What is Inbound Marketing? Answers From Around the Web

Although the term ‘inbound marketing’ was coined in 2005 by HubSpot’s co-founder and CEO, Brian Halligan, it wasn’t until 2012 that it began to gain traction. Since then, many organizations have made inbound marketing an integral part of their marketing strategy. What exactly is inbound marketing? What are the benefits? Here are some definitions and views that others have shared:

• Inbound marketing is a business methodology that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. According to HubSpot, “While outbound marketing interrupts your audience with content they don’t want, inbound marketing forms connections they’re looking for and solves problems they already have”. Gone are the days of imposing and soliciting sales strategies, today, customers are more aware of their options than ever before; they search for the product or service they require at their own convenience and on their preferred platform. Therefore, it’s vital to make their search experience as seamless as possible.
• If you are trying to determine if you should consider inbound marking, Word Stream has the answer: “because it allows you to build trust with high-quality leads who demonstrate an active interest in your product or service”. Organizations are shifting to the inbound marketing strategy as they foresee the value added from establishing and maintaining a healthy long-term relationship with their customers.
• Outbrain compiled stats and found that “inbound marketing efforts are 62% less expensive than outbound”. With your inbound marketing, you are targeting your audience, whereas outbound marketing is more like the wild wild west where you hope to hit one target by throwing everything and the kitchen sink out there. Targeting = saving $$$!
• How do you get started with inbound marketing? Weidert Group provides some examples of things to do:
  • Look at the facts
  • Focus on search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Emphasize user experience
  • Create valuable content that demonstrates your expertise
  • Convert traffic into leads, then nurture those leads
  • Build trust and credibility
• According to Prism Global Marketing, “there are 4 marketing stages that are critical when you are talking about inbound marketing: Attract, Convert, Close & Delight”. You probably really want to convert your visitors into customers and promoters across the buyers journey. How do you accomplish that? If you are looking for some tips on how to start your journey mapping process, the article Move Over Personas, Hello Journey Archetypes, written by our COO, Brandi Starr, is a great place to start.

Inbound Marketing is more important today than ever before. It is ideal for any kind of business ranging from start-ups to large enterprises. Taking the steps needed to implement an inbound strategy is essential, and when you start seeing the results in the quality of traffic and brand awareness, you won’t want to stop! Want to know more about how to begin your journey, let’s chat!

Source

About the Author

Manar Asaya a Sr. Marketing Manager at Tegrita. With over a decade of global marketing experience, Manar specializes in setting marketing strategies and initiatives across various industries. She received her MBA from Heriot Watt University - Edinburgh Business School in the UK. Her experience has spanned between traditional to modern marketing and she believes in the power of effective content marketing.

More Content by Manar Asaya