The days of cold-calling are long gone. Companies are no longer going door-to-door to sell products. Instead, they are building trusted relationships with their prospects through inbound marketing. Implementing inbound strategies can be challenging. Inbound is an ongoing process that takes time and effort. Here are some of the essentials for getting the most out of your inbound marketing approach.
Content, Content, Content
Any inbound marketing plan should put content creation at the top of the list. Inbound thrives on putting out custom content to the visiting prospect’s needs. Be sure to ask yourself, why is this person looking at my product or service? What issue can my product or issue fix for the person? What information are they looking to find? Put yourself in the mind of your consumer and tailor the content you create to their needs.
The content you put out should aim to educate the consumer and guide them down the sales funnel into loyal customers. Write blog posts that position your brand as the expert in your field. Craft email blasts to target your database and remind them of your product regularly. Build a social media presence that makes consumers want to keep up with your brand. Content is a crucial part of a good inbound strategy so don’t forget to create consistent content to appear in-the-know.
Offer Incentives
If a consumer is coming across your company for the first time, present them with an offer they can’t refuse. While blog posts, social media profiles, and emails are pieces of content that your brand should aim to publish regularly, offering incentives to new prospects is a great way to make an immediate impression and gain a lead.
Offer a benefit for the consumer to sign up to receive for free and watch your database grow. Creating opt-in forms collects visitors’ contact information and converts them directly into leads. Not sure what kind of incentive would work for your brand? If you are a retail company, try offering a discount or coupon in exchange for their email. If you are trying to elevate your brand against your competitors, try creating a downloadable e-book, white paper, or simply by offering your newsletter filled with valuable industry information.
Nurturing Strategy
Nurturing is all about hitting your leads with relevant content over the course of the buyer’s journey. A good nurturing plan is part of the success of your overall inbound strategy. Nurturing helps keep track of touching base with each prospect you gain. There are CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems that are built to help with this. These systems are designed to score leads, which helps you know where a particular lead is within the sales funnel. They also keep an organized count of when it is time to follow up with a lead again.
When content meets nurturing, inbound strategy can thrive. Remember that inbound marketing is a slow process and does not guarantee results overnight. However, if you are looking for long-term growth, make sure your inbound marketing covers all these grounds for best results.
Ready to develop an inbound marketing strategy for your brand? Contact us at info@tailoredmarketing.com to find out how we can help.
