I became a HubSpot inbound marketing expert because I believed in the concept. Inbound marketing means people come to you.
I like to think of this philosophy applied in real life situations as well as the digital world to really get how it works and what it means.
Imagine you’re at a party and you see someone wearing this awesome suit or pair of heels. The clothing might be a color you haven’t seen before, or a cut that you’ve always liked but never been able to find at a store.
You’re drawn to these people because they’re interesting. Now imagine the tactics that they use only think of how it would work if your website was the man with the cool suit or the lady with the great heels.
How can you or your company be interesting so people are drawn to you? Can it be with your blog? Can you use social media? How about an awesome weekly, email newsletter?
Now imagine you went up to these people at the party. And when you asked where they got their suit or heels, they were incredibly helpful. They told you the store and location, the hours that store was open and a phone number you can use to reserve your clothes. They also told you the price and which rep helped them find the items during their visit.
Again, imagine how this would work for your website and / or sales team. What does it mean for your company to be super helpful? Your web pages should answer customers’ more pressing questions. So should your blogs. Your social media should also show your an industry leader.
You can pull this off by doing keyword research. The right keyword research reveals tons of long-tail searches (or questions) people are typing into Google about your service or product. With social media, you can curate content from top experts and give share your opinion with the rest of the world about product or industry trends and issues.
Back to the hypothetic – a week after the party, the guy with the cool suit or the lady with the amazing heels actually calls you to see if you found what you were looking for. They go out of their way to make sure you were satisfied, and they even email you tips on where to find similar items in the future.
Is that something your sales team can do post conversion? Absolutely. Send tips on how to use your product or find great add-ons. Be an ongoing resource so the customer comes back to you and trusts you.
This is the philosophy of inbound marketing in the abstract and how it should work. Applying it takes a great deal of digital marketing knowledge, analyzing data and understanding SEO and social media best practices.
Talk to a HubSpot, inbound marketing trainer like myself to learn more about best practices and using marketing automation software. You can reach me at 916 710 3306 or fill out the form below. Thanks for reading.
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