What is inbound marketing?
Inbound marketing is a business approach to making content that targets potential long-term customers. It drives lasting connections with prospects through relationship building and knowledge exchange during the buyer’s journey.
Teams refine marketing workflows and measure campaign success with marketing automation tools. These software systems help marketers create better experiences for prospects and customers and automate various aspects of marketing, like social media.
Types of inbound marketing content
Inbound marketing involves a combination of owned and earned media. Owned media describes the content businesses create and control, whereas earned media refers to content others make that organically promotes a brand’s name. Companies take advantage of different types of content within the owned and earned media buckets.
Owned media:
- Blogs. Organizations can blog for search engine optimization (SEO) rankings and as part of an inbound marketing strategy. Compelling blog posts should help readers resolve issues and offer them new insights.
- Videos. Brand videos, such as short clips that provide free tips and tricks, are well-used examples of inbound marketing. Brief, engaging, informative videos draw in customers and deliver value to customers in a short period.
- E-books. In-depth, downloadable content can offer advice to prospects and customers, potentially influencing their buying decisions.
- Webinars. Hosting webinars engages, entertains, and educates customers. Teams should prioritize humanizing these events more than pushing products and services.
- Social media. Organizations boost their inbound marketing strategy with the proper application of their social media. These platforms are powerful resources for attracting the target audience by providing compelling content.
Earned media:
- News articles. Print and digital news articles give brands media coverage across different media. Although typically out of the brand’s control, news articles increase visibility and lead to new customers.
- Social media mentions. Similar to new articles, companies don’t have complete power over social media mentions, but they spread word-of-mouth referrals.
- Product reviews. A product review allows current customers to share their likes and dislikes with prospective customers. Positive reviews can be influential when buyers are considering similar tools.
Stages of inbound marketing
The inbound marketing methodology has four stages, each of which contributes to the overall goal of finding and retaining customers.
- Attract. Businesses have to attract people to their website and social network platforms and create content that compels potential customers to move through the buyer’s journey.
- Convert. Once a brand engages possible customers, it’s up to the organization to provide content that addresses customer pain points. This stage turns visitors into leads.
- Close. Marketing and sales teams should work together to close leads and turn them into happy, satisfied customers. Specific tactics, like marketing automation, lead scoring, and email campaigns, help close leads effectively.
- Delight. Once leads become customers, companies need to work to satisfy and retain them. This stage includes establishing brand loyalty with techniques like targeted calls to action and positive social media engagements.
Benefits of inbound marketing
Inbound marketing and the type of content that falls under its umbrella help businesses establish their brand and credibility as thought leaders. Other benefits include:
- Increased brand awareness. Companies increase brand awareness across a broad audience through helpful content. When executed well, customers and followers will share content with their audiences, further expanding reach.
- Greater credibility. Consumer content that solves problems and identifies best-case solutions leads to higher credibility. Inbound marketing techniques build trust with consumers, encouraging them to rely on the company for future problems.
- Reduced marketing expenses. Some marketing and advertising techniques, such as cold calling, direct mailers, and tradeshow events, can be costly. Since inbound marketing heavily emphasizes value through content generation, the effects are often longer-lasting and boost return on investment (ROI) over time.
- Higher-quality traffic and leads. Inbound marketing methods bring in higher-quality leads because the content addresses the specific needs and pain points of that audience. When content is geared toward the type of customer an organization wants to attract, there’s a higher chance of conversion over time.
Inbound marketing best practices
Successful inbound marketing strategies require careful planning and content generation. Although methods vary by business, the likelihood of success is higher when following these general best practices.
- Understand the audience and their pain points. Inbound marketing revolves around giving consumers meaningful content. The best way to add value is to understand the challenges desired audience members face, the ways they intend to achieve their goals, and the best channels to reach them.
- Optimize content and organic rankings. Content can only add value if potential customers can find it. As part of a broader SEO strategy, it’s important to make the best content possible to increase the chances of it appearing higher in searches.
- Invest in a marketing automation platform. Measuring and tracking inbound marketing activities is critical to understanding their impact and how they can improve. It’s easier for marketing teams to monitor their performance and devise follow-up efforts with the appropriate marketing automation platform.
Inbound marketing vs. outbound marketing
Inbound marketing refers to informative content that addresses consumers’ problems and attracts new customers. The content influences buyers along the buyer’s journey with the hopes of converting them into customers. Outbound marketing communicates with large audiences with the hopes of making a sale.
Speaking of outbound marketing, learn how to make more effective cold calls and better first impressions.
Alyssa Towns
Alyssa Towns works in communications and change management and is a freelance writer for G2. She mainly writes SaaS, productivity, and career-adjacent content. In her spare time, Alyssa is either enjoying a new restaurant with her husband, playing with her Bengal cats Yeti and Yowie, adventuring outdoors, or reading a book from her TBR list.
