In recent years, inbound marketing as a strategy has proven to be the most popular choice over traditional outbound marketing strategies (which usually consists of buying ad space on media and waiting for queries to come in). A 2013 study by inbound marketing experts at Hubspot showed that 58 percent of marketers have adapted to inbound marketing, and more impressively, 34 percent of leads are generated through inbound marketing compared to the 22 percent of leads that are produced through outbound marketing. A marketing transformation has taken place and inbound marketing only has room to grow as the market expands in the next decade. Here is all you need to know about inbound marketing and how its partnership with social media can be a startup company’s strongest lead generation tool.
First, What is Inbound?
Inbound Marketing methodology is all about sharing content with the world. By creating content specifically aimed to appeal to a business clientele, inbound attracts qualified prospects to a company and keeps them coming back for more. A company must recognize that people go through stages as they interact with you, and that each stage requires different marketing actions. As a company learns more about your leads over time, it can better personalize its message to a consumer’s specific needs.
Inbound marketing is multi-channeled by nature because it approaches people where they are, and in the channel where the customer prefers to interact with your company. For inbound success, a company’s publishing and analytics tools must all work together like a well tuned clock, allowing you to focus on the right content, in the right place, at the right time to attract the ideal consumer.
Where Does Social Media Come In?
The ability to create specific content is a necessary attribute to the success of inbound marketing’s alliance with social media.
The Ability to Create Specific Content
Every audience has its own needs and wants, and your company will need to be properly positioned so it can answer the consumer’s questions or address their issues efficiently. The best way for inbound to do that flexibly and with adequate speed is through social media. Traditional marketing platforms are greatly one-sided in communication and are not to the level in which a company would approach a client. Social media can be used to create content that publicizes your core business values, while also providing the latest news of your industry. A company’s content can be adjusted and finely tuned to directly appeal to its consumers, and when its intended audience sees the value in your specific content, qualified leads ensue.
Nurturing of Leads
A majority of the time, high quality leads don’t just appear in front of your eyes, you have to help guide them. You will have to nurture them slowly to make sure any of your leads with the slightest glimpse of potential will live up to your company’s brand. Social media allows inbound just that. A company can support its potential leads by answering questions on its social media page in real-time. This increases a consumer’s confidence level in your company and confirms them as high-potential leads.
Help a Company’s Leads Along Their Buying Process
At different stages of the buying cycle, potential customers have unique growing, changing concerns. It is very crucial for your company to remain on top of their mental recall by answering them, assuring them, and finally persuading them that your product or service is the best thing for them. The easiest and most efficient way to do this is through the use of social media. Responses to potential leads via social media can be positioned to make every consumer's worry consoled and put to rest. Guiding the consumer through this mental process does wonders for your company and makes you a reliable source of information and aid. The use of social media is a highly effective and cost efficient tool to a company’s inbound marketing strategy.
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