The in’s and out’s of Inbound Marketing

It seems like every day there is a new type of marketing. There’s digital marketing, social media marketing, sales marketing, and so much more-but have you heard of inbound marketing? We know keeping up with marketing trends can be exhausting, that’s why this week we are talking about inbound marketing (odds are, you might already be doing it!). Let’s get started with a simple definition: inbound marketing is creating content designed to attract qualified prospects, convert them into leads, and then hopefully new clients or customers, and then grow your business.

Seems simple enough, right? I mean you’re already an expert in your business, now it is just a matter of putting your expertise into content that is easily given to those searching for it. Once people searching for similar content to you start looking at you as an expert in the industry, they’ll look to you for products or services and then begin to become brand fans of yours and hopefully use you and recommend you. Inbound marketing becomes a win-win because you’re giving out relevant content, clients are finding a new great business, and word is spreading about your business which helps you grow as well!

So, the question comes: how will people see the content I create-or- where should I put it? Well, here is where social media marketing comes in (see our previous blog for more information on social media marketing). If you have reaching people through ways of social media platforms, then you have a great start of where you can put your content. This is a way to create one-to-one relationships with people. You can give out content important to your industry, talk to clients about their needs and wants, and keep up with other important things going on in your industry. By placing some important content on your social media platforms, you’re also allowing the information to be shareable. Once people start sharing your content, then multiple things happen: one, people are educating themselves on your content, two, people are leaning about your business, and three, people are recommending your business. If social media platforms are something you need help with, be sure to reach out to us. We have industry experts that can help you take your business down the right path with digital marketing, so you can then easily begin your inbound marketing practices.

Another place where you can begin displaying your content is in a blog. That’s right. Blogging is a very powerful tool. It allows you to display your content in an easy to read manner and gives you opportunities for search engine optimization. You can add multiple links and key word searches in your blog that bring possible leads to your website to learn more about you. This also allows search engines to know what content you’re writing about and allow them to place you at the top of searches so people looking for relevant information can easily find it. Curious about learning more blogging techniques? We have experts for that.

Marketing is a powerful tool used in all businesses and that’s why there are so many different types of marketing. Inbound marketing is all about the right content getting to the right people, at the right time. It can be a little intimidating but once you get it down, it will only help your business grow. Be sure to check out iPoint and we can give you a consultation on what you need to begin your marketing efforts on the right track.