Inbound Marketing: before you start selling, spark a conversation

What is inbound all about?

We live in a world where content is king: valuable resources are rewarded with more visitors, while poor sources are quickly written off. Inbound marketing is a set of strategies that allows companies to attract new prospects by offering them meaningful content that is useful to them. 

Currently, big brands around the globe are constantly developing inbound initiatives: ebooks, videos, blog posts, and podcasts, among others.  What is their purpose? It’s not selling (yet), but instead, starting a conversation. Amazon and Coca-Cola are some of the giants that take advantage of the inbound approach already.

If you offer your prospects something meaningful, they will come back to you. Give your prospects answers to their questions, pro-tips, guidance, and impactful information. Avoid starting the conversation by trying to sell.

(Courtesy of Invesp)

Don’t stop at engagement.

It is when potential customers start engaging with your content that you need to give your best. For starters, the fact that you got your prospect’s attention does not imply that they are purchase-ready. 

Potential customers require being aware of a problem or desire they have to then consider your value proposition and finally decide to purchase something from you. During that three-stage process, you need to earn your prospect’s trust. How do you do that? Inbound marketing: provide them with valuable, shareable, attractive and impactful content.

Even after prospects buy your products or services, you need to keep it up. Your approach requires being consistent – your brand can’t be friendly before purchase and indifferent after the transaction. Continue to nurture those relationships and keep delighting your customers to make sure they come back. Remember that once you’ve earned your clients’ trust, you become a reliable source of information for them. 

(Courtesy of Invesp)

A cost-effective strategy

Instead of spending all of your resources in paid advertising, your brand could save some money by generating content that is already within the company’s reach and expertise. With inbound strategies you will optimize your return of investment (ROI) for several reasons: 

• You’ll spend less on advertising and external content development.
• You’ll ensure that the prospects you get are actually interested in your product, your solutions, and your value proposition.
• Your content stays on your website indefinitely. 
• Delighted customers will become your brand evangelists, bringing you more prospects and sharing your content for free.
• In conclusion, the inbound strategy could be summarized in one single phrase: stop selling and start helping. With consistent planning and effort, customers will earn your trust, and you will become their reliable source for answers, advice, and solutions.

(Courtesy of Invesp)