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Email Automation Series: Part 3 - What is Inbound Marketing?
With marketing, its all about discovering new trends that will drive sales for your business. In my last few posts I've been discussing the power of email automation for start-ups and existing businesses, because I truly believe if you are able to find ways to draw people to your website, this will help to drive profits to your business.
Today's post will discuss how inbound marketing is the perfect fit for email automation.
So what is Inbound Marketing?
Hubspot defines Inbound Marketing as;
Inbound marketing is a business methodology that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. While outbound marketing interrupts your audience with content they don’t want, inbound marketing forms connections they’re looking for and solves problems they already have.
Here are some interesting statistics I've discovered about inbound marketing:
- 47% of buyers view at least 3 to 5 pieces of content before deciding to speak with a sales rep
- 87% of buyers give more credence to content that’s shared by an industry influencer.
- Businesses that use marketing automation to nurture prospects experience a 451% increase in qualified leads. (The Annuitas Group)
- 95% of qualified prospects on your website are there to research and are not yet ready to talk with a sales rep, but as many as 70% will eventually buy from you or one of your competitors. (Brian Carroll)
- Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads. (The Annuitas Group)
How do you create an inbound strategy?
Inbound marketing is built around 4 key principles:
1. Attract
Its great to get loads of visitors to your website, but if they leave without buying or completing an action, then the visit is pointless. This part of the strategy is all about attracting the right potential prospects and converting them to qualified customers. So this could be offering useful high quality content that entices your buyer personas to find out about your solutions. A good example of this by a Marketing Agency called Cognition. They produce high quality e-marketing guides to raise awareness of different marketing topics.At the end of each guide there is a call to action informing prospects of how they can get in touch with Cognition.
Its great to get loads of visitors to your website, but if they leave without buying or completing an action, then the visit is pointless. This part of the strategy is all about attracting the right potential prospects and converting them to qualified customers. So this could be offering useful high quality content that entices your buyer personas to find out about your solutions. A good example of this by a Marketing Agency called Cognition. They produce high quality e-marketing guides to raise awareness of different marketing topics.At the end of each guide there is a call to action informing prospects of how they can get in touch with Cognition.
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| Cognition agency E-Guides |
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| Cognition Agency Call to Action |
2. Engage
Its important to build lasting relationships with your customers and prospects. By keeping in touch with your prospect base and creating meaningful automated content with call to actions helps to keep your audience engaged. A great example of this is Amazon Local, who sells restaurant, spa and entertainment deals, based on a user's preferred location, via its online website and app.
Amazon Local use ratings and reviews as a form of content to engage with their audience. Every so often Amazon Local send out emails requesting for feedback from their customers. Their email design is simple with a clear call to action and the email subject header stands out.
Its important to build lasting relationships with your customers and prospects. By keeping in touch with your prospect base and creating meaningful automated content with call to actions helps to keep your audience engaged. A great example of this is Amazon Local, who sells restaurant, spa and entertainment deals, based on a user's preferred location, via its online website and app.
Amazon Local use ratings and reviews as a form of content to engage with their audience. Every so often Amazon Local send out emails requesting for feedback from their customers. Their email design is simple with a clear call to action and the email subject header stands out.
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| Amazon Local Email |
When going through to the landing page, the design of the page is easy to navigate and customers are given clear options to "like", or "dislike".
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| Amazon Local Landing Page |
3. Convert
This stage of the inbound strategy is critical because its converting email subscribers to a customer/buyer. A good example of this by BossBabe. Bossbabe exists to encourage and support women to be unapologetically ambitious. From our global online community, to our in-person events, we believe in bringing women together, cheering them on and giving them the tools they need to create their own versions of success. Bossbabe offers loads of free services, but they also offer a premium subscription based service offering access to free training, business experts, access to discounted products and mentoring service.
Bossbabe sends out automated emails promoting their subscription based community to social users. They utilise customer testimonials and customer endorsement to convert prospects and social followers to buyers. They make the call to actions really bold throughout the email so its really simple to join their premium subscription service.
This stage of the inbound strategy is critical because its converting email subscribers to a customer/buyer. A good example of this by BossBabe. Bossbabe exists to encourage and support women to be unapologetically ambitious. From our global online community, to our in-person events, we believe in bringing women together, cheering them on and giving them the tools they need to create their own versions of success. Bossbabe offers loads of free services, but they also offer a premium subscription based service offering access to free training, business experts, access to discounted products and mentoring service.
Bossbabe sends out automated emails promoting their subscription based community to social users. They utilise customer testimonials and customer endorsement to convert prospects and social followers to buyers. They make the call to actions really bold throughout the email so its really simple to join their premium subscription service.
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| BossBabe Automated Email Example |
4. Delight
This stage of the inbound strategy is providing an exceptional customer experience which turns website users / occasional users to fans or loyal customers. A great example of this is in 2017 Adidas launched its EQT Creator Series -- a pop-up series in London, England which invited innovators, speakers and creative minds to celebrate and discuss concepts surrounding 'Essentialism.'This pop up shop allowed Adidas customers to experience a live concert by Grime artist Giggs, attend art workshops and view the EQT trainer collection.
This stage of the inbound strategy is providing an exceptional customer experience which turns website users / occasional users to fans or loyal customers. A great example of this is in 2017 Adidas launched its EQT Creator Series -- a pop-up series in London, England which invited innovators, speakers and creative minds to celebrate and discuss concepts surrounding 'Essentialism.'This pop up shop allowed Adidas customers to experience a live concert by Grime artist Giggs, attend art workshops and view the EQT trainer collection.
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| Adidas launched its EQT Creator Series
Summary
I hope you've found today's blogpost on inbound marketing helpful and the examples of how different organisations are using inbound marketing and email automation as a strategy to convert casual website users into loyal customers. If your business currently implements inbound marketing I'd love to know what works for you.
Until the next time my fellow entrepreneurs...
Look out for future articles on the following topics as part of this 6- Part Blog Series;
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