At New Path, we specialize in both outbound and inbound marketing practices because we recognize that the intersection of these strategies is where our clients get the most return on their marketing investment. New Path media buyers not only manage outbound marketing practices of digital and offline advertising but also master inbound marketing certifications through our partnership with HubSpot.
Inbound marketing engages your target audience through the use of high-quality and informative content on your website. The intent is to draw in prospective customers who are in the research or consideration phase of the buyer’s journey and offer such compelling content that they naturally convert to customers at the decision stage of their journey. In some cases, such as a nonprofit, your buyer’s journey should focus on potential donors and foundations. Your potential clients will have a very different journey for your donors.
The inbound marketing methodology consists of three components to meet target audiences’ needs.
- Attract – When selling a product or service, you need to create a buyer’s persona for your ideal customer. What questions would they have about the product or service? What information might they need before purchasing? Provide the prospect with valuable information so they begin to view you as the most authoritative source for information on the product or service. For nonprofits, donors may look for information about how you are impacting the community.
- Engage – Now that you have the prospective customers listening to your voice, use your platform to address their pain points, demonstrate the value of what you’re offering, and provide them with a solution.
- Delight – Your job isn’t over once the prospect turns into a paying customer. As the proven authority in the industry, you need to be prepared to provide your customers with valuable information whenever they need it—even after they’ve made their purchase. This value-added service helps keep them as happy customers who will come to you again in the future and send additional customers your way. To keep donors delighted, a nonprofit should follow-up with appropriate recognition for the gift. Donors also want to stay updated with how their money is making a difference and if their are more opportunities for them to support.
Inbound Marketing Toolkit
Consumers typically research products and services throughout their buyer’s journey. Creating highly-valued content for the awareness, consideration, and decision stages will keep your business top of mind before the consumer makes a purchase decision.
This content can come in many forms:
- Blog posts
- How-to guides
- Long-form articles
- eBooks
- White papers
- Case studies
- Infographics
- Videos
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Webinars
- Podcasts
Blog Posts
Blogs are one of the easiest ways for you to reach your target audience cost-effectively. You just need to share helpful information that gives answers to the questions your prospective customers are looking for. When designed correctly, blog posts can help you establish authority in the industry and provide opportunities to gain valuable backlinks that enhance your website’s SEO ranking.
How-To Guides
Depending on your specific product or service, how-to guides are an extremely successful form of content to draw in prospective customers by guiding them through the steps.
Long-Form Articles
Similar to a blog post, a long-form article provides answers to questions the buyers might have, but in an extremely in-depth format. While standard blog posts can be relatively short, a long-form article could be upwards of 10,000 words and cover a topic more thoroughly.
eBooks
An eBook is another form of a long-form article that gives your prospective customers valuable information in response to their questions. This is an easy way to create downloadable content that will instantly showcase your industry knowledge.
White Papers
White papers are another important long-form content tool. They prioritize important data points and highlight the features of a solution, product or service. The tone of a white paper is authoritative and can establish thought leadership on a complex issue.
Case Studies
Case studies showcase your product or service’s value by describing success stories you have had with your other clients. Potential customers are often encouraged during the buying process by learning exactly how their needs will be met. For nonprofits, these may be focused on success stories and community improvements made possible by donors.
Infographics
Infographics have become a popular tool because of their versatility. They deliver key information in a fun, eye-catching way that is easy to comprehend. Infographics can be delivered to your audience in multiple ways – frequently applied to blogs or social media channels.
Videos
Everyone values their time, and videos are an effective way for users to digest your content quickly. If your audience can get the same information from a two-minute video that they would from a 2,000-word blog post, most would opt for the video to save time.
Social Media
Promoting your content can also be accomplished through social media channels. You can easily share your blogs, videos, infographics, and more! Similarly, social media influencers can promote your offering naturally within their feed to increase your reach directly with your target customers.
Email Marketing
Your company’s email marketing can be used in one of two ways. You can promote existing content and drive people to your website’s blog, YouTube channel, podcast, etc. Or, you can create new content specific to industry trends or new products. Either way, popping up at the top of your target audience’s inbox is an easy way to stay top of mind.
Webinars
Since webinars are hosted live, you can walk prospective customers through your business model and share examples of how you can specifically meet their needs. You can also respond to customer questions in real-time (which can also inform future content ideas!).
Podcasts
Similar to social media, podcasts are an excellent platform to engage your audience and share existing content by repurposing it! You can transform a blog or eBook you’ve put together and turn it into an informative podcast episode that will engage your audience through another medium.
New Path will create a customized mix of these content pieces as part of your inbound marketing strategy. These tactics can improve your brand awareness, increase leads, and reduce customer acquisition costs. New Path’s Pathfinder™ process includes an in-depth review of your brand assets, internal processes, and technology resources. The resulting output informs the strategy of your custom, integrated marketing plan.
Inbound Marketing Results
All New Path clients have a personalized dashboard that provides immediate access to your digital campaign data. You’ll be able to check on your return of investment at any point because New Path empowers our clients to take control of their data unlike other agencies that require translation from an account representative.
Together we will design specific, measurable goals for each of your campaigns so it will be easy to gauge the success of your inbound marketing efforts. The following metrics are critical elements that we analyze to maximize your marketing investment:
Conversion Rate
Conversion rate is probably one of the most important metrics for you to track throughout the campaign. The conversion rate measures how many prospective customers completed the desired action. At the end of the day, your goal is to convert those in the awareness or consideration phase to purchase your product or service. The more conversions, the more successful the campaign was.
Website & Blog Traffic
You’ve been pumping out content for your website and blog, but has that content attracted new visitors to the site? Throughout the campaign, you’ll want to regularly track both your website and blog’s organic traffic. The goal is for your blogs, landing pages, case studies, and other forms of content to increase your traffic. If traffic isn’t going up, you’ll want to pivot your strategy mid-campaign so you don’t get to the end of the campaign and see minimal results.
Contact New Path Digital to get started building an inbound marketing strategy to help your business grow!
Blog Last Updated on 1 year by New Path Digital
Summary
Inbound marketing engages your target audience through the use of high-quality and informative content on your website. The intent is to draw in prospective customers who are in the research or consideration phase of the buyer’s journey and offer such compelling content that they naturally convert to customers at the decision stage of their journey.
