Inbound marketing is a far more effective approach today than other forms of direct advertising because it builds stronger relationships between you and your precious customers by offering informative and relevant content, at a time when they’re actually interested.
However, what often gets forgotten is that this content needs to be written by professional copywriters! Copywriting fuels inbound marketing because the process relies on written resources to be successful.
Here’s why and how inbound marketing needs copywriting.
The teams at HubSpot are the gurus when it comes to inbound marketing, and have been instrumental in driving this approach as a viable and successful way to increase customer service and resulting sales.
They define it as focusing on attracting the right customers through relevant and helpful content and adding value at every stage of their buying journey. With inbound marketing, potential customers find you through channels like blogs, search engines, eBooks, emails and social media, all of which lead to the sale and beyond.
Your customer has changed – has your business adapted?
Your customer has changed – has your business adapted?
Due to the digital environment, people are now highly connected, informed and discerning, which has drastically shifted their buying behaviour, as well as their expectations of your business. Blatant advertising has become vaguely tolerated, ignored and even hated now.
Inbound marketing is an approach that not only adapts to this, but also makes your customers happy about their relationship with you.
Basically, it’s more effective because it ‘pulls’ customers to you with solution-based messages by offering helpful pieces of content which address their specific needs on their terms, when they’re interested, rather than pushing your sales message onto them and expecting them to care.
Unlike more traditional approaches to marketing (referred to as outbound marketing), inbound marketing doesn’t force advertising onto them when most of the time, they’re not open to it.
By producing a range of helpful and engaging content that is targeted at your ideal customer, you will attract more relevant leads, grow brand awareness in the minds of the right demographic, and build credibility in the market.
This all sounds promising! Focusing on your customers rather than your product makes sense. But to do this, you need to write a library of relevant materials to meet their needs at every stage of their journey.
This requires copywriting.
The Inbound Methodology
People begin their journey as strangers to your business and brand. As they get exposed to your content, you aim to progress them into visitors, leads and finally into paying customers and loyal advocates.
To achieve this, there are four objectives that your content needs to achieve to transition them along this journey successfully.
These are:
- Attract
- Convert
- Close
- Delight
1. Attract
For example:
- Blog writing
Blogging and article writing is an effective way to draw the right audience to your website by offering them educational information that satisfies their initial research needs and answers their questions. A copywriter can find the best topics to write about and put a response together in the best way to help draw interested customers in.
- Podcasts and Videos
It’s not just written copy that can serve this purpose- you can also use a copywriter to write Podcast and Video scripts which cover general information, answer questions or offer How-To guides.
- Social Media
Next, amplify these blogs, videos and podcasts by sharing them and other useful pieces of content via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and more.
Making noise with remarkable messages is a way to gain people’s attention via platforms where they are spending their time.
When these videos, podcasts, blogs, articles and so on reach people, they provide them with valuable information and will associate your brand with the positive experience they received; this gets you onto their radar.
2. Convert
This is because they’re now aware of their challenge and your brand, and so you need to curate and write content that closes this gap.
A copywriter can help you here too, by creating:
- ‘Gated’ content
This is more relevant information with more depth, such as an eBook or a white paper, where an unknown visitor has to provide their details to claim the free resource. This means they have to identify themselves to your team, and proving their interest at the same time.
- Forms
In order for visitors to become leads, they can fill out a form and submit their information on your website. The right copy and layout will be more convincing.
- Landing Pages
The perfectly written, highly targeted landing page will give people a compelling and succinct reason to convert into a strong lead.
- Automated Messages
People who are interested want engagement, and a copywriter can help you create the adaptable messages in your automation software to address them, answer their FAQs and move them on to the sales team.
3. Close
To do this, a copywriter can produce content that:
- Nurtures Leads
As a potential customer is finalising their decision, the right messages and content will keep the scales tipped in your favour.
- Continues to engage
A series of tailored emails in an EDM campaign is an example of written nurturing content which keeps your solution top of mind and continues to build trust with relevant messages and information.
The aim is to close the sale by being the best option they have when they go to make a final decision.
4. Delight
A customer is good, but a very satisfied customer will go on to provide reviews and excellent word-of-mouth. Ask any Marketer; this is the most powerful promotion your business will ever have. Bar none.
Neglecting your current customers to focus on new customers can be a costly mistake in so many ways.
If you delight your customers during and after the sale, they will buy more, stay with you longer, refer their friends and be happy to tell the world that they love you.
A copywriter can help during this phase too, with:
- Post-Sale Content
Current customers already know your pitch, which means you need completely different content and calls to action than what you give to first-time buyers.
Producing an ongoing newsletter, how-to guides, after-sales support, or members-only resources will be a way to keep them happy and interested in your brand.
- Ongoing Support
Customers love finding out more about their purchase and how to get the most out of your product. They also appreciate troubleshooting resources and responses to their ongoing questions.
By addressing this with content, you will provide them with the answers they need, when they need it, and they will continue to feel satisfied with their decision to chose you.
As you can see, copywriting is a significant contributor to inbound marketing practise, and given how powerful inbound marketing can be in attracting customers and achieving sales, you need a copywriter who is familiar with inbound practise, who can produce the quality content you need to see success.
To engage your customer and achieve ongoing business success today, you need quality copywriting and consistent content. However, we understand that this is easier said than done.
You’re time poor and spread thin, and writing isn’t your expertise. So, focus on what really matters, while we take care of all of your copywriting and content marketing needs!
For more information or to speak to a quality copywriter to get the results your business deserves, contact me now at chris@melottimedia.com.au.
I can sharpen your words to achieve your goals, today!
Christopher Melotti
Melotti Media Copywriting and Marketing Solutions
www.melottimedia.com.au
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