Proven, tried and true, inbound marketing is an effective way to turn strangers into customers. July’s question of the month was provided to SEontario by @MegAtLiteracy. She asks, “Which social and digital strategies can facilitate growth and expand reach for a budding Social Enterprise?”. Furniture Bank (@Furniture_Bank), a nonprofit social enterprise that’s furnishing homes and empowering lives in Ontario, shared their strategy of replacing outbound marketing strategies with inbound marketing strategies through HubSpot‘s automation platform.
Just what is inbound marketing, and how can it help your social enterprise? Traditional marketing, aka outbound marketing, relied on TV advertisements, billboards, flyers/direct mail, to reach potential customers. Today nearly half of all direct mail is never opened, 86% of people skip television advertisements, and 91% of people have unsubscribed from a company mailing list that they previously opted into. Instead of reaching out, inbound marketing is about creating quality content that draws people towards your organization. By creating content that reflects your ideal customers and supporters interests, you attract qualified and interested individuals and keep them coming back for more.
Inbound marketing uses strategies that focus on earning people’s attention and interest. This is often done through various forms of social media (twitter, facebook, instagram, etc), blogging, and podcasts. The content is meant to be engaging and informative, and should help to create a dialogue between your customers/supporters and your organization.
HotSpot is an inbound marketing company and platform, suggested by @Furniture_Bank. For those with the budget (HubSpot can cost upwards of $200 a month, which is out of reach for most start-up social enterprises), HubSpot has a lot to offer, with an all in one marketing software that offers blogging, social media, SEO (search engine optimization), email, analytics, and more. However, for those who are unable to afford that price tag, there are many how to guides, resources, and help, available for free online.
Check out these guides about inbound marketing (available for free):
Inbound Marketing Methodology — HubSpot
Free Training Deck — Hubspot
Why SEO Needs Inbound Marketing — Search Engine People
Infographic below via Voltier Digital:
