You may not have heard of Inbound Marketing, but you’ve experienced it. Companies that practice Inbound are on page one of Google when you need to solve a problem, and their website is full of educational content that answers your questions. They’re honest, and they delight you so much you want to tell everyone within earshot how fabulous they are.
Inbound works for every industry, and because it rejects expensive tactics like TV and print ads, it’s a lot easier on your budget. Read my story as an example — I used just one facet of Inbound, and converted enough web traffic into customers to pay my full-time salary in 7 months!
Inbound centers around the needs of your target prospects, always empathizing with where they are in their unique buyer’s journey.
Successful Inbound relies on a thoughtful mix of content and engagement:
- A user-optimized website with lead conversion paths
- Educational content that addresses buyer questions, concerns and objections
- Email nurturing prospects with content relevant to their position in the sales cycle
- Social media: the channels most used by your target buyers
- Analyzing what does and doesn’t work, and adjusting along the way
- Delighting customers pre and post-sale so much they become promoters of your business
Image credit: HubSpot