The Inbound Methodology

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It is no exaggeration that the Internet has drastically changed buyer behavior and businesses have adapted to these changes with new strategies such as inbound marketing.

Even brick-and-mortar stores have had to deal with the disruptive effects of digital technology. A Google study, for example, found that 82 percent of smartphone owners use their device to search for products while they are shopping.

It was because of this and the behaviors mentioned below that the Inbound Marketing Methodology came into being .


No pressure method

Many buyers are now put off by companies' aggressive outbound marketing strategies.

Customers ultimately want to have control over the buying process.

They want to feel like they bought a product because they searched for it, training directors email database not because an advertising campaign told them they needed it. No one wants to be “sold” anymore.


Using the search engine

As we said in the previous point, customers are increasingly using Google and other search engines at every stage of the buying process: researching products, reading reviews, and comparing alternatives.

On average, shoppers who do research consult 12 sources before making a purchase. It makes sense that this is where your brand wants to be.

Search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to get your content to the top of Google search results are an essential part of inbound marketing.


The growth of social media

The average American adult spends more than 2 hours a day using social media and messaging services – just look at how many people you see glued to their phones these days.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other networks make it easier than ever for businesses to connect with their customers. At the same time, it’s also where buyers share their opinions about brands. Much like search engines, if social media is where buyers are, it’s where you want to be.

Watching these changes, marketers realized they needed to better understand how prospects move through the sales process, so they could smooth out bumps in the road.

With this in mind, they broke this pipeline down into four essential stages known as the Inbound Marketing Methodology: Attract, Convert, Close, and Delight.