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Attract, Convert, Close and Delight Visitors With Inbound Methodology

Monday 7 April 2014

7 minute read

By Sarah Burns

We've spoken a lot about our new ways of marketing - 'inbound marketing' - or 'content marketing' as some know it better as. However, what is the belief and methodology behind these new marketing tactics?

In line with many inbound marketing agencies, we share the belief of 'inbound methodology', as it's known, which is a cycle following four key marketing stages: attract, convert, close and delight.

This has been the most effective method of marketing since 2006, when marketeers really embraced modern technologies and accepted that the old 'outbound' ways, just weren't up to scratch any more.

Above is our Thrive graphic, highlighting just how we naturally attract, convert, close and delight customers. It is of utmost importance that we entice readers to engage with genuine, thought-provoking content - we don't believe in the traditional distraction and interruption methods.

The main goal with inbound is that by creating content that is suited to the reader's interests, you will naturally attract the traffic you'll need to convert and close over time. On top of that, you don't just end there, but continue to delight customers with continuously great content.

What makes an inbound marketing campaign?

Inbound = content, content and yes, more content. We believe that great content should be produced over and over, shared over and over and therefore, delight over and over. Attracting leads this way, means they should repeatedly return for more info of the type that attracted them in the first place.

  • CONTENT: Consider your customer's basic desires, needs, problems, pain points and interests - create content that will answer these and share it everywhere.
  • LIFECYCLES: People don't stay strangers to your company, they become clients - sometimes friends - ensure your content and strategic approach matches these stages (see graphic)
  • PERSONALISE IT: As they become clients - or friends - you know them better, match the new information to relevant strategies and content.
  • MULTI-CHANNEL: Inbound focuses on naturally pulling people towards your brand, which is why you have to be everywhere - for instance, one customer may use Pinterest, one is on LinkedIn - be in both places and differentiate your messages to suit.
  • INTEGRATE: All of the above shouldn't be considered as separate tasks. Ultimately, you can't do it all on your own, but all of the resources you use should pull together expertly.

Inbound Marketing For You

We passionately believe in the advantages of inbound - we've seen the results for ourselves and now we're offering it to customers. As our former companies, Au Fait and Echo Graphics, we delivered a lot fo these services, just without the title. Now we have the title and a new title for ourselves (thrive), we want to pass it onto you. 

If it's not right for you, we wouldn't offer it. Although, at least some of the key marketing methods are right for everyone - content creation is paramount for searchability, brand awareness and customer engagement. Any customer-facing business should already be aware that social media is key to success.

Plus, we still offer our creative services - branding, graphic design and website design - as part of, or separate to, an inbound marketing strategy - few companies can offer the whole package, but our expanding team can. 

In the upcoming weeks we will be giving you a detailed explanation of each stage of the inbound marketing methodology cycle. Next Monday, we introduce the "attract" stage in the cycle - gaining customers' interest and excitement. 

Thrive is an inbound marketing agency passionate about building brands and delivering measurable marketing results for people – people who have the same desire to do the best and be the best – to “thrive”.

If you're looking to embark on a website build project, whether it's completely from scratch or a site refresh, our ebook will give you the knowledge to make your project as stress-free as possible.

The Website Design Handbook for Businesses

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