Inbound marketing is on everyone’s lips! It is all over your LinkedIn posts and is the subject of many webinars. Presented as the new ultra-effective method for converting prospects, but do you really know the definition of inbound marketing? This term is appealing but may seem a little vague if you are used to the theoretical concepts of marketing that you were taught in school.
Do you remember? Back then, marketing boiled down to understanding supply and demand, conducting market research, creating customer files, and knowing a whole range of sales techniques referred to by acronyms whose meanings we rarely remember (hello SONCAS/CAP, 4P, SMART, etc.)?
Thanks to digital technology, new marketing techniques are now emerging and must be mastered. Say hello to inbound marketing. We explain this new methodology to you in three points.
The definition of inbound marketing: the prospect before the product
Inbound marketing is establishing itself as the new marketing. Traditional marketing, known as “outbound marketing,” works by interruption, with advertising messages unexpectedly interrupting the prospect without their permission. This older form of marketing placed the product at the center of its strategy with little regard for the consumer. This includes cold calling or flyers in the mailbox.
Today, the goal is to attract the customer by offering an answer to a question they are asking. Inbound marketing is based on content and the prospect’s needs, not on the product.
Attract to collect
The definition of inbound marketing? Attract visitors through the content offered by the company. Once attracted, you need to collect the prospect’s contact details to turn them into a lead and then convert them into a customer.
An inbound marketing strategy is also used when a company aims for prospects to naturally turn to it. The company offers information or an experience, becomes known to the prospect, and the latter naturally turns to it for future needs.
For example: You have just opened a bakery. To gain new customers, you can offer mini pastries every Tuesday morning from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., chat with passersby, and ask where they live. You can then send them little notes in their mailboxes with a discount on your specialty for their next visit.
The definition of inbound marketing is not limited to products alone. If you sell a service through a website or an app, use inbound marketing to offer the download of free content that will allow you to collect the prospect’s email address.)
Also read: 5 techniques for collecting more emails from your website
For example: You offer home care services. You can create a video or a downloadable PDF on a useful topic such as: “How acupuncture helps you relax on a daily basis”. Your visitor downloads the content out of curiosity, then realizes that your app or website offers appointments with at-home acupuncturists. During their next spike of stress, they are then more likely to turn to you, since they already know you! Congratulations, you have just taken your first inbound marketing action! ?
Should outbound marketing be forgotten?
No! Why throw the baby out with the bathwater? In our definition of inbound marketing, we said that it is establishing itself as the new marketing. But one marketing strategy does not cancel out the other. They complement each other and may even attract each other.
Outbound marketing is indeed a method from the past, but it has proven itself. Putting up posters in public places, renting advertising space, or trying to send a very thoughtful email can at the very least bring you brand awareness, and that is a good start! Outbound can also boost your sales occasionally if inbound is not enough. That said, we strongly recommend that you do not rely solely on outbound.
Adopting a 60% inbound and 40% outbound strategy can be a good goal. You can then gradually increase your inbound marketing because it is true that inbound marketing requires much more work in content creation, since you cannot just highlight your product. You must create information that is relevant, useful, and sought after by as many people as possible.
Understanding prospect behavior
No inbound marketing without a prospect. They are at the heart of the strategy. Your persona (target customer) must be defined in every detail. You absolutely must know what information they want to know in order to create the right content.
Five key points about your persona must be mastered perfectly for a good inbound strategy:
- Their personality
- Their needs
- Their behavior
- Their motivations and obstacles
- Their affinities / preferred use of your product
Thanks to these elements, you can now design a sales funnel that will begin after collecting your prospect’s contact details.
How do you obtain this ideal customer’s contact details? Through the quality of your content. Remember, you will be able to obtain your prospect’s information when they have consumed one of your pieces of content for the first time and found it so interesting that they agree to leave you their email.
