What is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing is a digital marketing method used to attract potential customers to companies' products or services. This type of marketing is combined with content marketing. To attract the attention of customers, tools such as blog posts, infographics, social media, e-mail are used. In the Inbound method, the goal is not direct sales. Potential customers are attracted by interesting and useful content.

The Inbound method requires an applied and indirect process. There is no sale in sight. The first step is to inform customers. It is also the creation of an image about the products or services of firms. In this marketing, it is dec to develop a relationship between the brand and the customer. Then it is aimed to convince the client to purchase it. A strategy is applied to ensure that the customer is satisfied with the product or service he has purchased.

Basics of Inbound Marketing

Using inbound marketing opportunities means a good method for brands. For an accurate inbound marketing, it is necessary to pay attention to 3 main factors. Companies should analyze these factors for their brands. Inbound strategy should be made in accordance with the analyzes performed.

1. Company Profile from the Point of View of Customers

When consumers are going to buy a product or service, they first put the brand under scrutiny. The institutionality of the brand, the communication between managers and staff, the communication of dec with customers, the company profile are formed. The company profile will appear to potential buyers in the form of the brand's culture.

Within the brand culture, companies make promises about products or services. If a company fulfills its promises, it will have drawn an important and consistent company profile for customers.

2. The Correct Customer Profile

Inbound marketing is also separated from outbound marketing in determining the customer profile. The customer profile is called a persona. Analyzing customers who need or may need a company's brand is covered by creating a persona. In addition, it is among the activities to develop marketing strategies that are suitable for customers and create a dec.

Personas are created taking into account factors such as user behavior, user goals, demographics. Thus, companies get real customer profiles with accurate data.

3. Customer Experience Tracking

Customer experience is important in inbound marketing technique. Because of this, remarketing is targeted. If a customer is satisfied with the product or service, it is highly likely that the same customer will buy other products or services from the same company again. In addition, the satisfied customer is likely to share their satisfaction with their social media accounts and blog. This customer will tell his acquaintances and people about the brand he is satisfied with. Such interactions will increase the recognition of the firm's product or service. In this way, awareness indirectly will increase the image of the company and provide the potential to return.

What Are Inbound Marketing Strategies?

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO is very important when doing inbound marketing. It is known that the application of SEO is decisive in the future digital marketing. This means the creation of prospective customers in Inbound marketing going forward.

A company's appearance on the top pages of the search engine results page dec;

• The ability of the caller to make a quick decision,
• The fact that it prefers this company that comes out first among competing companies dec,
• It can mean that he can use the purchase process in favor of the company that comes out on top.

Keywords that most accurately express a company's product or service allow users to easily communicate with the company's web page. A quality content planning and a user-friendly web page are very important in Inbound marketing.

• SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

SEM is a paid marketing strategy. Companies that use this method see the results in a short time. When doing inbound marketing, a product or service can be offered to customers in a very short time by planning keywords suitable for the profile of the customers.

Well, isn't free SEO enough in inbound marketing? Why use paid SEM?

Inbound marketing consists of free platforms and the target is not direct sales. Inbound marketing involves indirect promotion. However, using the SEM strategy will enable you to rank higher on the search engine results page in a short time. SEO strategy is an application that requires a certain process and progresses organically. Therefore, it would make sense to use both SEO and SEM strategies in this marketing. Although SEM is a costly advertising, the aim is to promote the product or service to the customer. Therefore, SEM strategy should be considered as a part of Inbound marketing.

• Content Marketing

A firm's ability to acquire customers requires being systematic and paying attention to detail. While doing inbound marketing, the company should aim at customer satisfaction in every area they can reach. In addition, it should be ensured that customers receive the easiest and fastest service.

In order to attract the attention of potential customers, the foundations of the content must be solid. With the SEM or SEO strategies used while preparing the content, customers will reach information about the brand. Inbound marketing will fail if the information is not of good quality. Therefore, the content should benefit the target audience, be of high quality and give pleasure.

How to Make a Content Study

• A Blog Must Be Created: While doing inbound marketing, the blog content should be of high quality and should talk about a specific topic. A product or service can be promoted on a blog. Visitors visiting the blog both have a pleasant time and benefit from the article. In addition, using a blog, guiding content can be prepared about why the product or service should be preferred. Google bots perceive a quality blog content as user-friendly. Thus, the blog site is organically moved to the top of the search engine results page.
• Downloadable Content and Manuals Must Be Created: Potential customers seek reliability and expertise in their preferred service. Content created to inform these customers may induce a purchase request. The fact that the prepared content is in a manual or downloadable PDF shows that the service provider has competence. This case preparations will be appreciated by customers.
• Customer Reviews Should Be Considered: While doing inbound marketing, those who sell services or products should include customer reviews on their social media accounts or websites. Potential customers will read reviews before purchasing a product or service. Customer reviews can make a service or product more prestigious.

• Social Media

It is a platform for the experience and interest of customers for the social media Inbound method. People share about the products and services they buy on social media. Today, social media channels are so popular that millions of shares are made instantly. For this reason, those who want their service or product to be recognized should use social media platforms effectively. There will definitely be returns on social media platforms that are used correctly.

While doing inbound marketing, sharing content on social media platforms and attracting attention is advantageous in terms of SEO. Because Google bots, which give importance to social media shares, will rank the account with high traffic on the search engine results page.

• Landing Pages

Potential customers visit landing pages to get detailed information about a company's service or product. Landing pages may offer customers to fill out a form. Landing pages can also ask customers to subscribe to a newsletter. If customers accept these offers, they will know about the service or product. It also enables to develop marketing strategies in the future.

The landing page should contain articles related to the service or product provided. Also, there should be only one thing that customers are asked to do on the landing page. For example, somewhere on the page of the website, there should not be all the phrases such as sign up for the e-newsletter, on the other hand download the PDF file or contact us. In addition, these collective actions that force the customer should be avoided. Because the customer will most likely be uncomfortable with it. When doing inbound marketing, the landing page should be very simple, one-action and accurate information.