When you invest in outbound marketing, such as traditional television and radio advertisements or promotional mailers, you’re forced to wait and see whether any potential customers will respond. You generally have no idea whether any efforts were effective. That’s why many B2C companies turn to inbound marketing.
There’s a belief that inbound marketing is the tool of the B2B marketer, that it’s reserved for purchases with multiple decision-makers or a long buying cycle. But it turns out that B2C consumers are similar in many ways to B2B customers: they’re human, they value relationships and they do a lot of research before they buy.
Take a look at each of these areas and how inbound marketing can be an asset for B2C companies:
Human-to-Human: Just like B2B, B2C consumers want to be treated as a person. That means they want something meaningful to cut through the noise of all the ways that companies are trying to get their attention. An authentic approach to inbound marketing that acknowledges the challenges they face in their everyday lives and attempts to add value with effective solutions will be a valuable change.
Building Relationships: Inbound marketing is a great way to build relationships. Rather than broadcasting a message out into the world and seeing who responds, you’re developing a two-way conversation about the kinds of messages that are helpful and what your customers are looking for.
Research: Your customers know a lot about you before they make a purchase. They have done an online search about your products, they’ve checked out your competitors and they are making important decisions about which brands they will trust and which they will disregard. Inbound marketing allows you to provide the value-added content they need to make an informed decision. All the while, you’re building your reputation as an expert in the industry.
Your inbound marketing efforts can be tailored to each stage of your unique buyer’s journey. When your leads are in the research stage, you may want to offer educational material. Catalogs, product and reference videos, images of completed work, or even a white paper or an ebook based on expertise in your industry can all be valuable. Those nearing a decision might appreciate information on how to choose the right product or service for their needs, or how to narrow down the choice for a service provider.
Creating an inbound marketing strategy isn’t terribly different from creating one for a B2B company. You simply need to know who your customers are and identify their most pressing challenges, and then present them with valuable content that helps solve those challenges.
Once you’ve made that investment in your inbound marketing strategy, don’t let it go to waste. Blue Valley Marketing has inbound contact center services to help you handle all the incoming inquiries and requests that result from a successful inbound marketing program. Contact us at Blue Valley Marketing to learn more about how to cultivate leads through our inbound contact center services.
Last Updated on September 14, 2023 by Ronen Ben-Dror