How do you create an inbound marketing plan for your prospects? First, what is inbound marketing?
According to HubSpot, it's "a methodology of getting found online through content and engagement rather than traditional outbound marketing tactics like paid ads."
There are four key elements of inbound marketing: attract, convert, close, and delight. Each one is essential to success with this type of marketing.
"Attract" means creating valuable content so your prospects/customers will want to receive it.
"Convert" means converting your prospect's interest into qualified leads.
"Close" is the process of turning leads into customers.
"Delight" is providing excellent customer service to make your customers happy to give you referrals and buy again.
Step 1: Find Your Ideal Customers or Prospects with Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
You must attract your prospects with the right content. First, determine who your ideal customers are.
Start by creating buyer personas. For example, an eCommerce company might have personas like this:
- Keen backpacker in their 20s to 40s who goes camping once a month and always wants to be prepared for the unexpected. They tend to be active on social media, including Twitter and Instagram. They shop online for outdoor gear.
- Mom is in her 30s to 40s with kids under 10 who love to go hiking, biking, camping, and skiing with the whole family. She does most of the shopping for the family because she has more time. She shops online but likes brick-and-mortar stores for convenience.
Next, use the Google Keyword Planner to find out which phrases they search most often when looking for products like yours. For example, if you were targeting backpackers, you'd want to type in "backpacking gear" or "lightweight camping equipment" and see which phrases show up the most.
The phrases you find in the Google Keyword Planner will be a part of your content strategy.
You'll attract these types of prospects by publishing blog posts and articles that include those phrases.
Step 2: Convert Your Prospects with Inbound Marketing
In order to convert your prospects, provide valuable content they can't ignore. That way, when they're ready to buy, you'll be top-of-mind.
Choose the types of content that your prospects want in each stage of their journey: Awareness - They just want basic information about your topic. Their questions are informational in nature. For example, "What is X?" or "How do I do Y?" Consider publishing blog posts or videos that answer their questions.
Consider publishing an ebook on your website to provide them with useful information. You can also use ebooks in free giveaways like lead magnets. Consider offering the ebook as a course in your email newsletter in order to build trust and authority with subscribers. Make sure you include an opt-in box on your website to encourage prospects to subscribe. Consider publishing a "how-to" video on your blog or YouTube channel. Consider publishing an infographic on your site or using infographics as part of your ebooks, lead magnets, and promotions.
Step 3: Close Your Leads with Content Upgrades
Once you've published valuable content, your leads will be ready to buy. But they may not take the first step right away.
Instead of pushing for a sale, you should help them make a buying decision by providing "content upgrades." Content upgrades are downloads that go along with your blog posts. They're effective because it's more convenient for readers to download the extra content than to take the next step and buy.
For example, if you publish a blog post about how to choose hiking boots, make an ebook out of it and offer the free download with lead magnets for your email list subscribers (to get more subscribers, consider calling your email list "content upgrades" instead of newsletters). You can also publish it as a pdf on your site and include an opt-in box that allows people to download the ebook in exchange for their email address.
To increase conversions, add bonuses like white papers or case studies. You can also ask readers to tweet out links to your content upgrades in order to get more exposure and drive traffic back to your site.
Remember the more content upgrades you offer, the more conversions you'll get!
Step 4: Convert Your Leads with Sales Funnels
Now that you've attracted leads and given them enough value to make a purchase, it's time for them to take action. Sales funnels are sequences of steps, similar to a map, that prospects and customers follow to complete their purchases.
When you break down your sales funnel, it should resemble this:
Marketing/Awareness - Visitors come to your blog after finding your content online (through search engines like Google or social media sites like Facebook) or on another website (like an affiliate site). Visitors can subscribe to your email list and download your content upgrades after they've opted in.
Conversion - Leads become customers when they purchase a product or service from you. They may also continue to buy additional products and services from you over time, making them ideal long-term customers for your business.
If you want to include a sales funnel in your inbound marketing strategy, begin by creating a simple sequence of steps that leads from awareness to conversion.
You can increase conversions further by offering discounts and free trials.
Step 5: Convert Customers with Retention Strategies
It's time to build a relationship with your customers so they do business with you again and again! Although most marketers are satisfied once they've driven customers to make purchases, it's important to keep customers coming back.
Customer retention is the key to successful inbound marketing and growing your business.
Create a customer retention strategy by creating unique experiences for your customers according to their preferences and behaviors. For example, if you sell shoes, you can offer a customer who subscribes to your email list a 10 percent discount on their birthday. You can also send them discount offers for holidays like Mother's Day and Father's Day, as well as seasonal events like Halloween and Christmas that are relevant to the products or services you offer.
You may also consider offering coupons and giveaways to customers after a certain period of time, or if they purchase a certain item from you.
