Inbound marketing is a marketing strategy that focuses on putting the right structures in place to allow customers to find you. A number of different strategies may be used to increase the likelihood of being found by customers. These include:
- Creating relevant content
- Implementing search engine optimization strategies
- Utilizing social media
The most successful inbound marketing campaigns will utilize all three of these strategies. In fact, the most common approach to creating a successful inbound marketing campaign involves the following 3-step approach:
- Step 1: Create content in a blog, eBook, video, white paper or other medium of choice
- Step 2: Perform a keyword analysis and utilize search engine optimization techniques to help increase the rank of the content while also making it more accessible
- Use social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to help spread the content throughout the Internet
One example of a highly successful inbound marketing campaign would be the one that was used by President Barack Obama. During his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama hired Chris Hughes, who was the co-founder of Facebook, to serve as his Internet Strategist. Through the use of text messages, email and online networks such as Facebook and YouTube, Hughes opened up the lines of communication and made it easier to spread Obama’s message to the voters. Obama went on to win the presidency and currently has more than 12.7 million Facebook supporters, more than 5 million Twitter followers and more than 23.2 million YouTube views.
Aside from having the potential to reach a large number of people, inbound marketing offers a number of potential benefits. One of these benefits is the fact that inbound marketing is a cost-effective method for gaining new customers. In fact, according to a 2010 study entitled “The State of Inbound Marketing,” those businesses that use inbound marketing strategies enjoy a 60% lower cost per lead. This is largely because many avenues for inbound marketing are available for free or for very little cost. Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, for example, do not cost anything to use. Yet, they can both be highly effective at reaching thousands or even millions of people. Similarly, optimizing content generally costs less than paying for costly advertisements, even when a professional SEO company is hired to do the work.
Another benefit to inbound marketing is the fact that the techniques are geared toward a very specific target audience. Rather than trying to cast a net over a broad group of people, inbound marketing strategists identify the target audience and then put the right tools in place to help members of that target audience find the products or services that are being advertised.
While inbound marketing focuses on getting the customer to find you, this doesn’t mean all of the basics of traditional marketing are tossed out the window. With inbound marketing, it is still important to monitor and to measure your progress while continually strategizing for the future.
At PlanMySite.com, we specialize in all forms of inbound marketing. Whether you need content to be created or you need that content to be optimized, we will help you take your business to the next level. Even better, you only pay when we get results. Leave a comment or send us a message on Twitter if you want to learn more about inbound marketing or how the PlanMySite team can help your business grow.
