Amongst the various methods of marketing, inbound marketing has been trending for quite some time now. Inbound marketing is a method of growing businesses as a result of building relationships with consumers and prospects. Any business can gain new and prospective users into its clients by marketing your brand via apt SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, video marketing, and much more.
Inbound marketing is majorly focused on creating reasons for users to buy products, unlike outbound marketing which is the traditional way of advertising. Inbound marketing can be done with the help of publishing useful and quality content, customizing and personalizing social media pages, websites, emails, blogs, and articles.
In short, inbound marketing’s fundamental concept is to give value first and convert consumers afterward. Customers appreciate firms who give value throughout their encounters rather than only throughout the purchasing process, thus this can be more effective than outbound marketing.
Here are 5 trends of inbound marketing that you can keep an eye out for in 2021:
1. Video Marketing:
Considering all forms of content, video content is thought to be one of the fastest-growing forms of content. People find it much easier to watch a video rather than scroll and read a long article. A survey conducted by Wyzowl stated that almost 84% of people are convinced to buy products or services after watching a brand’s video. This is one of the major reasons why brands these days prefer video content and are willing to invest in the same.
Video marketing has its added benefits as well. It sits well with the consumers as videos make the consumers feel connected since these videos are mainly created to build trust. Moreover, videos help in boosting the SEO search because it helps in building backlinks, driving traffic, and enhancing likes as well.
2. Multi-channel marketing:
All customers desire to associate with any brand that is much more convenient and accessible. In order to let these consumers interact with any brand, its marketing needs to reach the customers on several platforms all together frequently. This requires the brand to provide multi-channel customer support and the most popular customer communication channels available are phone, email, and online self-service. This is advantageous as multi-channel marketing expands the reach of the brand to create a stronger impression. Additionally, using this marketing strategy can help brands to improve their leads, conversions, and connections.
3. Progressive Forms:
Forms are an important part of the inbound marketing technique, whether they are used to generate leads or to encourage prospects to schedule a demo session or a product. While it’s standard practice to ask prospects for their name and email address, there are times when a brand will need to ask for extra information to develop a comprehensive picture of the customer. Long-form fields can be a turnoff for prospects in these situations, and they may abandon the activity.
The usage of progressive forms is gaining traction as a viable alternative to lengthy forms. As a result, rather than asking all of the information at once, the facts are gathered in stages.
Consumers are required to complete out a form each time they download a resource, and additional information is needed each time until you have all the information you require. Keep in mind that you’ll need to ask for the prospect’s name and email address every time because that’s how the system correctly recognizes them.
4. Flywheel is The New Funnel:
A new idea about customer conversion and the buyer’s journey is gaining popularity. Marketers have traditionally utilized a funnel-shaped conversion graphic, in which prospects are driven down the funnel until they convert. HubSpot, on the other hand, recently presented a new conversion diagram called The Flywheel.
The client journey is ongoing under this new conversion model. And, unlike the funnel model, where the customer is the outcome, the customer is at the heart of this approach. The Flywheel model effectively leverages the momentum produced during the three stages of the Inbound process: attract, engage, and please, to convert consumers into brand promoters who, in turn, help the firm generate revenue. The total reversal of customer behavior is the primary driver of this developing trend.
Customers nowadays are more affected by word of mouth and recommendations than by your marketing materials when making a purchase choice. The new Flywheel model delivers a complete mental framework that will help the brands to eliminate friction from their internal processes, which will thereby help in improving the customer experience.
5. Chatbots in Marketing:
By reducing the time it takes for users to get responses, chatbots improve the consumer experience on your website and social media platforms. Your response time to a lead inquiry is a crucial aspect that influences your chances of closing a sale. When you’re looking for a service and one firm replies in five minutes while another takes a day, the one that responds quickly is the clear option. It demonstrates that the firm values your account and prioritizes you as a customer.
In summary, the consumers are empowered because of the connectivity offered by inbound marketing. The overall focus of inbound marketing is to offer great and quality content without taking much of the resources.
