Inbound Marketing
What is Inbound Marketing?
Inbound marketing is the practice of reaching customers based on who they are and what they need. In order to identify these customers we create characters to represent each potential customer.
Character One: Pat
Business Owner
Pat is a business owner who has identified a problem. Pat is looking for information about the problem and to clearly identify its causes. This is called the Awareness Stage.
Character Two: Jordan
Manager
Jordan is a manager who has been tasked with finding a solution. Jordan is researching various methods to address the problem and recommend a course of action. This is the Consideration Stage.
Character Three: Alex
Purchasing Agent
Alex is a purchasing agent charged with locating vendors offering the solution recommended. Alex will compile information on pricing, quality, references; anything to help decide which vendor to do business with. This is the Decision Stage
These three characters (also called Personas) represent one of an infinite list of prospective customers. Their characteristics are the very top level of identifiers used in the funnel process. Other traits can be items such as gender, income, marital status, parental status, etc. The list is endless and can be customized to the your ideal clientele.
Through inbound marketing techniques you can reach each of these potential customers at the right time, with the most meaningful message.
Once your targets have been clearly defined automated marketing techniques can be employed. These can include emails, blogging, social media and paid advertising. The more time you spend building a complete character for each audience in each stage of the buying journey the more effective automated marketing will be.