Inbound marketing versus Outbound Marketing

The inbound marketing strategy is a technique and approach to marketing used to grow a business by means of creating deeper connections with the audience. Unlike outbound marketing and other traditional marketing strategies, it is used to make lasting relations with consumers and to produce advocates for the company, so that less resources are spent on marketing in the long-run. Through this method, an organisation can build momentum with potential leads and produce loyal customers that will do a lot of the brand promotion for you, as well as help with your online marketing efforts.

What does it involve?

Inbound marketing utilises multiple forms of marketing such as content marketing, blogs, SEO etc. (To learn more about SEO visit https://www.kbmmediasolutions.com/blog/demand-for-seo-experts.php) In order to attract customers, businesses focus on visibility so that potential consumers find your brand, instead of actively seeking them, like outbound marketing does.

This is more appealing than the traditional outbound marketing, as with Inbound marketing tactics, customers don’t feel like they’re being sold a product or service. Instead, they are more inclined to think that the company is helping them to solve a problem or improve an aspect of their life. It is more focused on organic leads and the use of Search Engine Optimisation, so can help to reduce overall budget and resources. However, it does require a little more planning on the part of the organisation to create an inbound marketing strategy, and you will need to measure performance.

How do you start Inbound Marketing?

In order to successfully achieve inbound marketing techniques, it is necessary to understand who your buyer personas are to produce potential leads. Within the target audience, there may be sub-sections of buyers which will need to be accommodated for, as they each have their own priorities and goals. Something that isn't taken into consideration as much with traditional marketing. It is therefore essential to take the time to understand the characteristics of your buyers and common behaviours among them that will help to redirect them to you, turning these visitors into leads.

After the target audience has been identified, you need to find the reasons that cause them to search for your product or service, known as marketing triggers. An inbound marketer must react to the needs of potential customers in order to gain traffic and publicity. So when you introduce your product to these potential buyers, you need to make sure that you stress the importance and value of it to fit the target audience.

Once you’ve identified the marketing triggers, you will need to delve into a bit of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to kickstart your inbound marketing campaigns. To be able to link the triggers with your brand, you need to create a list of keywords to include in compelling content. This inbound methodology will help to rank your website or brand higher on platforms such as YouTube or Google. Keyword research allows you to see the volume of certain keywords, and how difficult it is to rank for them. The higher the volume and the lower the difficulty, the more your website will rank online. Once you have found the right keywords, write them all down in a list, preferably categorised by subject. A great tool for this is dynalist.io. To find out more about SEO, visit our blog: https://www.kbmmediasolutions.com/blog/demand-for-seo-experts.php.

After you have created a list of keywords, you will need to implement some sort of sales funnel such as the one shown below.

Building awareness of your brand can be done through social media marketing, email marketing and quality content, such as blog posts and videos. It is key that you create both valuable content and relevant content. This can be done through your social media profiles. For more info on social media marketing, visit our blog: https://www.kbmmediasolutions.com/blog/social-media-marketing-during-covid-19.php.

Good content can also be achieved through the keyword research mentioned before, as people are generally searching for an answer to their problems. So writing compelling content is key. Lastly, developing your website with a refined user experience will let customers trust you more.

The evaluation stage is in the middle because it starts to introduce your product/service to your potential customer. This can be done through brochures, FAQs and webinars. It slowly positions your brand while still providing value to your consumers. Lastly, after all this information has been shared, and the consumer is enticed, they will move on to purchase your product or service. This completes the funnel, and can be repeated over time, converting visitors into leads, and you will slowly become a marketing professional.

What are the advantages of Inbound Marketing?

  • Firstly, it produces relevant leads that can be used to convert, especially for B2B marketers. By providing content, you give these potential customers a reason to get in touch with you and learn more about your brand.
  • It increases trust within your customers, as you build a strong relationship with them and gain credibility as an organisation. It also sets a good impression for newcomers to your site, as your brand hasn’t been pushed out to them and instead they have come of their own accord.
  • It is very cost-effective, as less money and resources are spent on marketing and instead more attention is spent on optimising sites and targeting a specific audience. However, it does require strategic planning and thinking in advance.
  • It increases the visibility of your brand without being disruptive. Due to the organic leads, the customers are more attracted and more inclined to find out more of your business.

To sum up, the Inbound methodology is a great technique when you don’t want to spend an excessive amount of money on traditional marketing techniques, such as display advertising. To come up with a plan and reach your business goals will take time using the inbound strategy, but it is worth it for what you get out of it. Your inbound marketing efforts will allow customers to eventually trust you more and build stronger relationships. It is very natural, so it is a reliable way of generating organic traffic through social networks and search engines. As well as all this, it creates advocates for your brand, so there is a passive source of traffic as well. It takes a lot of the work away when your own customers are promoting your brand and increasing your inbound efforts.

To learn more about Digital Marketing, visit: https://www.kbmmediasolutions.com/digital-marketing-training.php