Their personal data is what they hold most dear. Giving it to you is a major sign of trust. That is why the content you produce must live up to expectations; otherwise, they will not hesitate to unsubscribe from your newsletter, for example.
What is inbound marketing used for?
Content marketing, or inbound marketing, makes it possible to establish a brand content strategy. Unlike outbound marketing, where the company rents advertising space to gain exposure, inbound marketing allows the brand to own its content because it produces it itself. It does not depend on a medium (television or newspapers, for example) to showcase its product, but instead creates its Instagram account and manages all communication around its product. It therefore creates the story of its brand through its content and does brand content.
Content creation will also improve organic search ranking (SEO), since the company is an expert in its product, tells a story around it, and tries to inform the future customer rather than overwhelm them with unsolicited advertising that is often ignored.
In short, inbound marketing contributes to the brand’s attraction and communication strategy, and naturally brings the customer in by offering content over the long term.
Inbound marketing in B2B and B2C
Good news! Inbound marketing has a place in your sales strategy regardless of your type of business. B2C or B2B —whether you sell goods or services—there is always content to produce! Be an expert in your field, and you will gain undeniable recognition that will be recognized by Google in particular (you may be placed at the top of the ranking when an internet user searches for your topic).
To become an expert on your topic, you have no choice. You must create content intended for your target customer and publish it in the right place.
Example: You sell men’s socks made from recycled cotton and Made in France for 40 euros a pair. You know that your persona is on Instagram, is looking for quality and style, and is sensitive to the environment. There is a good chance they browse Instagram and try to understand how they can protect the planet without sacrificing their comfort and sense of fashion. Your options? 3 Instagram posts per day and YouTube videos explaining how your socks are made. But be careful, the video should not be “only” about your socks; it is not an advertisement.
Your video could have the theme: “Follow the daily life of a French cotton producer.”
Offer before selling
Now that the importance of content creation in inbound marketing is understood, you must offer before selling and implement an operational content strategy:
Also read: Lead nurturing: what are the impacts of Marketing Automation?
Attract the visitor and turn them into a lead
Four verbs to remember for a good inbound marketing strategy:
- Attract
- Transform
- Convert
- Build loyalty
Through content creation, you can attract visitors to your blog or to the page of your social network dedicated to the brand. If you have attracted a visitor to your podcast, for example, you can then encourage them to download a practical guide in order to collect their email. Step 1 is validated! ✅
Also read: Lead magnet: everything you need to know about this inbound marketing technique
To turn them into a lead, you must increase their interest in your company through the sending of newsletters and promo codes. Your lead knows you vaguely; you must now encourage them to like you, trust you, and then buy what you offer them. The key to turning someone into a lead is the relationship with the prospect. You need to create familiarity with them so that they become attached to you and your product. The goal is then for them to think of you more and more and finally decide to buy. Step 2 validated! ✅
Convert the lead and build customer loyalty
The lead conversion stage is crucial! This is where the loss of prospects is greatest, so this is where you need to get to know your prospect even better. AND GO ALL IN ON CONTENT! It is essential to create tailor-made content that anticipates their needs, conveys emotion, and stands out from your competitors. The lead nurturing technique is there for that: reassurance elements, personalization of the offer, customer support… You have to give it your all, and step 3 of lead conversion will be checked off ✅!
Also read: 3 content marketing strategies to guide your lead nurturing strategy
Bravoooo! You have converted your lead, but you should not stop there. You are now dealing with a customer. A real customer has high expectations of you because they have given you their money, their time, and their trust.
It is up to you to build loyalty so as not to waste this new relationship. How do you build loyalty? You can invest in creating tailor-made newsletters adapted to their new situation. They are now part of your customer “family” and must feel that they are special to you. You can offer them additional benefits (privileged offers, for example, vouchers, workshops, drinks, goodies, etc.). Many actions should be considered so as not to lose them and to enable them to be loyal and faithful to you.
So, ready to try inbound marketing to achieve your sales goals?
