The main goal of any successful business is to connect with its customers or potential customers and to sell a product. In a world filled with endless amounts of social media images and television commercials, how do you make your business stand out and how do you make sure that you’re reaching the right people? What if we told you there was a magic formula to help you connect with your best potential clients and bring them right to your doorstep? Would you believe us? In the marketing world, there’s no need to rub a magic lamp like the genie in Aladdin or shake a Magic 8 Ball the way you did as a kid. The solution is a magic formula called Inbound Marketing.
What is Inbound Marketing?
Inbound Marketing is defined by HubSpot as “the method of growing your organization by building meaningful, lasting relationships with consumers, prospects, and customers. It’s about valuing and empowering these people to reach their goals at any stage in their journey with you.” In other words, Inbound Marketing is simply knowing who you are trying to reach and creating engaging ways for your clients to naturally desire to connect with you as a brand.
Think about how many ads you see each day when you scroll through social media. How many of them are relevant to you? What if instead of seeing endless ads for things you don’t want (or need) all the content was tailor-made to interest you and make you want to check out a brand? This is the idea behind Inbound Marketing. In essence, it’s as though Inbound Marketing seeks to connect with your customers as if you weren’t advertising to them at all. Instead, you are creating valuable and necessary content and conversations that they want more of and want to continue coming back for.
How to get started with Inbound Marketing
Inbound Marketing can be done in many different ways. In today’s era of constant social media noise, it’s important that your brand isn’t just “piling on.” You don’t want to be another ad talking “at someone.” Instead, it is imperative to talk with your potential customers and to make them care about what you have to say. Your customer’s journey begins long before they ever get to the check-out on your website or the register at your storefront. According to HubSpot Inbound Marketing is done with three steps:
- Attract: Using dynamic content that is valuable to your potential client so that you are making sure to bring in and attract the right customers.
- Engage: Presenting solutions and options that are relevant and needed by the customer, and showing them why your product is the right one for their needs.
- Delight: Going the extra mile for your customers and reassuring them that they made the right choice in purchasing from you.
How is Inbound Marketing Different?
Traditional marketing of the past could be likened to a person standing on the corner with a megaphone yelling at you. It doesn’t matter if you’re interested or not, the person standing there is going to yell their message at you no matter what because you happen to be passing by in front of them. Unfortunately for them, when you walk past their store and onto the next street to get away from the noise, they’re going to lose any potential sales that you may have provided them. Old-school marketing can often be seen as pushy, out of touch, and even annoying in some cases. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Inbound Marketing seeks to target the people who will be most interested in listening to your message and trying to communicate with them in ways that they are open to and looking for.
What are examples of Inbound Marketing?
Inbound Marketing can come in a myriad of forms. Blogs (like this one), interactive social media posts or graphics, and even colorful or engaging email campaigns are all forms of Inbound Marketing. The key is to realize that attention spans are short and your content has a lot of competition for those few precious seconds a customer has to spare. By creating something helpful, informative, or interesting to read or look at, you have given your brand the best shot at being remembered. Having great follow-up campaigns and customer service are also important parts of the cycle. Imagine bringing in a potential customer, selling them on a product, and then once they’re hooked and have made their purchase, bailing on them when they seek out help or have questions. The Inbound Marketing methodology focuses on meeting customers wherever they are in their journey and consistently reassuring them that your product or service is the best one for them and their needs.
The Takeaway
Inbound Marketing is an incredibly valuable and vital strategy for any growing business. It’s not about just talking “at” someone, it’s about talking to the right people. Inbound Marketing furthers the success of your business by meeting your potential customer where they are, providing materials or content to both attract and engage them, and then to reaffirm their confidence in their choice once a purchase has been made. So, now that you know the secret to success with Inbound Marketing, are you ready to reach new heights? Let Twin Peaks Communications help you connect with your potential customer through Inbound Marketing. Reach out to us today for a free consultation!
