Publication number: ELQ-73327-1
View all versions & Certificate
How to Use Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is all building two-way virtual relationships, which are the norm for today’s generation via socials
Introduction
More and more customers these days are doing their own marketing research, scanning internet reviews and feedback from friends, rather than trusting messages that you push out through advertising. This is called inbound marketing, where customers are pulled to you, rather than feeling accosted at every turn by your brand messages via email, newspapers and television.
Inbound marketing is all building two-way virtual relationships, which are the norm for today’s generation via social media, mobile apps, recommendations from “friends” and influencers, modern websites with customer-focused content, friendly forums, and chat bots. If you have yet to get started, here are some key steps that I recommend to my advisory business clients:
- Step n°1 |
Actively engage customers via top social media sites.
Recently I was surprised to find that up to 25 percent of businesses still don’t use social media at all, and many more only monitor it, but rarely engage. I recommend that you experiment to find the best sites for your business, with the majors including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
- Step n°2 |
Update your website to make it totally customer-focused.
A quick scan of the Internet today will convince you that many sites are still product-centric, technology focused, and haven’t been updated for years. Today people want to see customer needs highlighted, mobile friendly, recommendations from prior customers, and interactive help channels. - Step n°3 |
Provide mobile device apps and interactive support.
As American customers with smartphones now exceed 80 percent, and adults spending more time on mobile than watching TV, the advantages of mobile device support continue to increase. Inbound marketing requires that you be where your customers are, or they won’t find you or care.
