The new and upcoming way for businesses to reach new customers and create a customer base is inbound marketing. 

This type of marketing has been on the rise when browsing through various websites. 

But first, what even is inbound marketing?

What is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing is the process of attracting potential customers through channels that they desire. These channels can include SEO, social media, blog content, and email campaigns. 

For many businesses, it’s the best way to generate leads by providing valuable content to consumers. 

By providing helpful information, your company will earn trust with its audience, who are more likely to purchase from you in the future.

Elements of Inbound Marketing

The idea of inbound marketing is to engage your customers by publishing valuable content and building an audience. Here are some elements of a successful inbound marketing strategy

Search Engine Optimization

• A quality website with optimized content can get your site to come up in search engines. 

Landing Pages

• A good landing page needs to be relevant, has good design, and has to be focused. This may come in the form of a subscription page, a fill-out form, or a product page. 

Social Media Marketing

• Social media marketing is a great way for businesses to generate new visibility. It allows the company to show off their product and engage with any person in the world

Email Marketing

• Increasing customer retention and loyalty, email marketing revolves around providing content to subscribers. Furthermore, the aim of this is for traffic to be attained by creating a recurring stream that directs customers perpetually back to your website.

Pay-Per-Click Marketing

• Pay-Per-Click is still a form of inbound marketing because when users are searching for something, they will most likely click on ads that appear. PPC ads do not disrupt another activity. With paid search, you pay in order to be at the top of a specific website and assign bids for phrases that attract quality leads.

The Role of the Customer

The purpose of marketing is to help businesses to recognize, influence, and provide value to your customers. Without customers, your business will not flourish. 

Having a good customer relationship means that businesses should not only identify who their customers are and what satisfies them, businesses should also maintain those customers.

Customers may engage with a business through marketing research by means of surveys or quizzes, or through product feedback when the product hits the market. 

Customers also have the ability to bring in new customers through word-of-mouth marketing or by simply telling their peers about your product.

Types of Tools Used in Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing tools are used for market engagement purposes. These can include social media management, paid ads, webinars, and more. 

Here are some tools used in inbound marketing:

1. Content Management Tools (ex. GatherContent, Trello)
2. Social Media Management Tools (Buffer, Later.com)
3. Marketing Automation (SalesLeadGen)
4. CRM Tools (HubSpot CRM, SalesForce, Pipedrive)
5. Graphic Design Software (Canva, Adobe Products)
6. Landing Pages
7. Live Chat (LiveChat, Intercom)
8. Email Marketing Tools (MailChimp, ConvertKit)
9. SEO Tools (SEMRush, Ahrefs)
10. Calendars (Calendly, UberConference)
11. Surveys (JotForm, Contact Form 7)

Conclusion

Inbound marketing refers to a marketing strategy where a business focuses on attracting visitors to their website by providing valuable, interesting content. 

This is the opposite of outbound marketing, where businesses would pay for ads and other promotional material to attract visitors. This customer-centric approach is the only way to beat out competition these days, with so many options available for consumers.

Inbound marketing incorporates the use of various tools to attract leads. Some inbound marketing techniques include blogging, email marketing, and social media strategy.