We all know the concept of a hero's journey:
“The beloved hero goes on a quest, faces difficulties but rises victorious and returns home transformed. They have help along the way of course. Often taking the form of a sage or wizard. There’s usually someone who aids the hero on their adventure providing guidance and advice so that the hero can grow into their fullest potential and achieve what they’re set out to do.”
Quoted - https://www.hubspot.com/inbound-marketing
This essentially means - if you do inbound marketing right, you can be Harry's Dumbledore or Frodo's Gandalf. The content you provide will assist your customer to get where they want to be or what they want to achieve. You will become their reliable source of information and advice.
In this post we will give you some pointers on how you can create that content and get it out there through the right channels.
So - What is Inbound Marketing?
Inbound marketing means creating content that addresses problems or needs of your customers. That way you attract qualified prospects and build trust and credibility for your business. It is often referred to as the strategy of “pull” marketing rather than “push” marketing. Using a content marketing strategy will pull your customer towards you, rather than pushing your products or services onto them.
To become your customers' personal Dumbledore or Gandalf you need to build a relationship with them. Think about how you can provide value and gain trust. Assist in making informed decisions, which will lead to sustainable, repeated purchases and beneficial word-of-mouth advertising. Your content should keep in touch without coming across like a traditional salesman. That means you need to figure out where, how and how often you reach out to and interact with your potential customers.
One of the first things to consider is: Who is your ideal customer? Check out our post “Marketing: Know your Customer” if you need some information on defining your target audience or creating your buyer personas.
Another visual analogy to the hero’s journey that helps with creating the right content is keeping your customers journey in mind. They usually walk through the awareness stage, into the consideration stage and end up in the decision making stage, where they should choose your product or service. So while working on your content, think about how you can interact with customers along all three stages and get them to step further.
To be the contact of choice for your customer, you have to stand out and convince them during the consideration stage. Doing that implies having holistic knowledge about your market. Read “Marketing: Know your Competition” to understand where you can start to create your company's unique profile.
Why is Inbound Marketing important?
Would Harry have been victorious without Dumbledore, or Frodo without Gandalf? - Yeah right, probably not.
If you manage to become a trusted and valued point of guidance and advice for your customers, you have a very high guarantee of repeated sales, long-lasting customer relationships and continuous profits. Running an inbound marketing campaign certainly takes effort, but the rewards will be undeniable and will continue to add value for your business as well as your customers. Of course, the end goal of marketing is still making the sale and being efficient, but with a thoughtful content strategy, you are able to increase your customer satisfaction by creating a human-to-human connection.
A few of the main channels to keep in touch and create that personalised contact are: blog posts, social media interactions, direct mails and newsletters. To get the most out of the work you are putting into all that content, make sure you are using the right keywords and tags. A great post is only going to reach your target audience if they can find it. Trust us when we say: “The money spent on social media marketing, Google Ads and SEO is going to come back to you.”
What to remember when planning your Content Strategy:
- Keep the customer's journey in mind and create content specific for each stage. Feed potential customers with value instead of targeting them solely from a sales perspective.
- Offer value in terms of free advice, information or guides before asking for a sale.
- It’s about genuinely building a relationship. To successfully connect with your target audience and create sustainable repeated purchases, you have to show the human side of your business.
How to successfully run an Inbound Marketing Campaign
Does this sound like a great adventure you want to take your business on? We understand that it might seem overwhelming. No need to worry - we’ve got you covered. Download our free guide that provides you with 10 easy steps on "How to run a successful Inbound Marketing Campaign".
And because we would love to be the adviser you can always reach out to in times of trouble along your journey - just reach out if you have any questions.
