Surely at this point in the movie I won’t discover anything new if I talk to you about what inbound marketing is or its enormous advantages for your business, especially when we talk about online businesses.
But if you have searched for information on the internet about this marketing strategy, you will have realized that there is a lot of theory but little practice. There are hardly any real examples analyzed in depth of companies that are truly using inbound marketing.
You will see things like: “50 examples of inbound marketing” or “the 7 keys to inbound marketing that work” but there are no detailed real cases.
That’s why I thought of showing you a real case, a practical example of inbound marketing tactics that we are applying in a real project and that you can apply from minute 1 to your own business.
I hope it helps you.
What is inbound marketing and how inbound marketing can help your business
Before moving on to the practical case, I will tell you that inbound marketing is the strategy that allows us to accompany the user from the moment they meet us until they end up purchasing.
And the way he knows us is the key.
He knows us without using intrusive methods. That is, it knows us because when the user is actively searching for a product, service or information and one of the contents that we have created for it appears.
Therefore, inbound marketing is based on attracting users by providing content of value to them, not interrupting a movie, or showing an advertisement while we watch on social networks the paella that our cousins ate on the weekend.
Inbound is helping the user when they actively search for information
Although logically, we also use advertisements and social networks for this. Now you will see how.
Inbound marketing has 4 well-defined phases:
Attract, convert, sell and retain .
This process is shaped like a funnel and to describe each of its phases we talk about the conversion funnel or the sales funnel . The funnel shape is because initially many more people know us than those who finally end up buying.
That is, we are losing users along the way, which is why it is key to optimize each of the phases of that funnel as much as possible to lose the least amount of potential customers during the process.
Let’s see each of these 4 phases with a real practical example.
Example of inbound marketing. The case of SIIL
I want to show you some strategies that we have carried out with a recent project: , a hair care product that prevents hair loss, strengthens it and stimulates its growth.
A project where there is a lot, a lot of competition, with big brands, many myths and false promises.
A very complex business where there is only one way to stand out.
Can you imagine which one?
Quality content, verified, without false promises and totally faithful to reality.
If there is a project and a sector where inbound marketing is key , it is hair health and hair regeneration.
Therefore, I want to talk about some tactics that we have carried out and that can help you if you have a business or are thinking about launching one soon.
Attraction strategies for a real inbound marketing project
Every part of your inbound marketing strategy is important. Many times, we worry more about recruitment than the rest, but each phase is key for the whole set to work correctly.
In fact, if the conversion part does not work, no matter how many target audiences you attract to your website, it will only help you lose money.
In this specific case we have used several sources to publicize the project and thereby reach those potential clients, but everything depends on the generation of quality content:
When I talk about quality content I mean articles and videos that provide a real vision, based on scientific evidence and with demonstrated results.
What seems relatively simple, in this sector it is not.
What channels have we used to attract customers?
Blog Articles for SEO and Ads
The blog and correct content planning are key to a good inbound strategy.
In the case of SIIL, the blog content contains articles that provide a lot of value, with studies, strategies and data that concern users who have problems with their hair.
They are very complete articles, with many references, with experiences and practical studies after analyzing many studies. It is information that cannot be found today in any other blog in the sector, at least in Spanish, and that helps with differentiation.
It helps a lot.
Because?
But there is something even more important and that is to carry out a good market segmentation. Content marketing is focused on a segment of people who have already tried other products and are not happy. It is not aimed at anyone who has been told by their hairdresser that they are starting to lose hair.
Therefore, they are articles focused on creating habits and with quality information for people who are truly concerned.
Videos for the YouTube channel
Another key point in this work of dissemination and attracting potential clients is the video. At Siil, a channel has been created where the founder shares quality content.
Defining the strategy is key .
The videos are easy to record, Albert, the founder, appears giving tips, advice and notions about health, nutrition and how all this affects the hair.
Video is an excellent channel to reach a specific type of audience and in this case it is working very well.
Social networks
Regarding social networks, the strategy we are following is to create ads for specific audiences.
You already know that both on Facebook and with ads focused on Instagram you can segment the audience you are targeting very well .
In the case of SIIL, the objective is to reach the audience of people concerned about their hair health and take them to articles and downloadables from the web so that they can move on to the next phase.
Podcast Appearance
Another example of how to reach audiences that we would not have access to at first is to use channels of influential people who already have a created community.
To move on to the conversion phase, it is necessary for users who have met us to trust the brand.
In the example that I am telling you, the content helps us position the brand and Albert as an expert in the sector. Thanks to the content and videos we achieve that goal.
But there is still more.
The first step in conversion is to get the user to take an action and it does not always have to be a direct purchase.
At SIIL we focus on getting the email since the sales phase is very focused on email marketing as I will explain a little later.
That said, in the conversion step it is important to create resources that help us get the interested user to leave us their email.
At SIIL we do it like this:
Ebook, webinar, test and downloadables to generate a database
It is important to know the client to identify what type of resources or lead magnets can work best.
