Inbound marketing

What is inbound marketing?

Inbound marketing is a method used by companies to attract visitors to their website through targeted advertising. Unlike outbound marketing, where companies send messages to potential customers without paying attention to whether these people are actually interested in the product or service, inbound marketing focuses on creating useful content that attracts visitors who are already looking for information about your product or service.

How does inbound marketing work?

The inbound methodology consists of the four phases:

The graphic illustrates the 4 phases of Inbound Marketing. It walks through how a potential new customer becomes an existing customer through the Attract, Convert, Engage & Acquire phases.
Figure 1: The 4 phases in inbound marketing

The goal of inbound marketing is to turn a potential customer into a long-term customer for you. To do this, you accompany your new customer through the various phases of a buying process and use different marketing measures to retain them in the long term.

What are inbound marketing tools?

Inbound marketing essentially comprises all areas of online marketing that are referred to as so-called pull advertising. The primary goal here is to generate new leads via high-quality content. Providing content that adds value to your customer as well as maintaining relationships with relevant influencers in your industry are very important. Thus, content marketing and PR are among the marketing tools of inbound marketing. In addition, efforts in email marketing, social media, as well as SEO & SEA activities are also assigned to the inbound marketing tools.
 We have listed 4 of the most effective inbound marketing tools below:

1. search engine optimization

For you probably not too foreign component in the acquisition of new customers. And that’s what makes search engine optimization so valuable for your inbound marketing. If your website is easy to find in Google’s SERPs, you can more easily convert potential customers into new leads.

2. social media marketing

You can use social media platforms to place targeted advertisements for your target group. This way you get a higher reach and new users become aware of you and your company. In recent years, the distribution via social media channels has increased significantly, so use your potential for inbound marketing here.

3. e-mail marketing

This marketing tool is most suitable for existing customers who have agreed to receive newsletters. Nevertheless, offer potential new customers on your website actively that they sign up for your newsletter. Many companies reward a newsletter subscription with a small goodie, such as free shipping on the next order with a discount code. With your email marketing, you can address your customers in a personalized way and retain them in the long term with informative and appealing content.

4. landing pages

It is no secret that well-designed landing pages can increase the conversion rate. Make sure that you present all content about your product and service on your landing page in an appealing way. You can also navigate the customer further to your regular website with internal links if the user needs more information. This also increases the dwell time your website. In the end, however, it is important that the user receives everything he needs from you to complete the purchase and that you can establish him as a long-term customer with a convincing user experience.

What is the difference between inbound marketing and outbound or content marketing?

The terms are very close to each other in the marketing world, but they do not mean the same thing. One does not exclude the other and vice versa. We have summarized the terms and their core aspects for you here:

1. outbound marketing

In outbound marketing, elements are often used which the potential customer finds annoying, but which nevertheless attract attention due to this fact. For example, print ads, banner advertising, and television commercials are used to capture the user’s attention. Inbound marketing, on the other hand, focuses on providing value to your audience. Customers can find what they’re looking for without being interrupted. Even if you don’t always realize it, your customers appreciate that your company takes the time to provide useful information.

2. content marketing

Content marketing and inbound marketing seem very similar at first glance. Both focus on potential customers and both focus on building a long-term relationship with customers and providing them with valuable content that entertains and educates them. However, content marketing is often considered a subset of inbound marketing. Inbound focuses on the potential customer, while content marketing focuses more on the product itself.

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