Many companies aim to bring more traffic to their websites via digital marketing. The whole idea is that if more people come to your website, then they’re more likely to buy your product, make an appointment for your service or just generally do what you want them to do. So you’ll have a higher rate of what, in digital marketing lingo, is referred to as conversion rate optimization.
However, there may be times when just attracting traffic to your website may not be enough for a high rate of conversion rate optimization. The types of customers you attract also matter. And the way in which you attract them—the techniques you use—also matter.
For example, most companies can attract more traffic by writing about the celebrities who are being read about the most at a particular time, like the Kardashians, for example. When the entire Twilight craze was going on, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were also the go-to celebrities if you wanted to up the traffic to your website. But writing about celebrities like these only brings you a slew of people who are interested in celebrity gossip and not necessarily people who are interested in your product or service.
In fact, if you’re interested in conversion rate optimization, your best bet might be to go with an inbound marketing strategy. It’s relatively easy to do and it takes advantage of the element of trust which the customer already feels towards the company or product.
Outbound Marketing
Traditional advertising tends to be outbound, in the sense that it starts with the company and reaches out to the customer. The company might reach out to the customer in various ways—through TV ads, print ads in newspapers and magazines, internet ads and email marketing/direct mail marketing.
In all these cases, the company is trying to reach a wide variety of people without necessarily trying to reach the right customers. In some cases, however, they do make an effort to prioritize quality over quantity. So, for example, it might make more sense for a fitness business to advertise in fitness magazines or at a time when a fitness show is going on.
Inbound Marketing
The best way to get around the problem of reaching the right customer is to practice inbound marketing. In this type of marketing, the company doesn’t try to reach out to the customer at all. Instead, they wait until the customer reaches out to them.
This might happen when the customer receives a recommendation from a friend, either in person or on social media. Or they might come to check out the company’s website because it was recommended by their favorite blogger. In either case, the thing that prompts the customer is not an advertisement put out by the company but a third party—a party whom they trust.
Why Inbound Marketing Works
Think about it from your own point of view. Who would you be more like to trust? A recommendation from someone you know and like or an advertisement that promises you things you know it’s not going to deliver? (Usually money, sex and success!)
Most people are smart enough to distinguish between coercion and a neutral, third-party opinion and they obviously gravitate towards the latter. This is why inbound marketing works, especially when it comes to conversion rate optimization. Someone who’s already predisposed to trust you and your company is also going to be more likely to come to your website and try what you’re selling.
How to Practice Inbound Marketing
Now that we’ve established the effectiveness of inbound marketing, you may be wondering how you practice it. Doesn’t it seem like it’s entirely up to chance whether the customer decides to come to you or not? This is not entirely true. There are various things that you, as a company can do.
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- Make sure that you are prepared. You’re only going to have one shot at this customer. So you have to make sure that you don’t blow it. And in order to do this, you have to be prepared. This means setting up a website, blog and social media pages so that when the customer does a Google search, they’re immediately going to find you without any trouble.
- Provide information to the customer. You don’t just need to set up a website, blog and social media pages, you also have to make sure that they contain all the information which the customer needs. This includes information about the product or service and how it works. It can also include various ways to use the product. Plus, you can throw in some information about the company too.
- Make your internet presence appealing. Although information may be the main thing that converts a visitor into a customer, don’t forget that appearances are important too. So you’ve got to have a website that looks appealing, has interesting images etc. Plus, it shouldn’t be difficult to load. It’s important to strike the right balance between aesthetics and functionality.
There are many ways in which you can practice inbound marketing. All you have to do is keep in mind the customer’s needs and try to fulfill them. Put yourself in the customer’s place and design your internet presence accordingly.
To learn more about how to improve your marketing strategies, give us a call at 661-702-1310!
