Traditional marketing is outdated and rapidly on its way out the door. Traditional marketing says, “Stop what you’re doing, look and listen to me!” It’s disruptive and not useful. The problem isn’t with the reach of traditional media, email and radio are still very powerful tools. In 2015 there were over 205 billion emails sent and received per day, and over 91% of Americans tuning into the radio per week. Now think about how many emails you have deleted this morning alone, without ever opening them. Probably quite a few. And when you were in your car today did you sync to your favorite Pandora or satellite radio station? The main problem with traditional marketing practices is that they’re interruptive and people are getting much better at tuning them out, or completely cutting them out altogether.
Related Blog: The Inbound Marketing Methodology: How to Convert Visitors into Leads
People today want to buy from an influencer or thought leader, because they have a built in trust factor. So how do you become an influencer or thought leader? Create informative content that helps your consumers. Inbound marketing is all about creating remarkable content that attracts your ideal customers and allows them to find you first. In an over-saturated marketplace you want your business to have brand awareness among your ideal consumers and a compelling presence. Visibility and good search engine positioning is key to attracting your ideal customers to your business.
Remember the 5 W’s (and How) from school? These questions can help you illustrate your ideal Buyer Personas, and better understand their unique challenges and interests. Who is your target audience? What does your website, blog, and social media content look like? Where are your customers engaging with you the most and when? Why do your promoters and loyal consumers love your product or service? How does your product or service address your consumers’ needs and/or wants? Answering these questions is a great way to start finding your ideal customers and creating informative content for them. Make sure you are creating brand continuity with your promotions on social media that way you can be easily recognized by your ideal customers.
Having responsive website design is key in attracting strangers and turning them into visitors. It’s no secret that Millennials and Gen Xers love their smartphones. 80% of Millennials scroll through their smartphones before they even get out of bed in the morning. We’ve all been there before, you go to click on a great headline or awesome thumbnail of a product, and then the web page is full of pop-up ads or is not compatible with your device. This can deter your customer or even cause them to close out of the tab completely. While you may have an on-trend website and blue-chip level content, if you don’t have a responsive website design, you’re likely to be missing out on a good portion of your target market.
Understanding your brand is the best place to start attracting your ideal customers. Once you know how your brand can be woven into your customer’s lifestyle, creating informative and easy to consume content will be a breeze and you’ll be ready to move onto the next step of the inbound marketing methodology in no time.