Today, it is impossible to ignore an active online presence for any company wishing to impose itself in the market. But for it to be effective, it is important to combine it with a content creation strategy, inbound marketing or inbound marketing. It aims to attract customers through high-added value content and in line with their new consumption habits. Also, theoretically, it is considered the most effective strategy for converting prospects into leads. But what in practice?
Inbound Marketing to Boost Business Results
Inbound marketing has a well established reputation. This concept has allowed about 93% of companies to generate more traffic to their websites in a very short period of time. For About 45% of them, the conversion rate has increased significantly. Inbound marketing has also allowed companies See their sales increase by almost 50%.
In addition, the cost of this method is low. Achieving these results requires a lengthy process to be followed and several hurdles to be overcome.
It should be remembered that at present consumers are constantly in a hurry. They want immediate answers and can change their mind as quickly as possible. Their purchase is often the result of extensive research and reading the opinions of other consumers. If the product or service received is not in line with the ideas created by them, then the brand or company concerned may see its reputation tarnished overnight and simply disappear from the landscape.
Apart from taking into account the consumption habits of the customers, it is also necessary to look at the reasons why inbound marketing has not produced the expected results. Practice doesn’t always lead to an enjoyable life. This is why taking stock of the loss makes it possible to optimize the performance of the strategy adopted while minimizing costs and shortening the resume time.
Why can inbound marketing fail in practice?
Inbound marketing is not a silver bullet. To ensure success, marketers must build a genuine relationship of trust with their target customers.
Not building a community around a brand
Adopting this concept requires establishing a community ready to support the brand, share publications, communicate about your products or services. This community is essential to show a positive image of the brand. This should be established from the beginning of the marketing campaign.
Not defining your objectives upstream
If the company has not set in advance the objectives it wants to achieve, it runs the risk of not providing adequate financial and human resources. It is imperative to define these objectives, keeping in mind that they will be achieved within the given time frame. This will allow all stakeholders within the company to work together. Setting goals is also a great way to measure the performance achieved throughout the process.
Not taking the time to properly target your audience
Whatever technology is used, identifying your audience is a real challenge. In fact, it’s the only way for the company to generate prospects knowing that they are the ones who will become the lead, then the customer. It is necessary to approach the latter as far as possible in order to understand the reasons for which they choose such or such company, such or such product or service.
To get answers to these questions, getting information about customers, taking interest in their centers of interest or even conducting a survey are all ways to apply to adjust the content accordingly. Multiplying media and communication channels with an emphasis on quality is the most appropriate solution to attract qualified prospects. This move can be considered an energy-intensive activity by companies without financial gain.
However, this should not be overlooked, because in order to sell well, you need to know what the product or service is for. This information allows the company to add value to their content and attract prospects, to convert them. Sales and marketing alignment takes on its full meaning here. Synchronization between the commercial pole and the marketing pole is one of the pillars of inbound marketing.
Classic ads on social networks
If the company chooses to communicate via social networks, it should take into account the fact that users are increasingly turning away from ads or traditional prospecting methods, which they consider too intrusive and too aggressive.
The goal of inbound marketing is to get prospects to get into the business. use of social networks Conversion is a way to attract the customer to the barrel and build a relationship with him. this is best means of communication Which allows marketers to establish a marketing strategy during which prospects feel a sense of belonging to a brand or brand. They are more likely to be customers who decide to buy and share their feelings or their opinions.
This is where you have to be really careful, internet users can damage the reputation of the company with some comments if the products do not comply with the advertisement made from them. The impact on the company’s sales would then be catastrophic. This situation can be avoided if she interacts with the customer, also by showing that she is listening and that she is able to rectify the situation.
Combine inbound marketing and data driven approach
Companies wishing to stand out from their competitors are required to keep all assets in their favor. If the use of inbound marketing is preferred, it will only bear fruit if it is combined with some other approach based on data analysis.
Data Driven reinforces the efficiency of the previous one Improve audience targeting Having the possibility to explain his future actions. By collecting all the data on it, it is easy to find the formula that drives it to action.
Furthermore, data driven makes it possible to choose the most efficient insights, which give feedback to potential customers. It shouldn’t be overdone, but it should be true and inspire a positive response. Said customers must feel a deep need for the product, whatever it may be, to the point of not resisting the urge to buy it, which gives the company the advantage of making sales and having a higher ROI than positive.
But to maintain performance, you must continually update yourself and submit insights and CTAs for A/B testing, an essential marketing tool to drive traffic and conversion rates to company sites. By comparing two versions of the same page or the same product, it is easy to pick the one that wins the most votes among consumers.
In fact, inbound marketing works best when combined with other marketing strategies. With the aim of generating leads and optimizing conversion rate, all options are to be taken. Thus, it will be more effective to launch a new product, service or brand using outbound marketing at startup. Traditional advertising will bring immediate visibility to the consumer via email, public display, radio, television…