7 Tactics to Include in Your Inbound Marketing Strategy

Tactics Include in Your Inbound Marketing Strategy

When running an inbound marketing strategy, you put the customers above all else.

You use your content as a tool to solve their problems and get their trust.

Inbound marketing is a fairly new technique, as many still use its traditional counterpart, outbound marketing. You can also combine the two for better results.
You will find seven effective tactics of inbound marketing strategy in this article to make your campaign successful.

What Is Inbound Marketing?

What Is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing is the process of providing value to your customers and ensuring a pleasing user experience for them. Here, you will create content that answers their common questions.

When consumers visit the site for the first time, they will pay attention to what it provides. They want sites that connect to them and help them. They want an eCommerce site they can trust.

Content in inbound marketing focuses on-

  • Acknowledging the pain points in the market
  • Putting solutions to common issues people face (like how to guides)
  • Adding valuable information, which can make the audience better knowledgeable on the industry

Glossier is an excellent example of this. The brand has a dedicated blog website where they routinely upload helpful and informative blogs and other content.

Glossier inbound marketing content example

This approach turned them into a popular skincare brand. The blogging started even before they started as a brand. They took their time to get a loyal reader base.

Inbound vs Outbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is customer-centric. Its aim is to connect to the audience and win their heart by helping them through various means (especially content and social media).

Meanwhile, the outbound marketing strategy is product-centric. It focuses on customizing products and services and advertising them directly to the audience.

This strategy is about showcasing the product as best as possible to a wide audience. The business does the outreach here through various means, such as-

  • Mass cold emails
  • TV or radio ads

The “Our blades are f*ing great” YouTube video by Dollar Shave Club, a subscription-based razor service, is one great example of successful outbound marketing.

Their humorous video went viral quickly, earning them a massive consumer base. Just the comments on the video heralded their success.

humorous video inbound content example

Afterward, they focused on traditional outbound tactics like advertising and promotional campaigns.

7 Tactics to Use in Your Inbound Marketing Campaign

It is challenging to stay ahead of your rivals in most industries, given the number of eCommerce sites. More people are becoming aware of inbound strategies and going for this approach.

The following tips can help you in the competition and secure success in your inbound marketing.

Creating Content that Connects

What makes great content for eCommerce sites? Many may have different answers. We say it includes being able to connect with the audience and giving them details they need or want.

Don’t shy away from going casual with the creation of your content, if necessary. Make content that everyone understands.

A rule of thumb is to write content for everyone but compose it as if you are talking to one person only: the reader. Choose your content topics carefully. Don’t cover too-niche titles.

Research the pain points (usual problems consumers face) and trends. Don’t miss out on any section within your industry. Make a lot of content and update regularly.

Optimization for Search Engines (SEO)

Creating ways for the audience to reach your site themselves is the heart of inbound marketing. You can do this using SEO tactics where you optimize your site to rank it higher on SERP.

Some standard SEO practices to try are-

  • Making content informative and helpful
  • Targeting user search queries
  • Link-building (with preparations)
  • Structuring the site better with smooth navigation
  • Ensuring faster loading time

Making Way for User-Generated Content

User-generated content involves more than just ratings and reviews. It can also encourage the audience to share their stories regarding the industry itself.

For example, in 2014, Starbucks ran a campaign: #WhiteCupContest. Here, it encouraged people to design their white cups. The brand then printed the winning design on its limited-edition reusable cups.

Starbucks ran a campaign White Cup Contest inbound content example

Not only did customers love this campaign, but it went viral, increasing their brand visibility significantly.

Similarly, you can also use other means of user-generated content, like reviews or sharing stories. It allows users to mention their issues or share any great experience they had with your product or service.

Social Media Presence

Social media is a great place to build a loyal community. When looking for a new product, people believe in word-of-mouth over brand promises. Social media is your tool to utilize this factor.

You can open a business account on several platforms and create unique content tailored to each. For example, you can make-

repurpose your content across platforms example

You can also repurpose your content across platforms. Repurposing is changing content to different formats. For example, you can modify a podcast to a video by adding footage.

Using social media for inbound marketing is free, but you can pay for advertisements or boost your posts. It also allows your target audience to reach you easily, and you can engage with them.

Authenticity Is the Key

People have been more concerned about the authenticity of products post-pandemic. Apparently, 88% of consumers now prioritize authenticity highly when picking a brand.

As such, when marketing your brand, get rid of your fear of revealing the loose ends of your product qualities. You can always promise improvement of your products. However, concealing the negative aspects will only lead to losing customer trust.

Lead Capturing Method

Lead capturing is the process of getting the contact information of potential customers who might be interested in your service or products. You usually offer them something in return.

In inbound marketing, offering people gated content, like webinars or eBooks, is a standard. You can also offer discounts for registering for the first time. Most news media companies, like Forbes, use this method.

Lead Capturing Method inbound marketing example

Personalized Recommendation

It would be a mistake not to utilize AI or algorithms to recommend personalized products to customers based on past purchases.

Personalized Recommendation inbound marketing example

Recommending them products based on their preference is a great step since inbound marketing focuses on customer satisfaction. However, it is not limited to a website.

You can send personalized newsletters to people subscribed or registered to your brand. It doesn’t have to be product recommendations only. You can also send-

  • Offers and discounts
  • Tips and tricks
  • Product release announcements and news
  • Product production display

Conclusion

Inbound marketing is a very slow process when it starts. However, its effect also lasts way longer than outbound marketing. The process is challenging, but it is worth it.

To achieve success, you will need to do ample research, gain experience, and make some trials and errors.

Author’s Bio:

Siam Khan is an SEO specialist with over three years of experience. He works as an Executive at RankPa, focusing on digital marketing strategies and website optimization. Siam Khan | LinkedIn

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