How Does Inbound Marketing Work?

For your business to succeed, it must continually increase its sales. The only way to do that is to increase the number of qualified leads your business generates. This is where inbound marketing comes into play. 

What Is Inbound Marketing?
Inbound marketing is the process of attracting the right prospect, nurturing them through the buying process, closing the sale at the right time, and then turning them into delighted customers who keep coming back. It works like this:

Attracting the Right Visitors

Lead generation efforts begin with attracting a prospect who is interested in what you have to say. By creating valuable content that answers your prospect's question or solves his problem, you will start attracting higher quality leads. This is the foundation of inbound marketing.

What problems do your ideal customers have and how can your product solve them? This is the type of content you want to develop.

Converting Site Visitors into Leads

Once a prospect visits your website it is time to convert them into a customer. This process can take some time depending on the industry. No matter how long the buying cycle, you will need to nurture them along using more content.

By offering eBooks, white papers, webinars, and consultations, you are allowing the prospect to identify themselves as a qualified lead. Inbound marketing allows the prospect to go at his own pace and make a buying decision when he is ready.

Closing the Sale

As your prospect moves along the buying path, you will be able to monitor him and determine when he is likely ready to make a buying decision. At this point, turn him over to your sales team for a quick and easy sale.

Because your sales team will be dealing with prospects who are ready to buy, they will close more sales and increase your revenue.

Keeping Your Customers Delighted

Once you have acquired a customer, it is then your obligation to delight them and turn them into advocates for the business. The process does not end once a prospect becomes a customer. By using follow-up content and post-purchase surveys, a business will be able to address any questions or challenges a customer has.

The inbound marketing process starts with proper lead generation. This should be the foundation of all marketing efforts. By implementing this foundation, your business can supercharge their lead generation and will ultimately increase their bottom line.