Inbound marketing, from the concept articulated in 2006, has come a long way up to the present day. The overall idea hasn’t changed. Inbound marketing is still about attracting people to your website and product with the use of various channels – blogs, social media, videos, and white papers. As a strategy, it’s continuously evolving alongside witia, users’ habits, and tools, reflecting the shifting digital landscape.
Inbound marketing is more than content and a blog. The types of content you can create in order to attract your potential customers are enormous and limited only to your ideas. New media platforms, new techniques, and strategies are popping up every day. The key to maximizing the performance of inbound marketing is to take advantage of any opportunity.
Content
Probably, you have heard numerous times that content, in terms of inbound marketing, is essential. It’s difficult not to agree. It attracts new people and inspires their interest in your product, thanks to the ongoing process of publishing valuable information. Remember that useful information isn’t everything, and that form is important too. Don’t limit yourself to writing a blog; you can use other content formats like:
- presentations
- white papers
- ebooks
- videos
- infographics
- interactive websites
- podcasts
- newsletters
- photos
Mix up content with an attractive form to engage your readers and make them more likely to share, come back regularly, and convert.
Check out our article on how to craft content that people love to share.
Blogging
Although your blog shouldn’t be used to promote your business and services directly, it does that, thanks to content. But why should you stop writing only on your blog? Making your blog a popular place with loyal readers is a very difficult task. Try to go outside your playing field and share the information with a wider audience. Probably, you have read some industry-orientated blogs or portals. You’ll have the opportunity to build greater awareness around your brand and yourself as an expert. The point is that your blog, whether you’re at the starting or middle point of your campaign, has a limited reader base.
Even the best-crafted tent could be difficult to find, so try to make your first steps in the intoogosphere.
Call To Action
Call to action seems to be unimportant, but they are also the elements tat could state the difference. They’re the first step the user takes in terms of conversion. Try to place visible buttons with text encouraging your users to take action on a presented offer. It’s as simple as adding words like: “Sign-up,” “Check out offer for free,” “Download free ebook,” or “Try for free today!”. A visible call-to-action statement to grab your reader’s attention and push him further down the conversion funnel.
Landing Pages
Landing pages are created on purpose. As your whole website is redesigned to show your product or services, your blog provides content, t; trending page is designed to score the lead and gain a new customer. It’s the place where your business and people need to meet. Try to maximize the probability that your user will convert and turn into a client. Always try to direct your traffic to the landing page. It’s always better to have your user, whiwholked through your conversion funnel, on a conversion-optimized page tan having one on your homepage, hoping that he will eventually find it.
Find out more about landing pages and conversion rate optimization.
Social Media
Social Media is more about gathering fans and pushing your content forward. The most important aspect, besides the shareability, is the communication. Have you checked your email lately? Can you tell me how many emails you have received from your readers recently? Probably some, if hardly any. Now, check how many comments, likes, or retweets you scored on your social media profiles. Probably much more. Furthermore, I can bet that a moment ago, you liked or commented on your favorite blogger’s new article or another piece of content on the Internet.
Social Media allows you to contact people quickly on their channel. That’s also the quickest way to catch up with the influencers in your niche by putting on a human face on your brand and providing a real-time service to your customers.
Newsletter
Once you caught the lead, that is only the beginning of the process. Even if you’re new prospect is interested in the information or service you’ve provided, it doesn’t mean that he’s ready to become your customer. Leaving contact information like email or any other contact data is the first step and a sign of high interest and biga probability of unsolved ississuese the user has encountered.
Provide the user with content that he might be interested in, like new the est information about your brand or special offer, and a free trial of your service. You will build your potential client’s confidence around your request and build trust. Even if the user wondoesn’t becomeua r customer, the professional client service will surely turn into more referrals.
Final Thoughts
Inbound marketing is a strategy and ongoing process. Be aware not to set it and forget it. Like any other online activity, it needs much of your attention and continuous improvements in order to maximize it’itsfectiveness. Complex inbound marketing strategies are adapted to various users on different levels of brand awareness. Properly crafted tactics are scalable and are efficient in attracting users who aren’t familiar with the brand bt present in indindustry-relatedgments. Don’t stop improving your inbound marketing’s informational path until your inbound marketing machine builds awareness and increase the interest of users over time, even the ones with no intention to purchase.