These days, businesses have two basic choices for attracting and retaining customers. You can invest in acquiring new customers one-by-one, with techniques like cold calling and media buys. These strategies are referred to as “outbound marketing” since you’re “pushing” your message out and hoping it falls on receptive ears. The other (modern) option is “inbound marketing” and it’s becoming a much more efficient strategy.
Inbound marketing is a campaign strategy wherein you build and distribute valuable content that enables new customers to find your brand and your message on their own – without direct involvement from you.
For example, producing videos, distributing white papers and participating in social media are all considered inbound marketing tools. They help prospective customers find you on their own and in a context that leaves your sales pitch at the door.
1. Know thy audience.
The first step in any inbound marketing campaign plan should be identifying and understanding your target audience. Inbound marketing works best when the message, media and offer are all laser-targeted to resonate with your ideal prospective buyers and even designed NOT to resonate with those who will never become buyers.
2. Find the reaction.
The second step is discovering what reaction you want to elicit. Do you want them to take an action? What action? Do you want them to “recognize” you, your brand or your value? Reactions are powerful responses. Use them.
3. Make it original and sticky.
Your medium doesn’t have to be original, but how you use it should be. Sending an email about a new operating system is neither original nor memorable. Bumper stickers that say, “I wish I ran on Windows 8”, are.
4. Release the hounds!
So far your campaign exists only in planning documents and on the agency’s servers. Step 4 is to release it upon the world. Consider social networking sites, online press releases, article submissions, email, print mail, smoke signals – whatever. Get it out there to be found. The goal is for people to easily find it on their own – not bashed over the head with it.
5. Fail quickly.
Obviously success is the goal, but whether you fail or succeed you need to measure everything and often. The more often you can report on success or failure of the campaign, the quicker you can shift resources around and the more efficient the campaign will end up being.
So there you go. Inbound marketing campaigns are quickly becoming the new battle grounds for businesses big and small. The good news is, it doesn’t matter your size or your budget if you run a really great inbound marketing campaign.