5 tips for building a strong inbound marketing strategy

So you’re thinking of adopting an inbound approach to enhance your marketing efforts?

We think that’s a great idea, but it’s important to know why inbound marketing techniques would be a good fit for your organization, how they will complement your organization’s goals, and how they will help you achieve results.

It’s also important to understand that inbound marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all process.

There are many different techniques and methods that can be altered and customized to create a tailored plan for your company. And that’s what makes inbound marketing plans so effective: they can be built and managed with an organization’s goals in mind and adapted to meet the needs of customers based on feedback and data.

So without further ado, let’s see why an inbound marketing strategy could be the solution your organization has been looking for.

Inbound marketing isn't a one-size-fits all approach. It can be tailored to
find the best ways to connect you and your audience. 

Why inbound is in

There are a number of reasons for choosing inbound as your go-to marketing strategy.

Inbound strategies differ from more traditional marketing methods in that they are aimed at gently directing consumers toward your products and services, rather than pushing them there with overt advertisements. Thus, instead of going out to reach potential customers with traditional ads, inbound marketing methods are used to bring the customers to you.

Inbound marketing uses several methods to build a conduit for potential consumers to find your products and services online. Some of the most common are:

• Social media marketing
• Blogging and content marketing
• Podcasts
• eBooks and whitepapers
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)

Doug McIsaac, a lead generation expert, notes in a recent LinkedIn post the following statistics to make a case for a strong inbound strategy:

• More than 75 percent of consumers look for local businesses when they search online.
• Almost 75 percent of adults with disposable income use their online time to shop for themselves or for their businesses.
• Eighty percent of adults spend almost 40 hours a month online.
• More than 90 percent of internet users will conduct an online search to research a product or service they are considering for purchase.

Tips for successful inbound marketing plans

Once you embrace the inbound philosophy, it is time to figure out how to make it work for your particular business. Here are some helpful tips to get you started from HubSpot, a leader in the field of inbound marketing:

1. Define your objectives

As with any strategy you pursue, you must first determine your goals for inbound marketing. This includes things such as:

• Identifying your target audience
• Performing market research to see what competitors are doing
• Crafting a buyer persona to more clearly define your potential consumers

2. Announce your presence

Inbound marketing is about putting your products and services front and center in the minds of your target audience. The goal is to establish yourself as an authority in your field and a leader in your industry. Then, when potential customers are ready to convert, you are already their go-to source for valuable, relevant information. Some ways to accomplish this are:

• Upgrading your website for search engine optimization (SEO) and mobile search
• Providing clear, concise, pertinent information with your blog
• Using a variety of social media platforms to share relevant, engaging information
• Using pay-per-click campaigns as needed to increase interest

3. Acquire and nurture leads

When visitors land on your website, be sure to have something there that encourages them to linger. Provide long-form content like eBooks and whitepapers that give the reader important information and help drive conversions.

Once you provide that kind of premium content, nurture the leads you have acquired with well-designed email drip campaigns and a steady supply of information-rich content. This builds value in the minds of your audience, and establishes you as a leader in your field.

Looking for ways to reach and connect with your audience? Share inbound tactics like podcasts via social media, blogs, or email marketing. 

4. Pay attention to retention

A vital part of your inbound strategy must be customer retention. Continue to build a strong relationship with customers after the sale by:

• Providing excellent customer service
• Crafting a referral program that rewards brand loyalty
• Maintaining contact with your customer base via email and newsletters

5. Analyze your results and act on them

Once your strategy is in motion, it is time to measure the success of your inbound marketing efforts. Inbound offers a lot more opportunity to gather data and analyze the effectiveness of your strategies and tactics. And once you examine the results of your efforts, you can see how well they've supported your customer’s journey and fit into your sales funnel in order to determine how and where to make improvements.

You can then adjust your inbound strategies to address customer pain points, to maximize strengths, and to bolster your efforts to reach your projected goals and nurture your potential customers.

The bottom line

Inbound marketing requires a concerted, comprehensive effort if it is to be done well. As part of an integrated marketing strategy, inbound provides the best method of finding, attracting, converting, and retaining loyal customers.

Measuring ROI is always a lot easier when you have clearly defined goals. Download this free template to keep your marketing and sales goals on the same page and ensure that your resulting metrics deliver the feedback that helps grow your organization’s success.

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