Inbound marketing is the holy grail, the creme de le creme, the very tip of the highest peak of the mighty mountain we call marketing. It's definitely the go-to strategy for an increasing number of businesses in Edinburgh, Scotland, and beyond!
By that I mean: Inbound marketing is good! And it’s what all marketing teams should aim for with their work. It focuses on attracting new clients by adding value, solving problems and building trusting, long lasting relationships. That should be the end goal of any business’s marketing campaigns, but getting this right takes investing time, effort and money. It puts the “pain” in “marketing campaign” if it feels like your efforts are going unrewarded (and if you’re lenient about spelling).
With this in mind here are a few things to remember which will ensure you get the most out of your inbound marketing campaigns.
Does it answer questions and refer to important areas of concern for your customer-base? This is the first role of inbound marketing: don’t promote your products or services, show your expertise, provide insight and be helpful!
This is one of the keys to making value-adding content. Instead of focussing on your company and your products you focus on your customers. By addressing key issues within your industry and common concerns that your customers have you will be able to impress them with your knowledge and immediately start building trust.
If someone has a problem or something that needs addressing, then there’s no better way of making a positive impression than by offering a solution! This will show not only that you understand your industry, but that you understand your clientele as well.
How your content looks is important, but not the most important thing. The substance, the detail, of your content is what will add value for your customers. Show your knowledge of your niche! You might not win an Oscar for cinematography, but you’ll make sure your customers think of you as helpful and trustworthy. Besides, the Academy doesn’t know what it’s on about anyway.
The days where high-end, high-production videos and photos were the only way to go about marketing and advertising are gone. Just look at how many people promote businesses with footage captured on mobile phones!
Have a look at our article to learn how to stand out with video content.
Is it a tutorial? Answering FAQs? Meet the team? Part of a series of related videos or images? Have the finished product in mind and guiding the production will be much easier, and will ensure there’s a clear and coherent line of thought.
If you want to build trust with potential customers then perhaps a video introducing your team would go down well. Alternatively, if you’re trying to show your expertise then a tutorial of how to use your products and services could go down well. All of these types of content will add value to your clients’ lives and create that relationship between your business and themselves that inbound marketing is all about!
Learn about video ideas to increase your conversion rate!
No - we don’t mean film in the nude (necessarily). If you run a naturist retreat then go ahead, but maybe steer clear if not. But anyway, my point is be yourself!
Inbound marketing is about building trust, and people trust those who are authentic. There is a line to tread of course, you still want to come across like a pro! So it’s worth baring in mind and taking time to consider how you’re coming across. There should be a point to what you’re communicating to your audience – you don’t want to waffle on about irrelevant topics – but without it feeling cold and clinical. Present your business as relatable alongside its professional aspect!
Check out our video on how to be real - but not too real – for some advice on how to nail this aspect.
There we go! Those are our tips. Now you can climb the mountain of inbound marketing, equipped with all the ice-picks and energy bars to propel you to glory. You’re BOUND to succeed!
