Inbound marketing (or indirect marketing) is one of the most efficient current ways to attract new consumers and retain existing ones. In this article we will explain what the main concepts of this technique are, how it is applied, and what are the tools that provide this service.
Well, let’s start by explaining what inbound marketing is. , one of the companies that created the concept of , defines this strategy as any marketing tactic that is based on gaining the interest of people instead of buying it. This new concept was born in response to the changes in consumer behavior They stopped being passive in terms of advertising interruptions from traditional media and became more demanding with their time.
In fact, today it is difficult to see promotional strategies that really charm and win the interest of the user instead of buying it. On the contrary, it is common to be followed on the internet by retargeting banners or to see our email inboxes full of useless messages about products that do not even interest us. Today the consumer prefers to investigate what he is going to buy before doing so. Inbound marketing is the solution for the new consumption paradigm.
How does inbound marketing work?
Imagine the following: you want to buy a new cell phone, but you don’t know which model to choose. To clear up your doubts, enter in Google ‘which is the best smartphone’ and browse some sites informing you of the characteristics of each model. In one of those stores you find a free ebook (or access any other type of content) explaining the advantages and disadvantages of the main smartphones on the market. You download the ebook, you receive an email from the store a few days later asking if you liked that content, and it also offers you new articles on the subject. Amazing, right?
That is basically the concept of inbound marketing. You will make customers like you by becoming helpful and friendly to them. But to create that impression you need to deliver the right content at the right time. Imagine receiving a random email from a brand you don’t know, the chances of deleting the email without even reading it are high. Bearing this in mind, there are some pillars that must be worked on to ensure that this content arrives at the exact moment:
1. Map your potential customers
First of all, the first step you must take is to have your target audience well defined. What type of person consumes your product or service? What kind of content are your customers interested in? How do they currently consume that content? where? Try to know all these answers and, from there, divide your current and potential customers into different groups to then begin to offer them what each one wants and needs.
2. Invest in content
Having one is essential. If you have enough budget, hire a person to produce the material for you. Invest in the visual appeal of infographics and the impact of how-to videos. The world of the internet is constantly evolving and mutating, users need to be well informed so as not to be left behind. If you manage to become the quintessential source of instruction for your customers, they will certainly become loyal to your brand.
3. Understand the customer buying cycle
Inbound marketing will help you generate new leads (visits that interact with your page). But what do we do with them? After you have deciphered your potential customers, you will have to design a buying cycle for each group. What is a group? A group of people who are in the same stage of purchase, there will be many groups in various parts of the process. For this reason, you will have to interact differently with each one of them. Understanding your entire purchase cycle is a huge step towards converting those users into customers.
4. Be present where your client is
Does your client spend a lot of time on Facebook? Make a presence on Facebook! Does your client like to look for news on blogs? make one! It is important that above all things you understand the area where your client moves. To achieve a successful business you must be where the money is, that is, where the consumer is.
Means to do inbound marketing
There are several ways to do indirect marketing, here we share the most common:
1.SEO
It is essential to be well positioned when someone enters a search engine (Google, Bing, Ask, etc.) related to the keywords of your business. If well used, the technique of . Do you remember what we said earlier about the change in the way users consume? Okay, Today’s consumer does a lot of research before choosing which product to buy; therefore, it is extremely important to appear as high as possible in the search engines.
2. landing page
What is the first reaction of someone who searches for something, enters a site and sees bad content? Leave the page and look for other better sites, right? Think of your landing pages as gateways to your store. If they are attractive and have good content, they are likely to capture the attention of potential customers for longer and, therefore, move them forward in the purchase process.
3. Social networks
Latino consumers are fanatics of the internet and social media. , doubling the average global consumption; and that 5 of the 10 markets most involved with social content in the world are located in Latin America. For these reasons it is necessary to make a brand presence in social networks. The current consumer is found in , , , etc. Take advantage of your content to send it to users through social networks, invite them to participate in a raffle, summon them and ask for their opinion. In short, earn their trust and interest, do not buy it.
4. Blog
Having a blog is the best way to attract the attention of new visitors. This is where inbound marketing begins. Manage to create quality content and connect them with the users you identified in the mapping of potential clients (discussed above).
5. Converting visits into leads
There will come a time when your online store has considerable traffic but you are struggling to convert those visits into leads (visits that interact with your page). Calm down, this process is normal and there are ways to reverse it.
The first thing you should do is encourage visitors to interact with your page, this can happen using . If you created an ebook, for example, place an attractive button on your site that encourages the user to click on it and download the material. If the CTA and content are good, your chances of converting visitors into leads will increase.
Getting the click from the potential customer is the most difficult task in this conversion process, but an important part is still missing. Once the person has clicked on your CTA, they will be directed to a landing page with a form where they will have to fill in basic information such as name, email, telephone, etc.
Forms are scary. Being aware of this, request only the data you need. If you only need the name and email for your database, avoid asking for the phone number. Keep in mind that the smaller the form, the more likely people are to fill it out to the end.
6. Transforming leads into consumers
After obtaining the data of a consumer you will have the possibility to continue in contact with him and transform him into a client. Invest in that relationship and continue to offer them qualified content so that they perceive your product as valuable.
Let’s go back to the first example of the consumer who wants the best smartphone on the market: he has already downloaded the ebook, but perhaps he still has certain reservations about making a large investment in a cell phone. Is it time to offer him a good offer or is it preferable to continue nurturing the relationship?
The first alternative seems good, but first, what if you send him an email asking if the content was helpful in choosing the cell phone? Then, based on their answer, you will have more information to make the right decision. If he tells you that he liked a certain cell phone, you can offer him a promotion on that model.
Remember when we talked about designing the buying cycle for potential customers? Here is the time to put that into practice. Going back to the smartphone example: For the person who responded to the second email, it may be time to offer them a tempting offer. On the other hand, the user who did not respond to the message is in another stage of the cycle and still needs to establish a trust relationship with your site before purchasing the product.
inbound marketing tools
There are platforms capable of facilitating and integrating all of this that we talked about in the article. In addition to the points already mentioned, they also allow:
1. Automate marketing campaigns
If the potential client downloads the ebook on smartphones, they will automatically receive content related to mobile devices, that is basic. These tools are able to identify if a person has altered their behavior (began to visit pages related to video games, for example) and immediately begin to send content about games to their mailbox.
2. Separate leads based on attitudes
The person who downloaded the ebook and replied to your email with their preferred cell phone is certainly in a different stage from the person who just downloaded the content and ignored your message. Use inbound marketing tools to attribute values related to the activities of potential customers and classify them into different categories.
3. Display different CTA’s for different customers
It may sound redundant to show a call to action encouraging someone who has already downloaded an ebook to download an ebook. Use inbound marketing tools to create intelligent CTA’s, that is, they understand that a certain person has already clicked on that material and go on to show another CTA.
4. Monitoring
Much of the inbound marketing tools integrate monitoring into their services. There are platforms exclusively dedicated to monitoring but it is good to know that there are indirect marketing services that also play that role.
You like me? Do you already do inbound marketing and want to optimize your efforts? Learn about some tools that can help you:
Synthesis
The benefits cited throughout the text speak for themselves: do indirect marketing regardless of the stage of your business! If you are starting to sell in the online world, start and create relevant content, adopting some , and . When your business is at a more advanced stage, and take advantage of all the benefits it can offer you.
Good luck!
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