Inbound marketing is a perfect example of the saying "necessity is the mother of invention." Before the internet, the steps people took before buying something were very different. Customers had to contact the seller in order to get details about what they were interested in.
These days, all of that information, and much more of it, is at the customer's fingertips. They can go through the entire purchasing process without ever leaving home or speaking to anyone affiliated with the business. Due to this change, marketing styles have been forced to adapt.
Here are 5 steps to get you started on a successful inbound marketing campaign
1. Be dynamic
It’s important to grab the customer’s eye as soon as possible. Posting content with no appeal or having a boring website can make people forget you before they've ever even considered you. Inbound marketing relies heavily on the purchaser doing a fair amount of the work. Making this “work” fun and exciting is a great way to capture and keep the customer’s attention.
2. Eliminate hurdles
Inbound marketing is much more successful when the buying process is streamlined. Because the customer is now doing more of the leg-work, it’s important to make their path as smooth as possible. This means load times should be fast, browsing should be easy, and information needs to be up to date. In all likelihood there are more than a few business offering the exact same products and/or services you are, don’t give customers a reason to seek out your competitors.
3. Socialize
This is of course referring to social media, not standing around the water cooler. Make it easy for people to find, share, and engage with your social media accounts. If you don’t have an official Facebook page, make one. Create a Twitter account, same goes for Instagram. There are literally millions of people using social media sites every single day and inbound marketing takes advantage of this.
A 2012 study, based on responses from 58,000 people, found 70% of those who responded trust brand recommendations from their friends. The same study found 46% of people trust consumer reviews while just 9% trust text messages from brands. People trust people they know. The easiest way for them to communicate with a large number of their friends at the same time is through their social media accounts. Give people the option to like, share, retweet, favorite, and post about your business. Their friends and followers are listening.
4. Blog
Inbound marketing is more about what people find than it is what they’re shown. Chances are if you’re selling something, someone is going to write about it online. It may just be a few tweets that add up to a product review, but they are still taking the time to put information about your company online. Why wouldn't you do the same?
Posting blogs can not only bring in traffic, but can also give people a casual introduction to what your company is all about. Plus, a company blog is a great venue for people to find answers to questions they may have. Maybe they heard something from a friend but need clarification. A blog post may hold the answer and if not, there should be a comments section where people can ask their questions.
5.Follow the golden rule
Everyone heard the golden rule when they were young; treat others the way you want to be treated. As with most aspects of life, this applies to inbound marketing as well. Think of it this way, would you want to date or be friends with someone who was constantly talking only about themselves and telling you how great they were all the time? Probably not.
As such, if you’re constantly bombarding someone with emails and pop-up ads they’re going to get annoyed with you fairly quick. In place of those email blasts and pop-ups, listen to what people have to say. Instead of shoving content in their face, take their needs into consideration and find an appropriate time and place to bring yourself into the conversation.
Inbound marketing is somewhat like a relationship. Both parties need to be able to easily engage with each other, they need to listen to what the other is saying, and they need to be able to respond appropriately. Compromising any aspect of that relationship will only lead to it failing.
