Getting Started with Inbound Marketing

Do you have a website, but it brings you few visits? Are you not getting any leads or conversions? Then Inbound Marketing might just be the holy grail! But… what exactly is Inbound Marketing?

Addmark became a HubSpot Partner at the start of 2020. That means we help clients implement HubSpot and the right strategy that goes with it. In this article we are happy to explain the basics of Inbound Marketing.

Marketing in separate silos

In many organisations, various marketing tools are used to promote the services and/or products. Companies are often active on Social Media, send out a newsletter and advertise on Google. Within the company there is sometimes one marketer who takes on all of the marketing, or there are even several marketers responsible for specific parts. Each is busy with his or her part and gets the most out of it. Unfortunately, so-called silos often arise. That is to say, the channels are not optimally aligned with each other and, as a result, the channels do not reinforce one another in the best way.

With Inbound Marketing, the focus is placed on return. The various marketing channels all share the same goal here, namely: offering the potential customer relevant content at the right moment.

Marketing, Sales and Service

An Inbound Marketing strategy can contain a number of different channels with different content to draw prospects and customers to your website. But the strategy goes further than just generating traffic. You have to keep helping, supporting and strengthening this group. That is how you can grow your company; making sure that Marketing, Sales and Service are aligned for both your current and potential customers.

Some companies hold on to a linear story in which customers are one part of it. The focus lies mainly on the funnel itself; from marketing to sales, and a customer for your company then flows out of that.

Inbound Marketing is aimed at an approach to doing business in a human and helpful way. After all, when you create content to address customers’ problems and needs, you generate quality prospects. In addition, you build trust and credibility with this relevant content.

Attract, Engage and Delight

This further translates into the so-called ‘flywheel’. The Attract, Engage and Delight phases in the flywheel form a continuous process, and this reflects exactly the philosophy of Inbound Marketing. By aligning and accelerating these things properly, you can grow your company.

But what exactly does this look like for the different parts Marketing, Sales and Service? We show this using the flywheel.

If we look at Marketing within the flywheel, the goal is simple; generating prospects for your company. From there you then try to engage on a large scale and subsequently reduce the ‘friction’ with your customer.

The Sales team spends its time getting in touch with people who are ready for a sales conversation. In this, the Sales team tries to surprise people with solutions to their problems.

As a Service professional you want to help current customers by answering their questions. Providing help when the customer wants it and in the way they want to receive that help. Here it is mainly about the experience having to be good.

Inbound Marketing Methodology

In short, Inbound Marketing is a methodology that ensures Marketing, Sales and Service are aligned, so that the customer is truly central. In another blog we will go deeper into the flywheel and what this means for Marketing, Sales and Service.