But it is also true that it is usually necessary to carry out tests because a priori it is difficult to get it right.
In the case of SIIL, the following content has been created to offer in exchange for email:
Ebook: It is a downloadable pdf with the reasons why you lose hair, what methods currently exist, pros and cons, alternative methods, natural methods and how to apply them.
Webinar: It is a recorded video where Albert explains in great detail and in more depth why what they tell us about baldness and its remedies is not true and how to reverse the process.
Test: It is a test where users, based on a series of questions about their own profile and problem, receive instructions via email about the causes and what they can start doing.
Discount coupon: There is currently the possibility of acquiring a discount coupon to buy the SIIL pack at a lower price and thus be able to try it.
Email marketing
Email marketing, which I will talk about in a little more detail at the point of conversion, is the tool that today is giving the best results in terms of conversion and sales.
I detail it in the next point.
Videos on Youtube
In this regard, another strategy that we are carrying out in relation to the videos on the YouTube channel and that is giving good results is to create ads within the YouTube platform itself to increase the reach of the videos.
Sales Strategies using Inbound
Regarding sales strategies, which would be phase 3 in the inbound marketing process, we are carrying out the following actions:
Email marketing
Today it is the channel that is working best. Practically 75% of new customers who buy the product are in the database , either because they have downloaded the ebook, taken the test, requested the discount coupon or watched the webinar.
The strategy regarding email marketing is simple, without complications and excessively automated email chains.
All users who leave their email are sent the lead magnet they have requested and once done they enter a chain of 10 daily emails.
Yes, diaries. A frequency of 1 a day for 10 days.
Once the chain is finished, they go to a newsletter that we send every 2 or 3 days with quality content, new posts, new videos, tips or actions that help our target audience.
All emails always carry a purchase link to the product and are written and written as if it were a normal email between two people and not one with photos and colors that as soon as you open it you already think that they are going to sell you something.
This point is key within the strategy.
Chat and WhatsApp support increases conversion
Another key point is Albert’s support. Both on social networks and on the website itself through WhatsApp Albert is continually answering users’ doubts and questions, resolving objections they may have or doubts about the product.
This generates trust in users and the majority of those who speak to support end up purchasing. It is without a doubt, the channel that is best converting curious users into customers. Definitely.
Remarketing on social networks
Another point that is also important is the creation of ads on social networks with remarketing , that is, ads only for people who have visited the SIIL website.
Thanks to the Facebook pixel it is possible to create segments of users who, for example, have visited a specific page or who have abandoned the shopping cart or who have shown interest in a product.
This is key when creating almost personalized ads based on the interests and actions that people have taken on our website.
Build customer loyalty last step of the process with an example
The last step in the inbound marketing strategy is the customer loyalty part .
There are studies that say that attracting a new customer is 6 or 7 times more expensive than getting a customer who has already purchased to do so again.
Therefore, everything that involves continuing to create a reliable brand based on real studies and, above all, supported by real cases of people who have tried the product and achieved results, is key.
As an example of this coherence, at SIIL they talk a lot and well about the dermaroller, a roller with a needle end that is very beneficial for the treatment, even though it is not a product directly developed or created by SIIL.
But since it works well, it is recommended.
Going against the myths, and trying to create a brand focused on helping users with hair issues is the key to building a brand that trusts and builds customer loyalty.
Email marketing
Email marketing is also present in this loyalty process , which helps to continue sharing content with customers, since they continue to be in the newsletter even if they are customers.
A common mistake is removing customers from the newsletter because they have already purchased. At SIIL everyone, clients and non-clients, receive the same newsletter.
Of course, there are offers and gifts only for customers.
This is also a very good way to build customer loyalty.
An example.
Starting in the second month of SIIL’s launch, the dermarroller is given away with the subscription to the pack, but there were previous clients who had not been given it because it was an offer after the purchase.
What was done was also send a dermarroller to all old clients at no cost.
These types of things, without having a great cost for the company, manage to build customer loyalty because in general we are not used to this type of actions.
Community creation
Lastly, community building is key. This is achieved by always responding to users, both by email, WhatsApp and social networks.
Naturally, in a sector like this it is common to find trolls and people who are very disenchanted with the sector.
A key to knowing that you are really building loyalty and creating a community is when the users themselves respond to troll attacks by defending the brand.
Final conclusion on inbound
Without a doubt, using inbound marketing to launch your brand on the Internet is today the best strategy for a very high percentage of companies.
Not all the channels or all the strategies that we have discussed will work in all sectors, but I am sure that with this tour of all these actions you will be able to get ideas that will help you launch your own business.
But as you have seen, launching an online project involves a lot of work, any inbound marketing strategy has many positives but you must be patient .
Building a brand, getting customers and building loyalty is not something that can be achieved in one day, nor in several weeks, and sometimes, not even in months. But if you are patient enough, you will get results. Sure.
