Three Simple ways you can use inbound marketing to improve your business

Inbound marketing is a more affordable marketing strategy, which is a reason why so many small business owners make use of it. The idea of inbound marketing is that you target a core audience by providing useful and quality content to entice them into finding out more about your products or services. So, in essence, you give them something in order to get them to come to you.

I went into a pharmacy store today to get a drug prescribe for flu, the reception I got from the store attendant really impressed me, to be sincere with you it was actually the first time I was visiting that store and because of the reception I got I am sure to visit that store again with all pleasure.  

The treatment I got from that store left me with an impression about what inbound marketing should be and which is why I want to share it with you. Again you may be wandering why I had to use an illustration of a face to face customer care discussion as an example but it is actually buying and selling and this is how traditional marketing worked, but unfortunately, such methods are not only interruptive and poorly timed, they can also be quite expensive.  But rather than talking about why outbound marketing doesn’t work, we’ll use this post to look at inbound marketing and whether it’s right for your business.

Customers Want To Know More About You.

It’s tempting to say inbound works for every business. And in some ways, it does. It’s never been a bad idea to create and share content that helps your customers, by using social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn; you can post helpful articles and videos that are related to your products or services. This content should not be advertising your company, but instead it should be providing useful content to consumers, but the impact will depend on the nature of your industry.

 And although your industry may not seem glamorous to the world at large, there are people who are curious about your field. Inbound marketing seems custom-made for companies that get a lot of questions about what they do before they land a customer.

Here are a few ways to standout through inbound marketing:

1 Solve Problems with the Content You Create

Create original content using SEO (search engine optimization) and post it to your social network pages. Not everyone who visits your website is there because they want to be your customer. They may just have a need or a problem that needs solving. Not only are you enticing consumers to stick with you, you are giving them the chance to share your content, which will eventually lead back to your webpage. And the content you create at this stage should be focused on helping them meet their need and solve that problem.

For example if you’re a company that sells or resells internet service. Rather than writing about what your business excels at, you could address problems facing the people that use the internet service that you sell: How to trouble shoot issues when you have network problems, or what skills a network administrator should have.

2. Continue On Social Media

Your social media platforms – whether you’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn – allow you to continue the conversations you began when you created your content. You can share what you’ve written, and engage with fans of your company.

When you answer their questions and offer input into the discussions they’re having, you establish your authority in your field and make them advocates for your company. They’ll be more likely to share your content, which can bring new leads to your site.

3. Offer Incentives and Keep In Touch

Give followers incentives for following you, such as by providing free eBooks or special deals on your products or services. One strategy is to create a landing page that you link to using your social network pages. On this landing page, you can offer consumers free goods or content in exchange for signing up to your newsletter. When you have that information, keep in contact. The people who took the time to download your content and share their information must have some interest in what you have to say, and will want to learn about similar content. They’ll also keep you in mind when it’s time to purchase your product.