What is Inbound Marketing, and Why do You Need It?

Marketing is ingrained in all of us, and we can't escape it.  No matter how hard you try, you will encounter marketing of some kind, be it commercials, print media, Internet ads, mailings, SPAM, phone calls... the list never ends!  It's pretty safe to say that most of us know the definition of conventional marketing.  Inbound marketing, however, is a completely different concept that is much less well known.

Inbound marketing is targeted toward people who are already visiting your website.  You got them to go to your site, which is definitely a step in the right direction, but what do you do to convert that visitor to a paying customer?  If you have thousands of hits a day to your website but none of them becomes a client, what's the point?

Think of the funnel illustration.  The top of the funnel is where your visitors start.  Your ultimate goal should be for visitors to transition from the top of the funnel to the bottom, becoming a lead and then a paying client.  If you have nothing to offer your visitors after that initial visit, why would they return to your site or consider acquiring your services?

Consider this... what are the top five sites you visit most often?  Chances are that these are sites that offer you something, whether it's entertainment, information, or social connections.  Sites that are stagnant don't keep your interest for long, but sites that are constantly evolving keep you coming back for more.

So how do you get started with inbound marketing?  There are a few simple things that will help you swim in the right direction:

1. Blog -  I've said it before, but blogging can greatly improve improve your SEO, and the more often you blog, the better off you are.  If you are constantly offering valuable content, users will come back for more and will be much more likely to employ your services.
2. Free Offers - If you offer a free consultation, whitepaper, ebook, or other resource, advertise it prominently on your website and then create a landing page for users to fill out before they download your material.  This page should consist of a form where you collect at least the person's name and email address so that you can follow up with him or her.  Once that person fills out the form, you have a new lead!
3. Calls to Action - You see them on websites all the time, but you probably don't know it.  Anything that says "Click here!", "Learn More", or a similar phrase is a call to action... it starts with a verb and entices the user to do something.  When the user clicks there, it will lead to a landing page where, again, you can gather contact information and follow up.

One of the leaders in inbound marketing is Hubspot.  If you are interested in learning more about inbound marketing, their inbound marketing blog is a fantastic place to begin.  If you aren't interested in doing it yourself, however, there are many agencies that can handle this aspect of your website for you.

Start converting those visitors into clients, and keep swimming along!