If you’re a business owner or marketer, you’re well aware that the consumer buying process has changed dramatically over the past few years. Mobile devices allow consumers to access tons of information any time they want, and they use this ability to conduct in-depth research before making a purchase decision.
This new consumer buying process calls for a new marketing strategy. Businesses need to make meaningful connections with potential customers at every stage of the buying process, whether they’re conducting initial research, comparing options, or finalizing a purchase decision.
Enter inbound marketing.
What Is Inbound Marketing?
Inbound marketing is a marketing method that’s focused on earning a prospect’s attention, not buying it. So instead of relying on traditional marketing methods such as direct mail or TV commercials, inbound marketing uses engaging, educational content such as blog posts (like this one), podcasts, eBooks, and white papers.
The goal is to help consumers solve a problem, not to sell your product. This allows your company to build trust with consumers, making them much more likely to buy your product when they’re ready to commit to a purchase.
Getting Started with Inbound Marketing
Understanding inbound marketing is one thing, but implementing it as a strategy is another. If you’re interested in using inbound marketing for your business, download Stream’s Inbound Marketing 101 eBook. This free eBook provides an in-depth look at inbound marketing and how business owners can use it to generate more website traffic and convert more quality leads.
Not sure if inbound marketing is right for your business? Stream’s eBook devotes an entire section to common issues and scenarios that businesses face and how inbound marketing can help to solve these issues. We also explain how inbound marketing can be applied to meet your business goals by including a step-by-step guide to the inbound marketing life cycle.
Driving Traffic
So now that you have a deeper understanding of inbound marketing, how can you use it to drive traffic to your website? This is another topic explained thoroughly in this eBook. We outline multiple inbound methods you can use to drive traffic, including search engine optimization (SEO), blogging, and social media marketing.
Creating the Offer
Once you have more people on your website, you need to create a solid offer that will convince them to buy from you instead of your competitor. We can help you with that.
The Inbound Marketing 101 eBook includes a guide to the sales funnel and provides examples of effective offers to run at each stage. We also break down how to turn the offers into leads through calls to action and landing pages.
Converting Your Lead to a Customer
Now that you have offers in place for each step in the sales funnel, you have to find a way to move your leads from one step in the funnel to the next. Stream’s eBook guides you through the process by explaining how to utilize lead nurturing campaigns and social promotions to move your leads along.
Tracking Your Inbound Marketing Campaigns
You may be thinking, “This is all well and good, but how do I know if my inbound marketing campaign is working?”
Fortunately, today’s marketing software makes it easy to track and measure each inbound marketing tactic you execute to see how it’s performing. In this free eBook, we offer suggestions for which website analytics platforms you should use. We also provide tips on tracking benchmarks and goals to make sure that you receive the most accurate data possible.
Ready to Get Started?
Wondering if inbound marketing is right for your business? Eager to generate more website traffic and convert more quality leads? Need to know how to convert a lead into a customer?
Download Stream’s Inbound Marketing 101 eBook to get the information you’re looking for, and more, today!
{{cta(‘be9f9969-9c29-4738-ad06-401407d4512c’)}}
Happy marketing!
Kate
— Kate Nolen is a Digital PR Coordinator at Stream Companies, a full-service Philadelphia-area advertising agency.