7 reasons why your Inbound Marketing Strategy doesn’t work

Inbound marketing is one of the trends of recent years. You can be a marketing ace, a neophyte of the subject who is interested in innovations, an entrepreneur eager to boost the turnover of his company, or an average user passionate about sales techniques. No matter: you must have heard of Inbound Marketing. For those who have not, let’s understand it in brief:

What is Inbound Marketing?

More than a marketing methodology, Inbound is a way of giving consumers what they want, instead of imposing on them what they don’t want.

The traditional techniques most often consist of fetching customers through intrusive techniques – such as cold calls intended to sell windows or insurance. Those days are over. Now, buyers want to go on their own towards a product, service, company, or brand, without constraint. Consumers are better informed, therefore more demanding and more volatile. Hence, your inbound marketing techniques need to be incorporated accordingly.  

Inbound marketing puts the customer back at the center of the game. This approach amounts to attracting consumers to you instead of forcing your hand. In essence, it’s about telling them, “We have the product or service you need, and here’s why.”

The whole secret of Inbound is in this “why”; in the way, you explain to your prospects what you can do for them, and why they should trust you.

Statistics (can be shown in image form) INFOGRAPHIC CONTENT

Attract Engage Delight (wheel)

• 74% companies have made Inbound their first marketing approach

• 53% marketers believe inbound marketing yields higher ROI

• Inbound leads on average cost 61% less as compared to outbound leads

• Well executed inbound marketing is 10x more effective for lead conversion than outbound

Effective inbound marketing strategies (Content marketing 20%, AI 14%, Big Data 14%, Social Media marketing 10%, Marketing automation 9%, Mobile marketing 9%, CRO 5%, SEO 4%, Email 4%, Lead Nurturing 5%) PIE CHART 

(Source: Statista)

Have you tried implementing the strategy but are unable to achieve the expected results? The following 7 reasons can explain this failure:

1. You did not take the time to identify your buyer personas

It is a common mistake in inbound marketing. Companies focus only on their brand and tend to neglect their audience. However, knowing your buyer personas is a crucial feature of an effective inbound marketing strategy. 

As a reminder, the buyer persona is a fictitious representation of your ideal client. It does not relate to a single customer. Rather, it refers to a set of customers who may be interested in your product or service. You must draw up a complete profile including your needs, motivations, objectives, etc.

The knowledge of your buyer personas is essential to offer suitable content on your site. So, don’t forget to do your survey to find out all the information you need about your audience. The effectiveness of your inbound marketing strategy depends on it.

2. Your social media strategy is inappropriate

To succeed in your inbound marketing strategy, it is not enough to offer content on your website. It is also important to strengthen your presence on social networks. These are an effective channel for sharing your content and reaching the maximum number of prospects. In the end, you gain recognition and acquire leads.

Note, however, that the choice of social networks is not made at random. Learn about your prospects and favor the platforms on which they are most present. In addition, don’t just create an account, be active, and present for your prospects.

3. Your content is not subject to an editorial line

Many believe that publishing a large amount of content on their site is the best way to improve positioning on Google and to fuel inbound marketing. Of course, the volume is essential. However, nothing beats regular, quality publication.

But above all, it is essential to create an editorial line. In fact, it is not a question of producing to produce. To attract leads and convert them into customers, your content must follow a well-defined editorial line, in line with your objectives and your marketing strategy.

4. Your website is devoid of call-to-action

Call-to-action is essential to convert your visitors into prospects. If you don’t use it, most of your inbound marketing techniques are doomed to failure.

The role of call-to-action is to encourage visitors to take action. This can consist of purchase, a download, filling-in an information form, subscribing to newsletters, etc. Then, salespeople can take over.

You must include a call-to-action button on each of your web pages, especially on your landing page. Depending on the structure of your page, you can place it at the end of the articles or on the sidebar. And to make it more visible, it is recommended to present it as an animation.

5. You use little or no marketing automation

Marketing automation tools are essential for implementing an effective inbound marketing strategy. There are several and you are free to choose. The important thing is to use your tool properly.

Use your marketing automation software to qualify your leads and send personalized emails to your prospects. This tool is also useful for managing your social networks, knowing the behavior of your visitors, creating and optimizing a database, and more. This is one of the features of inbound marketing which can lead to success.

6. You ignore the Growth-Driven design

To improve your visibility, having a website is necessary. However, it should be continuously optimized and improved in order to meet the needs of visitors. For this, you can invest in Growth-Driven Design.

This method allows you to continuously improve your website. The idea is to regularly test the performance of your website and analyze the user experience rather than redesigning it all at once. You must then follow developments and adapt your website accordingly.

7. You do not offer enough premium content

Case studies, white papers, webinars… premium content is an effective tool for generating qualified leads and initiating conversions. Downloadable for free, this high value-added content allows you to collect the contact details of your visitors (name, e-mail address, telephone, etc.). These can create a qualitative database and move them along the purchasing journey.

To conclude:

Inbound marketing is the best way to bring leads to you and convert them into customers. However, this strategy requires attention. If you make one or more of the above errors, it will not be able to deliver the expected results.

So, remember to do an audit and correct the points that hinder the functioning of your strategy. Note that you also have the possibility of having direct recourse to an agency specialized in the field. If you are looking to meet the development requirements of your business, it is necessary to set up a long-lasting and easily scalable digital strategy. This helps the inbound marketing techniques to meet the marketing objectives. It offers a high ROI, easily measurable using performance indicators, with lower budgets than those for outbound actions. And, above all, you can adjust your inbound strategy to your needs and resources as you develop.

We at MeDigit Solutions have helped several brands master the inbound marketing funnel to improve the quality of their leads. How about an RV or coffee to discuss your requirements?