Creating an Inbound Marketing Strategy

Recently updated on July 30th, 2024 at 04:57 pm

Inbound marketing is an effective way for a digital marketing strategy to be successful. While digital marketing covers all online marketing activities, inbound marketing is a strategic approach within digital marketing that focuses on creating valuable experiences to attract and engage customers. But how do you put this approach into practice?

A Breakdown of Inbound Marketing

Inbound vs outbound

Before taking a deeper dive, let’s start with the difference between inbound and outbound marketing. Inbound marketing aims to attract consumers who are already interested in your offering; this approach is more targeted. It’s about getting people to come to you. Outbound marketing, on the other hand, is about reaching a broader audience; even those who may not have shown prior interest in your offering. 

Both approaches have their unique strengths and how you use both or either one, depends on your marketing goals.

Customer-centricity

Inbound marketing is inherently customer-centric; the focus is to provide value at each stage of a customer’s journey. Some customers may be unaware of your brand, while others may be considering if you are the right choice, and some are already paying for your products or services – whatever their situation, your job is to align with them. 

This means establishing a relationship with customers by empowering them with valuable information that:

This approach aims to lead users to your website, where they can learn more about your business, and how they benefit from your offerings and eventually become paying customers.

A Deeper Look Into The Inbound Marketing Methodology

After identifying and understanding your target audience, it’s time to develop a content marketing strategy. This ensures that your digital marketing efforts (social media posts, videos, webinars) provide value, through education, answering questions, and solving problems, rather than just pushing products or services. It’s also crucial to understand the buyer’s journey in your market.

Attract

This stage is most relevant to the ‘strangers’ who don’t know your brand. The goal is to attract these strangers and turn them into visitors. This can be achieved by creating and sharing content:

• Blog posts: Writing articles that answer common questions your audience has (search intent)
• Social media posts: Sharing engaging and helpful content on platforms where your audience spends time (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn)

It’s also crucial to optimise your website and content so it appears in search results when potential customers look for information. 

Engage

Engaging is about getting to know your website visitors, who are now leads, and forming a relationship with them (transforming casual visitors into loyal customers). Using the knowledge you have of your audience, you can tailor content to ensure it is more relevant. 

For instance, a well-crafted email campaign can nurture a lead who downloaded an ebook. Similarly, active social media engagement keeps your audience connected and informed, by responding to comments and sharing relevant posts. 

Engaging your brand’s community effectively ensures your audience feels valued and understood. It’s about establishing a foundation of trust, paving the way for long-term relationships and sustained business growth.

Delight

Once a stranger becomes a regular visitor and eventually a loyal customer, this stage focuses on turning them into a promoter of your brand. This is achieved by providing value and exceptional customer service, even after the purchase. 

After a customer purchases your offering, you could send them a ‘Thank you’ email with a discount on their next purchase and ask them to share their experience on their personal social media profiles.

Inbound Marketing: A Customer-centric Approach

The heart of inbound marketing is empowerment. When you consistently offer valuable, relevant content, you’re helping customers make informed decisions to help solve their problems. This builds trust and positions your brand as a helpful resource rather than just a vendor. Taking the time to understand your audience and their pain points, makes them feel valued and understood. In turn, this makes them more likely to trust your brand.

If you’re looking to get started on your brand’s inbound marketing approach, you’ve come to the right place. Digital Doorway is a consulting firm that offers digital marketing strategy, collaboration, and implementation services. Send us an email today.