The Inbound Marketing approach

How inbound marketing is best for your customers… and your company.

The inbound approach works great for public relations. The Inbound marketing approach to doing business is based on building conversations and relationships with the people you want to attract the most. It allows you to talk with, not at, your most valuable audience. Most importantly, Inbound is a technique that meets your customers in their comfort zone and on their own terms and sites.

People are always growing and changing, which means your company should be too. Inbound is about drawing customers to you, not spamming mailboxes with marketing materials. In today’s fast-paced world, you have to stand out from the crowd and offer something new, relevant, and personalized to get the attention you desire.

This is a better way of doing business.

To successfully harness the full potential of Inbound marketing, you need to be present at each moment of the buyer's journey. Inbound isn’t just the responsibility of marketing. It’s the responsibility of every single group involved in the buyer's journey like the sales and accounting teams.

Every step along the way, the customer needs to be attracted, engaged, and delighted. This proves the value of your company while establishing trust in efforts to build long-lasting relationships. This can be done through various mediums: a helpful blog, an informative review, or a conversation with a customer service representative when they have a question. It is the monetization of knowledge and offers for things the customer actually needs for whatever stop they are at in the buyer’s journey. It is aligning with the way your buyer thinks and empowering them along his or her path.

To start utilizing the Inbound method, you should make your company’s purpose clear, set business goals, create buyer personas, and develop a buyer’s journey for your business. The methodology shouldn’t be based around what you’re selling and how to get it in front of as many people as possible. That is a waste of your time and resources. Instead, focus on who you want to buy your product and develop your methodology around them. After all, in today’s market, the buyer is the one with all the power.

Through creating the best experience for your customers imaginable, you are creating a lasting relationship for your business. Better for the customer means better for your business, and Inbound is what’s better for your customer.

Virginia Marion Bullard is an intern with Axia Public Relations and a senior at the University of Florida College of Journalism. Virginia is based out of Jacksonville, Florida and has a passion for crafting blogs and short stories for everyone to enjoy.