Inbound marketing: 6 things you’re forgetting to do
Handy tools to use in your marketing strategy
28 June 2018
4 answers to the most frequently asked questions about content marketing
12 July 2018
Table of contents
- What is inbound marketing?
- What is outbound marketing?
- Why is inbound marketing important?
- Write specifically for the reader
- Give your audience original content
- Keep a content calendar
- Translate what you do well into online content
- Let content be the voice
- Look after your leads
- Digital marketing and website review
What is inbound marketing?
Inbound marketing is a strategy which focuses on attracting customers through content that they may find helpful and could provide them value. Your potential customers find you through social media, search engines and blogs mainly through your created content, without marketers or sales employees going out to find specific customers.
What is outbound marketing?
Outbound marketing is similar but focuses more on finding the client rather than them finding you through your valuable content. It can be done by direct mail, cold emailing, telemarketing etc. and is usually one way, as it’s the marketer who reaches out to people and not vice versa.
Why is inbound marketing important?
Inbound marketing is important for your business because it’s organic and natural, your customers approach you because they like/want your product or service instead of you approaching them hoping for them to convert. You can save time as well as money, as you’re not spending the majority of your time trying to sell your product or service.
According to Totem-Marketing.com, companies that regularly blog generate 126% more leads than those who do not. Inbound marketing helps the customer to make the right decision and in doing so, your business grows. Here are 6 things you may be forgetting to do in your inbound marketing strategy:
Write specifically for the reader
A common mistake made with inbound marketing is not writing for your audience and instead writing from the company’s perspective, which won’t appeal to anybody but your business. Don’t forget to speak in the language or tone of voice which best suits your target audience, you may not think so but it helps for customers understand better.
Give your audience original content
Most businesses think that because they don’t have time to create content all of the time, that they should recycle content from Google, other business’ or old posts. This won’t wow your audience or stand out to them.
You need to be able to create fresh and amazing content, think about what information your (potential) customers would benefit from and create a blog post about that topic, or create a simple post on social media. You don’t have to spend a lot of time creating content but you need to make sure that you’ve spent enough time on it to stand out.
Keep a content calendar
Your memory may be great and you might remember what happens on specific days at exactly what time, but a content calendar is extremely useful. You can plan future content in advance and you have a constant reminder of what you have planned.
You can make sure that you don’t fall behind a schedule (if you have one) because the worst thing to happen is for you to be creating content as you go along and then not knowing what to write about, with no time spare to research without falling behind.
Forget panic mode, you’ll make yourself time with a content calendar.
Translate what you do well into online content
At SOS Creativity, we specialise in helping businesses grow through their online presence, so why wouldn’t we write, post or blog about what we do well within our industry? It would be silly not to right!
You need to be seen as an industry expert6, so write about what your company is great at and why people should choose you, but don’t sell yourself too much. Show your audience or potential customers why they should choose you for their needs.
Let content be the voice
It’s important to have a consistent tone of voice for your company, and the only way you can get this across is through the content you provide. It builds trust and makes it easier for readers to learn more about your company. Consistency is key when communicating clear brand messages.
Look after your leads
When gaining leads, your goal should be to turn them into customers. You need to keep on top of your strategy, if they’ve signed up to your newsletter it’s the perfect opportunity to email them with little bursts of information. Keep them in the loop and updated.
You take a step forward every time they show their interest in something, keep in mind what they show interest in as it could help with your strategy.
Digital marketing and website review
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