Inbound Marketing: what it is and how to get the most out of it by integrating it with your Social Media strategy

Inbound Marketing is a methodology that consists of 4 shares, which have in each, pillars and tools that provide results to companies.

The purpose of Inbound Marketing is the person to find the mark from the process Awareness (knowledge) and continue the same throughout the buying process until it becomes a client.

The concept, as known today was coined in 2005 by Brian Halligan, co-founder and CEO of HubSpot. Although it was not until 2009 that became popular due to the book: Inbound Marketing: get found, using Google, Social Media and Blogs.

The methodology (as mentioned) has 4 actions and relies on advertising and marketing techniques like SEO, social media, content marketing, search engine advertising, etc.

Basic terms of Inbound Marketing

To understand the Inbound methodology is necessary to know three basic terms:

• Buyer’s Journey : the buying process a user . It consists of three phases:

1. Awareness (knowledge): at this stage the user does not know anything about the brand and has not detected a problem or a real need.
2. Consideration (consideration) is at this stage where the user starts taking more awareness of the need or problem you have, considering possible solutions.
3. Decision (Decision): here the person has evaluated possible solutions and is about to make a decision to solve your problem or need.

• Buyer person : is the description of a fictional character that simulates the ideal customer of the brand . Integra specific descriptions about your lifestyle, demographic data, socioeconomic, etc.
• Lead : the person who decides to leave their data in a form on the website and is a potential prospect .

Fact! In a typical strategy Inbound Marketing, an average of 198 visits are needed to generate 11 entries (leads) and 1 lead qualified marketing ( marketing qualified lead) . (Source: InboundCycle)

The 5 pillars of Inbound Marketing

• Buyer people : are those strategies are directed. It is with them that need to connect and communicate.
• Content Marketing : is generating valuable content, relevant and optimized for usersfind the mark.
• Segmentation : is group users / customers according to certain specific characteristics, and accompany each group purchasing processes (awareness, consideration and decision).
• Marketing Automation : Use tools to help make concrete and effective actions in less time. Through marketing automation a message topublic at the time and right place is secured.
• Analysis : Being a digital marketing strategy, it makes it easily measurable to make improvements and adjustments that allow deliver better results.

4 actions Inbound Marketing

• Attracting : seeks to attract or draw the attention of users. To do different tactics or tools like content marketing are used blogs , SEO and social networks.
• Convert : in the conversion process it is intended that a user who did not know the brand will become lead. That is, a potential client or person interested in having communication with the business or brand. This action is taken in hand tools such as CTA ‘s, Landing pages, content marketing, etc.
• Close : In this phase the goal is to lead the potential customer or close a sale with the company. For this, mainly used email marketing .
• Enthrall : not all end in the sale, the next step is to win those customers to provide good references on the mark and coming back for more. Again email marketing and social networks play a fundamental role.

Facts & Figures Inbound Marketing

According to the results of Inbound Marketing 2017 :

• Marketing Inbound marketing increases qualified contacts (MQL) of a company multiplied by 7.3 in one year and by 9.8 in two years.
• Inbound Marketing, the organic and direct channels together represent 65% of visitors, 52% of registrations and 53% of qualified marketing leads.
• A Inbound strategy is effective in companies of any sector. The B2B companies experience higher conversion visit to registration and B2C have a greater increase in accumulated visits. (Source: InboundCycle)

Success stories

Together let ‘s make is the name of a drug strategy carried out with Inbound Marketing difficult to introduce a product on the market for a complex segment.

Context

The pharmaceutical sought to position a drug. However, there were barriers to communicate the benefits of the product and educate segment to which it was addressed.

goals

The objectives were to communicate to solve the drug problem, generate traffic to the same site and generate contacts interested.

The strategy

After trying traditional media, it was decided to create a strategy of Inbound Marketing, creating and distributing educational content using SEO techniques and directing the segment to schedule an appointment with a specialist doctor to generate through that means more conversions.

