INBOUND MARKETING
Inbound marketing is a form of marketing that requires researching the target audience with more comprehensive research and establishing a special communication with rich content.
Thus, “inbound marketing is the strategy of connecting with potential customers through materials and experiences they find useful. Using media like blogs and social networking, marketers hope to entertain and inform viewers with content they seek by themselves
According to Hubspot, (an inbound marketing software platform that helps companies to attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers), means:
“Content Creation and Distribution - create targeted content that answers prospects' and customers' basic questions and needs, then share that content far and wide.
Lifecycle Marketing - promoters don’t just materialize out of thin air: they start off as strangers, visitors, contacts, and customers. Specific marketing actions and tools help to transform those strangers into promoters.
Personalization - tailor your content to the wants and needs of the people who are viewing it. As you learn more about your leads over time, you can better personalize your messages to their specific needs.
Multi-channel - Inbound marketing is multi-channel by nature because it approaches people where they are, in the channel where they want to interact with you.
Integration-Content creation, publishing and analytics tools all work together like a well-oiled machine - allowing you to focus on publishing the right content in the right place at the right time” In conclusion, “inbound marketing turns strangers into customers and then promoters of your business”
Inbound marketing forms
Inbound marketing forms are: topical blogs, social media campaigns, mailing campaigns, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), viral videos, web-based seminars (Webinars), etc.
Advantages and disadvantages of inbound marketing
Advantages;
-it allows a direct, permanent and long-term relationship with the customer;
- it defines fast and accurately the “buyer persona” profile;
-it permits to develop a content strategy based on specific topics (keywords) identified with SEO and Google Adwords, for which there is a real interest from the prospects;
- it represents an advanced form of marketing that relies on the creation and distribution of high quality content.
Disadvantages ;
- it is more demanding and complex than the traditional marketing;
-it requires the use of Internet, so that the people who don’t use it cannot become the target audience;
- it allows a segmented communication and not a universal one.
Resources:
Huify, 2016. Inbound Methodology - Turn strangers into customers, and then promoters of your business. [online] Available at: <https://www.huify.com/inbound-marketing> [Accessed 23 May 2016].