Skyrocket Your Success with Inbound Marketing
Let’s kick tradition to the curb!
The traditional methods of marketing are interruptive and don’t cut it anymore when it comes to modern buyers, inbound marketing is what works now as it focuses on acquiring the right customers.
Inbound marketing is better, and here are 5 reasons why
It’s Neither Disruptive Nor Aggressive
As inbound marketing tactics focus on earning interest and providing prospects with information that is relevant to their problem it doesn’t feel as aggressive as
outbound marketing techniques such as emails, and cold calling.
It’s Affordable
If your business plans are focused on the long term, inbound marketing can work out as a more cost-effective solution, with inbound leads costing 61% less on average than outbound leads.
This is because it focuses on a smaller section of prospects who are likelier to become customers
It’s More Personalized
A one-size-fits-all approach no longer works as you can’t mould your marketing efforts to suit all your prospects. The inbound approach to marketing leans heavily on customized content and fostering relationships.
It’s Evergreen
Inbound marketing is sustainable, be it an eBook or any other form of downloadable content, the information on it stays relevant, unlike outbound marketing content which needs to be refreshed regularly.
Customers Trust You More
Owing to the nature of inbound marketing, customers feel more in control of the situation as they can learn about your offerings in their own time without feeling bombarded by information.
That’s all well and good, but let’s take a look at what inbound marketing can do for you
The Inbound Difference
Hubspot states that 74% of marketers use inbound marketing as their primary approach. Inbound marketing focuses on beginning and sustaining a conversation and proceeding to continually delight them.
But how exactly does inbound marketing differ from the traditional approach?
Traditional Marketing Is Company Focused. Inbound Marketing Is Consumer Focused
Traditional marketing has an appalling 1.7% close rate, this is due to the fact that companies are constantly trying to force their way into the customer’s mind
regardless of whether they’re ready or not.
Inbound marketing focuses on nurturing prospects into customers at their own pace and guiding them toward the right purchase decision. While this may seem
to be a more time-consuming process, the 14.6% close rate it delivers speaks for itself.
Traditional Marketing Tells You What The Company Wants To Say, While Inbound Marketing Is More Direct & Interactive.
Traditional adverts don’t always talk about what the consumer wants to hear, inbound tactics such as blogs and social media allow your audience to engage in
back and forth communication, this keeps the conversation going!
Traditional Marketing Might Give Quick Results, But Inbound Marketing Gets Long Term Customers
Though we belittle traditional marketing, it can give you results, and quite quickly at that. Inbound marketing can take time to work its way in and get picked up by
search engines.
Keep putting out quality content and play the long game here, as it’s more likely to bring in quality leads that will eventually become customers.
Traditional Marketing Is An Interruption, Organic Marketing Helps Solve Problems.
Conventional marketing methods are also referred to as “interruptive marketing” as these methods are improperly timed and frustrating.
Inbound tactics focus on putting out content that attracts prospects who are aware of a problem they’re facing.
We’ve gone over the advantages of this marketing method, now let’s dive deep into how it works.
The Inbound Marketing Methodology
As seen above, inbound marketing takes the buyer through a flywheel as opposed to the conventional funnel. The three main components of this methodology are
Attract
This phase is all about earning attention, not forcing it. Attract prospects with useful content and do away with any barriers that slow them down from learning about your company.
Focus on content marketing, social media marketing, SEO and targeted paid advertising during this phase.
Engage
This is where you make it as easy as possible for consumers to buy from you through their preferred channels in their own time. Attempt to nurture a
relationship over closing a deal.
Focus on email and web personalization, multichannel communications (phone, email, chat, etc.) and “try before you buy” programs in this phase.
Delight
This is where you really cement yourself in your customer’s hearts and minds by helping, supporting and empowering them to reach their goals.
Focus on self-service tools such as chatbots, having proactive customer service, feedback surveys and loyalty programs in this phase So inbound marketing can bring in some solid leads, let’s look at how we can measure your success with the inbound methodology.
Measuring Inbound Marketing Success
There are a few key metrics to measure the effectiveness of your inbound strategy, they are:
Website Traffic
The number of visits your website gets is a clear indicator of the level of interest in your brand… if this traffic is organic. Analyse organic and paid traffic separately to avoid any confusion.
Lead Conversion Rate
This is the percentage of web visitors that turn into legitimate leads. This is a core metric that should be closely monitored, if it drops below your industry standard, this indicates an issue with either your messaging or your content.
Keep note of what sources drive the most traffic and what content drives the most leads.
Revenue Generated
This metric will tell you all you need to know about your overall ROI, if your brand effectively implements an inbound methodology, you should expect this metric to rise steadily.
Keep note of what sources drive the most traffic and what content drives the most leads.
There are a few tools at your disposal to track all your metrics.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is Google’s free analytics platform that helps you track metrics ranging from bounce rate to the number of visits and duration, it also allows you to segregate data based on platform, geography and much more.
Moz
Moz formerly focused on analytics and inbound marketing but has now shifted its sights to SEO, and provides valuable optimization insights for brands looking to step up their SEO game.
Resources For Further Learning
If this article has made you curious about the concept of inbound marketing, Hubspot, the creators of the inbound methodology, offer an in-depth course that elaborate on the core principles and tactics of inbound marketing.
Wrap Up
Inbound Marketing is the way to go for modern marketing and should be considered by companies of all sizes. The idea may be totally new to you or you may have considered making a move to this form of marketing but held back due to doubts and second thoughts, if you think that Inbound is the way forward, drop a line to [email protected] and let us help you get started.