Created content related to the problem by pointing the drug, it was distributed through blogging and social networking. landing pages were implemented to deliver more value and content on the site forms are positioned and calls to action aimed at directing users to schedule an appointment with a doctor.

Indicators

Even before starting Inbound Marketing there was no digital strategy raised only had shares in traditional media that had not worked.

The initial goals of the strategy had been 5,000 visits per month to 5 100 sales leads. After two months the results were:

• 20,000 views
• 1,351 MQL’s
• 73 SQL’s

Learn more about this success story of Inbound Marketing.  Success Story Let ‘s do it together.

Relationship between Inbound Marketing and Social Media: Getting the most out

In the Inbound Marketing methodology, the social networks are an essential channel for achieving results. The role of the media in marketing is synthesized in turn, visualize, provide customer support and enhance the reputation and image of the brand.

The success of social networking involves bringing the human need to socialize, build communities and be connected to the world today being; digital and internet.

Currently there are plenty of social networks, but the most popular are Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Knowing more each social network

• Some facts about Facebook :
  
  1) It has over 1000 million users and that number increases every day.
  
  2) 78% of people who use Facebook have contact with a company and a brand.
  
  3) The growth of Facebook messanger, currently has 1.3 trillion monthly active users and continues to grow. With an estimated 2.4 trillion messages exchanged per month and a total of 70 million businesses use it .
• Twitter : a microblogging social network.
  
  1) has 600 million users,
  
  2) 56% of users has contacted a company or brand despite had only 140 characters, now continue 280 communication.
• Instagram : is a social network image, is 100% visual, hashtag and some text.
  
  1) currently has a little over 100 million users and there is much potential for food industry, pets, etc.
• LinkedIn : professional, serious and with 200 million usersnot enough becausecontinuesgrow. The main objective isgenerate networking.
• Youtube : Who does not know this network of videos has reached 900 million users and there are still many more to achieve. For Inbound Marketing strategy is aligned perfectly, it is easy to integrate, disseminate the content on other social networks and have powerful.

Using Social Networks to enhance your Inbound Marketing Strategy

Social networks are critical in different actions of the methodology of Inbound Marketing.

70% of active Internet users use some kind of social network according to the latest report by consultancy  Gartner. It is undoubtedly a cornerstone and an essential tool.

Traffic that exists in social networks can attract users and interact in a more friendly and humane way to leads and customers , allowing us to create long – term relationships with our customers through dialogue person to person. By doing this you can get powerful, better open rate, a direct conversation, personal and bi-directional.

Did you know that 77% of consumers did not buy online if they have the ability to chat with someone? (FirstPerson). Through social networks can provide instant communication. The average response is 42 seconds according Zen Desk.

The combination of a methodology for Inbound Marketing and Social Networks lets you create conversations that build lasting relationships. But to do so it needs creativity and knowledge, as well as community management tools, such as CRM, design, analytics, etc.

HubSpot, for example, gives a series of guidelines for integrating Inbound Marketing to Social Networks :

• To attract , it is advisable to include much more than trade information about your brand and that people can find every day.
• In the process of converting , it is important to integrate links to landing pages and answer questions or needs of the target.
• To close it is necessary to monitor every comment, inbox, tweet , etc.
• Finally, to captivate or loyalty , it is best to ratify its decision, make recommendations, offer promotions, discounts, etc.

At all stages of the methodology of Inbound Marketing can be integrated social networks to move them at every stage and have buyers or users back.

Blog, mailing or SEO is not enough, but there is a social networking integration to the Inbound strategy. It is the medium that allows diffusion and improves search engine rankings. The more content, better quality and more interactivity, better results.

Inbound Marketing and social networks are an inseparable friendship, and that is why we must walk together under a plan and a vision, leading companies to take off. Digital marketing today recommend it, but the public is who sets the pace and demands.

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About the Author

Sophia Valenzuela is copywriter in MAS Digital . It is Mercadologa and economist, likes the social, is interested in neuromarketing, entrepreneurship and finance.