Business owners realize that the most important indicator of the health of their business is the the stability of qualified leads that turn into new customers. Without the lifeblood of new customers, a business stagnates and dies.
Inbound marketing has emerged as a critical marketing plan for success. Inbound marketing is a strategy that utilizes many tactics that are permissive in nature such as; content marketing, blogs, podcasts, eBooks, whitepapers, SEO, social media, and more – to create brand awareness and attract potential new customers through value and engagement.
To understand inbound marketing and how it works, it’s important to understand outbound marketing and some of its tactics. Outbound marketing is more disruptive and is more traditional. Outbound marketing is relies on radio, TV, radio, billboards, magazines, newspapers, direct mail, and advertisements. Outbound marketing can also be conducted online via email, banner ads, and paid digital advertising like PPC (Paid Per Click). Marketers main objective is to find customers and direct their attention and interest to their products and services. In this kind of marketing, the customer is redirected from their intended activity to something unrelated in the hopes that they act on that redirection.
In contrast, Inbound Marketing seeks to earn the attention of potential customers through value and makes the company easily found as customers search for solutions to their problems and interests. Inbound Marketing is extremely effective and targets behaviors that enable you to engage in long term relationships.
So much information can be very overwhelming but investing in the right resources can propel your business forward, reaping significant dividends.
The internet is a crowded place. Customers and potential customers will always gravitate towards the path of least resistance. If your business doesn’t rank very high, it will be tough for your target audience to find you, meaning they will probably go to your competitor. Customers have information available to them with a simple swipe on their mobile devices. They can access pricing, reviews, competitors information, and can buy products and services that are delivered instantaneously.
Inbound Marketing builds brand awareness, develops relationships and generates leads. It attracts the right customers to your website so that you don’t have to chase them down and try to win their attention. It helps them find your company during every stage of the buying process, and influences their decision making process. You become a trusted source and earn their business when you add value to your product and invest in building that relationship.
Making the right investment with your marketing dollars can pay big dividends, and it isn’t about how much money you spend. It’s all about the effort you put behind the strategy and the quality of content produced. Creating the right content requires that you invest in understanding who your target audience is and what drives them – what do they value, what problems are they hoping to address? By developing a relationship with them, by putting the time and effort into getting to know them, they reciprocate by taking action to become loyal customers.
In the fast-paced, ever-changing business environment, consumers are exposed to more information than ever before. As a sophisticated marketer, it is your job to cut through all of the confusion and noise to deliver a unique experience.
At Boston SEO for Growth, we educate and assist small- to medium-sized businesses in building their marketing toolbox. This enables you to implement a methodical approach to attracting the right customers, generating leads and growing your business. We help develop strategies and deploy tactics that take the confusion and clutter out of your marketing plan, and put confidence back into your strategy. Contact us today for a consultation.