There are many different types of content marketing strategies you can implement into your blogging. You have to first figure out your main objective and what you’re trying to achieve. Without a solid game plan, you’re going to have a hard time coming up with a strategy that converts. In the end, it’s about achieving your bottom line and if you’re running a business, this means equaling profits. However, many bloggers have a hard time establishing their main objective before implementing a content marketing strategy, which is why it’s often misguided. Next, if you’re NOT sure about your main objective, you won’t know if you’re looking to outbound or inbound market to your customers. You’ll be surprised how picking either/or will effect your conversion rate.
I recently read a cool article on content marketing and how outbound and inbound marketing can drastically effect your traffic, engagement, conversions, and profits. However, there’s another major problem…
Many people don’t know the definition of inbound and outbound marketing, so how do you expect them to effectively implement a progressive marketing strategy? I’ll like to take some time and define both these concepts and how they differentiate from each other. Next, I’ll be providing some examples of each so you know how they’ll relate to your business.
Let’s get started…
Outbound Marketing
This concept studies people’s buying habits and effectively getting the message across to them. In this situation, your audience doesn’t know what they want to buy nor if they are shopping for the product and it’s your duty to craft a message to get them hooked. To apply this strategy into your content marketing takes more effort because you’re starting from a blank slate, building your way up. For example, you have to start with your objective in mind then craft a marketing strategy. Next, you’ll have to test and tweak different marketing platforms, looking for the right platform that reaches your potential customers.
Because people are NOT looking for a product and it’s your duty to convince them, this method can be very intrusive. You’re practically stuffing a message in your audiences’ face, hoping they’ll click through and carry through with the purchase. Some examples of outbound marketing include…
- Banner advertising
- PPC advertising
- Email marketing
- Cold calling from center
- Pop ups and landing pages
This method works from the seller or bloggers position and it’s your responsibility to go out finding the right audience.
Inbound Marketing
This is a more streamlined approach to marketing because your customers are already in front of you. This marketing strategy works from the audience’s position because they are the ones searching for a solution to their problem. In outbound, you have to find the customers, but with inbound, the customers are looking for you. They have a common problem and are looking for an effective solution. Many people performing “targeted” searches online are essentially inbound marketing and are ready to buy. So what should the blogger and seller focus on?
Instead of crafting a marketing campaign trying to attract customers, you should only focus on two important things. First, organic SEO, so when customers are searching a solution, you’ll appear in the SERP’s. This will increase the chances of obtaining a click-through and conversion. This is the reason companies spend millions of dollars on SEO because a majority of shoppers will start searching on Google before any other platform. Secondly, inbound marketing is about focusing on your sales page or website. For example, because people are searching for a solution and will MOST likely purchase the product, sellers should focus on creating a high converting sales page. Focus on tweaking your website instead of focusing on outer elements like outbound marketing.
Here are the most common elements of an effective inbound marketing campaign…
- Sales funnel to capture lead to follow-up with buyer later
- Web design including colors, navigation, and load time. A slow loading site will force customer to leave.
- Adding videos and images showcasing benefits of product
- High quality content for people visiting (related to product or niche)
- Identify what the client wants
- Create an environment people trust.
Wrapping It Up…
The strategy you implement will depend on a few things. First, how long you’ve been around and if people know where to search for solution. For example, when you’re looking for electronics, you know to go to eBay, Kijiji.com, and BestBuy.com. These companies have established themselves so people won’t search, but skim over to their site. These people should focus on an effective inbound marketing strategy by improve product search, deals, colors, speed, funnel, etc. However, if you need to attract customers who are NOT sure about your product and benefits, you might to invest in long-term SEO and utilize ad networks. I suggest outbound marketing go through a full testing period to find out what works. Either way, there is NO simple answer because it depends on your niche, objective, etc.