We are big fans of the benefits of Inbound Marketing, we even put the term in our company name! But Inbound means different things to different people. And those people all appreciate a slightly different perspective - which is what makes the world go round!
So here are our favourite, in no particular order, for you to enjoy
Doing Inbound marketing is like paying a massive compliment to your customer as it means you are attempting to communicate to them in a way that compliments the way they want to buy from you. If you follow a typical customer journey, it ranges from the awareness stage, to the engagement and finally decision stage.
Your Inbound marketing campaign will have every aspect of these stages covered, as you create content to appeal to, and educate your ideal customer at precisely the right point in time, to suit where they are on the journey.
Did we say educate? Yes we did! Selling is teaching and teaching is helping. Think about ways your marketing and indeed sales process can evolve to support your client through the purchasing process. the complex the choices your ideal client needs to make, the more effective this approach will be.
There is no need to interrupt your ideal customer, or preach to them, or otherwise cajole them into buying from you. Just make sure your product and your company is set up to help them through every step of the journey. And set up to do the right thing when it comes to the customer too.
In that way, you express the values you hold as a company far more effectively than when you launch into some ill advised value signally campaign, or buy expensive adverts to tell people what you'd like to be know as. Actions speak louder than words, and the world is littered with examples of businesses that say one thing and do another.And they always get found out too.
Rather that, put your money where your mouth is and live up to your stated standards by treating people right. And first amongst those people are your customers. Being a truly Inbound company means having the customer at the centre of what you do - which can be expressed even by the people you hire to carry out the businesses tasks in the right way.
Doing the right thing for your customer, and the teams working for you is a sure fire way to create a community out of your business. The biggest and best brands feel like an exclusive club the customer wants to belong too. And the marketing, sales and service teams are absolutely in on the plan.
Think of BMW, Apple, Tesla, McDonalds etc. etc. There are many examples of companies that get this right. To be a customer of any of these brands feels like you belong in the gang, and are part of something special.
And feeling like the business you utilise is special, and that you are on the inside looking out, promotes a fantastic sense of advocacy. The biggest and best of your customers eventually become fans of your brand. Imagine people wearing Harley Davidson T Shirts, or Nike and Adidas shoes. These people are proud to show off their affiliation, and will actively recruit you to the cause!
There are loads of reasons why your business needs to make the move to an Inbound methodology, and these 5 will hopefully give some insight into why we think its a good idea!
But these stats from HubSpot might help too - Did you know that companies that practice Inbound marketing attract x3 the leads as non Inbound companies, for 62% less spend, and companies that excel at lead nurturing (An Inbound staple) generate 50% more sales ready leads at a 33% saving over those that don't!
Time to get in touch to find out more?