What is inbound marketing and how to apply it successfully in 2021?

The way of consumption nowadays is through personal or business purchasing decisions, the customer likes to be always in control. This is where Inbound Marketing methodology comes into its own. Targeted promotion through this methodology allows prospects to find your business or brand before they consider making a purchase. 

Index: 

• What is inbound marketing and its stages? 

• Benefits of inbound marketing 
• 4 Inbound Marketing trends for 2021 

What is inbound marketing and its stages? 

Inbound methodology is based on attracting customers and achieving long-term sales conversions through brand awareness and loyalty. It also manages to combine non-intrusive marketing and advertising techniques with the intention of getting the user to initiate the purchasing process on their own and then accompany them on the journey to the final purchase. 
Next, we will look at each of the stages of this methodology to better understand the path taken by each prospect. 

• Attract: 
  This is the initial and most important phase. This is because what we are looking for is to attract people, without invading their lives. This means that the content generated is of great importance, as we are looking to attract unknown people, for example, to our website. This implies that we must develop a strategy for the content with which users will start their journey. 
  
• Convert:  

This stage aims to generate traffic; therefore, it must have relevant content for users, making it more likely to become a potential customer. What kind of content can I generate for this stage? Well, as I mentioned earlier, it should be of interest to the user: reports, checklists, eBooks, calls to action, forms. 

• Close:  
  For this third stage, we must focus all our efforts on converting our prospects to leads, making the right content through the right medium, through automation. This is where our CRM tool comes in, which is extremely helpful in measuring data and generating emails, reports, workflows, etc. 
  
• Delight:  
  Finally, when our customer is at this point in the journey, we must create a better relationship with our existing customers, i.e., maintain loyalty to our brand, through the right content. We can continue this process through helpful content on social media, CTAs, emails, and satisfaction surveys. 

Now that you know each of the stages of inbound marketing, don't miss out on the benefits that this methodology can bring to your business. 
Related article: What is Inbound Marketing? 

Benefits of inbound marketing

It is sustainable: Unlike other types of campaigns, content, forms, and workflow emails will always be available to those seeking information and will be accessed through a variety of channels, primarily on the website via search engines. 

Generate relevant leads: By providing informative content, you attract potential customers to your website and your business, prompting them to act and contact you for more information about your content, services, and products. Most importantly, customers enter the sales funnel on their own terms, they want to gain control in the sales process, especially with the content they consume, which is why inbound marketing is so advantageous for businesses as a marketing tactic. 

Improve brand position: A brand's position is determined by the customer's perception and expectations of the brand and interaction with that brand. Inbound marketing revolves around providing content that helps a potential customer with a problem, often by providing a solution to that problem. Helping and educating the potential customer in this way enhances your brand's position as knowledgeable, experienced and expert. 
 
Article of interest: Case study: Starbucks success with the Inbound Marketing methodology 

4 Inbound Marketing Trends for 2021

1. Virtual events and communities
   

   Virtual events and online communities provide a way for audiences to connect and learn more about your brand from anywhere. Prospects and customers can save time and money on travel while accessing information from community members, your internal leadership team, partners, and industry leaders. Convenience alone will continue to make virtual events relevant in 2021. 

   Hosting an online event or webinar allows you to capture leads during the registration process. You can also interact with many potential customers at once. 

2. Live streaming and video
   The consumption of more online video and the emerging technology of live streaming on social platforms, including Facebook and LinkedIn, make it a strategy that businesses should embrace. Today, 81% of marketing teams use video content to attract and engage potential customers. That's because one study found that 75% of people prefer watching a short video to learn more about a brand's products or services rather than reading text. If you think live streaming only works for consumer products or services, you should think again. 
3. Machine learning
   

   It has been shown that technology companies using artificial intelligence technology improved their revenue streams and increase sales efficiency, reducing costs. HubSpot CRM allows you to personalize your website pages based on a contact's behavior and site location. 

   Here are some ways machine learning is used in digital marketing: website personalisation, live chat, website UX, marketing automation, email and social media campaign scheduling, SEO analytics. 

4. ABM (account-based marketing) 

The sales, marketing and even the executive team work together to close a single account by addressing the unique needs of customers. Companies can identify contacts on LinkedIn and use email marketing or social ads to engage with potential customers. This strategy requires a CRM such as HubSpot to integrate marketing automation with sales activities. 

Take advantage of this type of strategy to boost, implement and grow your company or business, having loyal, satisfied customers who are eager to promote what you offer.