If you want to acquire customers, traditional advertising will no longer get you far. Inbound marketing is the new method and has been an integral part of successful PR and advertising for a few years now. Why? The spread of the Internet with its fast pace, information options and comparisons of offers has not only led to greater competition, but also to companies having to focus much more on their customers. They have to adapt to (potential) buyers; generalizations such as the idea of a target group now fall short. At the communication level, this means that the approach is adapted to each individual.
What is inbound marketing?
Inbound marketing is not intended to help companies find their target group, but to help individual customers find their company. In other words, using high-quality content to attract the attention of interested parties online and win them over in the long term. Inbound marketing is actively pursued. The customer is picked up on their questions and receives the right offers that they want at the right time. Inbound marketing is based on four different phases that the customer goes through before making a purchase decision:
Phase 1
In the first phase, useful content is used to attract the attention of potential customers who are still strangers and who are most likely to become satisfied customers. For this purpose, buyer personas are created in order to determine a precise customer field. The aim is to offer the recipient added value and thus attract them to the company’s website. This can take the form of online magazines or blogs, video tutorials or even humorous content. A clever mix of all channels is ideal. SEO also plays an important role. Because with the right keywords, the content ranks higher and makes it easier for potential customers to find the company, its products or the content more quickly. Social media supports this, as the content can also be distributed. It also promotes customer loyalty through interactive communication and can help customers to identify with the brand through simple inputs, small aids or by satisfying needs.
Phase 2
The next phase is to consolidate the contact and primarily generate leads. But how? Valuable content in the form of ePapers, newsletters or landing pages encourages the customer to voluntarily leave their details and thus ensures that the company can contact them later. The knowledge you gain from the leads means that content and messages can be better adapted.
Phase 3
Once the third phase has been reached, the aim is to turn potential customers into real customers. The leads can now be approached personally so that the deal can be closed. Through additional content emails or customized information via social media channels, the customer should decide on their own that they want the product.
Phase 4
Once the customer has decided in favor of the company, the fourth phase of inbound marketing begins: retaining the new customer for the long term. It is about maintaining contact and not abandoning the customer just because they have become a customer. Active communication and personalized content are still the keywords here. Because enthusiastic customers become regular customers and regular customers can become brand ambassadors. The “be-all and end-all” of inbound marketing is to pick up the buyer personas at the right purchase decision phases and retain them with the right channels and information – regardless of whether they are prospective customers or regular customers. In addition, not only can the end customer be addressed through online channels, but retailers and distributors can also be supported. The inbound method helps companies by creating a lifestyle around their products rather than presenting them.
Source: https://www.hubspot.de/inbound-marketing
So that you can convert potential customers into real customers in the third phase, you should know these facts about email marketing!
