Inbound marketing strategies have a goal of gaining attention organically without interrupting the original online purpose of the consumers. Traditional marketing strategies, or interruption marketing, literally interrupt the flow of activity in an attempt to earn attention.
The more aggressive tactics of interruption marketing are only responsible for a small percentage of clicks on the web. They have a higher average acquisition cost per new customer and are driven by budget and repetition. Some examples of this sort of marketing strategies include paid or rented email lists, pop-up ads, banner and display ads, and much of the advertising found on social media platforms.
Conversely, inbound marketing strategies are responsible for most of the clicks on the Internet and the cost to acquire new customers is much lower than the cost of traditional marketing strategies. Organic marketing is driven by creativity and can generate brand momentum which makes further marketing efforts easier. Some examples of inbound marketing are opt-in email lists, blogging, influencer outreach, content marketing, and earned social media.
The infographic below highlights what we believe are five critical components of Inbound Marketing Campaigns.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
As stated in the infographic, while PPC is a paid tactic, it only appears when a consumer is actively searching and, thus, does not interrupt an activity. The ads on a search network are an example of this sort of PPC – you know, the ones that show up at the top of the search results and have the little yellow Ad box designation next to them? These items are an interesting combination of paid ads and SEO because you are paying for them but have little control over when and how they appear in front of a consumer.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
A quick review - SEO is the process of optimizing the content and structure of a website so that it achieves organic placements on search engine results pages (SERPS). This strategy is free unless you hire out SEO tasks like keywords, code, link-building, and so on. SEO is critical to being found on the Internet.
Content Marketing
Relevant, fresh content is key to engaging consumers and converting leads. Content marketing can include blogging which is an effective tactic for attracting new site visitors and encouraging return visitors. Longer form, downloadable content such as e-books and guides also help nurture your leads as they communicate to consumers the value proposition of your services or products. Content marketing can also include case studies and customer reviews and testimonials.
Social Media
A simple way to attract new readers and encourage return visits is to share and promote your content on social media platforms. Only people who are following your brand will see the content but because social posts are so easily shared, you can promote more organic traffic by pushing out your content via those social channels. Once you’ve analyzed the performance of various content you can determine which is resonating best with your audience and might worth paying to promote in order to drive even more traffic to your content.
Landing Pages
The landing pages to which consumers are sent from your marketing efforts are key to whether or not that user stays or immediately leaves your site. Landing pages should be relevant to the call to action that brought someone there and singularly focused on the conversion goal. These pages should be designed with high levels of engagement in mind. Videos, images, testimonials and the like can help increase the conversion rates of your landing pages.
In a world of digital noise and interruptions, Inbound Marketing strategies will resonate better with consumers than the pushy, in-your-face tactics of traditional, interruptive marketing. The experts at Strategy Driven Marketing understand the importance of gentle yet persuasive communication to engage consumers and show them the value of our clients’ products and services. We’d love to help you with any and all aspects of your Inbound Marketing campaigns or with whatever your needs might be. Contact us today to get started!