Inbound principles are not just for marketeers.
Marketing, sales and customer services teams are pulling closer together to the point that the division is becoming increasingly blurred. That’s certainly the case for progressive companies removing these department silos and adapting to changing consumer behaviours. Increasing digital connectivity has revolutionised the buying process and is continuing to force change in the way companies operate and sell to offer a seamless and consistent customer experience.
Consumers are judging their interaction with brands from start to finish and openly expressing their opinions and sharing them online. If there’s any disconnect between marketing, sales and customer services it will be exposed and one failing department can bring down them all.
New buyer-seller dynamic
The power is now firmly in the hands of the consumer and they’ve changed the way they want to learn, research, and find solutions to their problems. Inbound marketing is a reaction to this changing buyer behaviour; more than ever before businesses need a deep understanding of who they’re trying to reach and how uniquely they’re equipped to help them.
Attract V interrupt
Inbound strategies centre around being found naturally rather than aggressively pursuing leads through self-assertive, pushy tactics. It’s not about interrupting the buying process and thrusting your message under the nose of your customer, it’s about providing relevant information at the point that they’re actively searching for what it is that you offer.
Today, the average decision maker is doing most of his or her buying research online, long before they contact you:
- 67% of the buyer’s journey is now done digitally (Sirius Decisions)
- Typically, B2B buyers are 57% of the way to a buying decision before actively engaging with sales (CEB)
So, what are the main principles of inbound marketing to attract, convert and delight customers online:
- Standardise – make sure your teams are aligned and customer centric
- Contextualise – demonstrate relevant knowledge and be a useful resource
- Optimise – for clarity and to provide a seamless customer journey
- Personalise – establish more meaningful one-to-one relationships with your customers
- Empathise – be more human, compassionate and helpful
We can help you to build trust and deliver value to your customers, developing your messaging so that you’re seen to solve your customers’ problems rather than telling them what makes you different. By leveraging data to create the best customer experience, your prospects will feel educated and not sold to.
Want to explore how an inbound approach could work for your business?