
- The content provides value, insight, and entertainment
Summary
Do you think inbound marketing sounded useful and interesting? If it’s something you’d like to learn more about, we recommend getting in touch with us to receive support from our skilled experts!
