So you keep hearing the term "inbound marketing" flying around but not sure what this term really means. That's okay, although this marketing method has been around for quite some time now, it's common for businesses to not fully understand the potential this method offers. So why is it that not a lot of people know what inbound marketing is? This can be boiled down to businesses feeling that their online presence may not be the biggest factor or  isn't altogether an important aspect in their marketing efforts. However, with over 200 million people using the internet to make purchases, having an online presence and utilizing inbound marketing tools is a necessity to ensure you're generating traffic and increasing sales. 

What Is Inbound Marketing? 

There are many moving pieces that make up inbound marketing and each have the same goal. Each piece is meant to enhance your business by appealing to your audience through online tools such as web development, content creation, social media and search engine optimization. The part of this method that makes this marketing style effective is that everything is created for the audience. Rather than pushing your products and services on prospects, consumers are able to find you, do the research and decide for themselves whether or not they want to purchase from you. Through inbound marketing tools, you'll have what you need to influence audiences to purchase from you by becoming a trustworthy and valuable source. Inbound marketing is meant to develop consumers' trust over time with tools like email nurturing, SEO and blogging to attract leads. Once you have a loyal following, inbound marketing can be used  to create and continue to create informative and intriguing  content so when they are ready to purchase, you have the information they need an are always the first company on their mind.

Do I Really Need Inbound Marketing Tools? 

With the number of internet users continuing to increase and the advances of technology allowing for mobile marketing to rise, it's not really a matter of deciding whether your business needs inbound marketing but more of what inbound marketing tools will your help your business be the most successful. Mintel’s Online Shopping US 2015 report reveals that over two-thirds (69 percent) of US online adults shop online at least monthly, with 33 percent shopping online every week and these numbers only seem to increase. With that information in mind, having an effective website that regularly seeks to improve and provide the audience with informative and appealing information will be successful. That's where inbound marketing comes into play. 

What Components Make Up Inbound Marketing 

Each component plays a vital role and works together to build a loyal customer base. The following are four major elements that make up inbound marketing :

1. Your Website Design- 94% of people say that first impressions matter and the design will help them decide if they want to stay on that site or leave to another source.

2. Search Engine Optimization- In it's most basic form, SEO is focused on editing your site so that it's easy for each engines to crawl, intuitive for users who visit with a purpose, stuffed to the gills with interesting content, and well-promoted to people who want to know what services/products you're offering.

3. Content Creation - Have you ever heard the term, content is king? If you haven't yet, this term is important because content marketing is taking 2016 by storm and is predicted to continue to predominantly generate traffic. Content marketing is vital to provide prospects with intriguing and informative content as well as utilizing content creation such as blogs for search engine optimization purposes.

4. Social Media- Social media, a hot trend that doesn't seem to be fizzling out anytime soon, is important for businesses to communicate with their targeted audiences. Having an outlet that lets people get to know you better will help to build trust and enhance your brand.

5. Lead Generation and Management- Lead generation is about offering directed value, and guiding prospects towards becoming customers. Lead management is the process by which marketing acquires, evaluates, nurtures and hands off leads to the sales team.

Some other elements that also make up inbound marketing are:

• Effective CMS
• Application Development 
• Email Marketing 
• Multi Media Design/Video Production
• Developing Brand/Corporate Identity

ImageWorks | Inbound Marketing 

When it comes to attracting, converting, analyzing, and integrating, there is nothing that is out of the reach of our capabilities. As a leading CT Inbound Marketing firm, ImageWorks LLC uses state of the art techniques and is focused on the success of your business. We work with you to improve your current marketing plan, overcome your challenges, achieve your goals, and meet deadlines. By creating content specifically designed to appeal to your dream customers, inbound attracts qualified prospects to your business and keeps them coming back for more.