Inbound marketing is an effective means of brand promotion. Inbound marketing is now downright essential.
The first and most popular inbound marketing tactic involves the use of content. It’s often the case that the phrases “content marketing” and “inbound marketing” are used interchangeably. The reality is that content marketing is a subset of inbound marketing.
With content marketing, brands publish original, helpful content on a blog. They optimize that content so that it ranks well in the search engine results pages. That’s how people discover it and connect with the brand. The idea is that the content is used to generate leads who can then be converted to paying customers.
Another popular means of inbound marketing is social media marketing. However, in this case, social media marketing isn’t paid advertising. It’s instead used to put a human face on the company. Digital marketers will often use social media to connect with an audience by posting something witty or a touching story that’s shared by people and has the potential to go viral. Brands get exposure and gain more followers when they adopt a sound social media strategy.
Did you know – Inbound Marketing costs less than outbound marketing
A 2011 Hubspot study found that leads obtained from inbound marketing efforts cost 62% less than leads from outbound marketing efforts. Take a look at the price you’ll pay for a click when you run an ad on a popular website and you won’t have any problem believing that statistic.
How are leads generated from inbound marketing efforts? There are several ways, but one of the most popular is to offer visitors something free in exchange for an email address. That email address can then be used for a “drip” email campaign.
The fact of the matter is that people use the Internet to search for information. When you just play along and provide exactly the kind of information that they’re searching for, you’re just blending in and not coming across as salesy at all.
In other words, with inbound marketing, you’re meeting people where they’re at. That keeps their defenses down.
The key here is to provide content that ranks well with the search engines, offers unique information not found elsewhere, and generates curiosity with its headline. Sometimes, providing that type of quality content requires professional assistance. As a result, you might need to make an investment in your content marketing efforts.
However, the payback is worth it.
Need help with your overall inbound marketing strategy? Contact us today.