Are you using inbound marketing to grow your business? Do you even know what the heck that term means?
If you’ve been part of the online marketplace for any amount of time, you’ve likely heard the term thrown around. But, if you aren’t exactly sure what it is, then you’ll want to stick around to learn not only what it is, but how you can start using it to grow your biz!
Inbound Marketing – A Definition
Here’s how inbound marketing leader Hubspot defines the term,“attracting customers through relevant and helpful content and adding value at every stage in your customer’s buying journey.”
Simply put, it’s a way to get leads flowing through your virtual doors without reaching out to them through cold emails or using other direct advertising methods. Inbound marketing provides value to your audience before you ask for their money. By becoming a valuable resource, you create that coveted holy grail of being known, liked, and trusted in a way that simply can’t happen when you’re screaming your marketing message from a megaphone. Potential clients will trust you because you teach them and help them solve their problems for free. (Yes, for free, and yes, that does turn into money down the road!)
Why Inbound Marketing Is the Future
Inbound marketing works because it tells your customers that you care. Awww. You help them solve their problems and they help you by buying your stuff. It’s also a bit of a mindset shift. Instead of bombarding people’s inboxes with sales emails and ads, you create valuable content that helps your readers solve specific problems. Gone is the hard sales pitch, here to stay is the solution! When people start interacting with your business they start trusting you, and that’s when the sale happens naturally.
Does it take longer?
It can. But, if you’re here to stay in the online business world, I’m thinking that you’d probably rather play the long game anyway, right? I knew you were smart ; )
Let’s do this! Applying the Strategy
Now that you know what inbound marketing is, let’s get it working in your business. While there are many ways to go, here’s a quick strategy you’re welcome to steal for your own business model.
Step one is to figure out what problem your ideal clients have that you can help them start to solve with information.
If you just froze reading that because you have no flipping clue what problem they have, here’s a strategy worth a million bucks – ask them! Yep, if you don’t know what they need to hear from you, ask them with a survey or through client interviews. It’s super simple and super effective. (You can put the check in the mail, or I also accept payment in the form of yarn shop gift cards).
Now, let’s say you sell family photography. Now, let’s say that you spoke with past clients and found out that one of the main problems your clients experience is that they don’t know what the heck to do with all those digital files they’ve collected over the years from photography sessions. They need help figuring out what products they can create with those images.
Armed with this info, you could create a targeted blog post article all about ways to display your family photos. In said post you would target specific keyword phrases (yep, SEO) to drive traffic to your page. When they arrive to your page it would be full of amazing information that they need. At the bottom of your blog post you could include a link to a landing page that would allow them to download something that would help them even more (could be a resource list, guide to creating an album, etc.)
In exchange for this “must have” resource, you will receive their email address. Now you have the ability to use email to nurture this prospect along the journey towards making a buying decision.
The great thing about inbound marketing is that it works, no matter what business you’re in…photography, SaaS, knitting, Star Wars memorabilia etc…
Is it a Sales Pitch?
Not really! It can’t be stressed enough that inbound marketing is not a loud, in your face, sales message, and this is a good thing!
People’s attention spans are circling the drain, and people are avoiding ads as much as possible. Be honest, do you spring for the ad free version of Hulu? Or, perhaps record shows and fast forward the commercials? You’re not alone! The truth is, 86% of people skip television ads. People don’t want to be sold to, and they are becoming immune to the average advertising method.
The good news is that for brands with a message to share, there is a huge opportunity to get your audience’s attention without screaming at them. Yay! Teach them, help them solve a problem or entertain them, all while building your brand’s authority and your customer base.
Ready for more?
Are you ready to start helping your ideal clients solve their problems with your content? You’re in luck! I created a free guide to teach you 5 things you can do right now to increase your content conversions. Want your own copy? Send me an email and tell me a little about your project goals and I will send it your way!