When the pandemic hit in the early months of 2020, businesses all over the world were forced to close down their offices. That caused a sudden disruption to their day-to-day operations. Until today, COVID-19 continues to have a drastic impact on different businesses across all industries.
For companies to thrive in the middle of this global crisis, ensuring that their employees stay connected while working from home should be a priority. Besides taking care of employee needs, they also have to make sure that they keep their customers engaged.
With social distancing rules and other COVID-19 restrictions still in place, the majority of the population is staying indoors. This means that most consumers are at home to stay safe and help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Since almost everyone now prefers to purchase what they need online and have the goods delivered to their doorstep, businesses should move online to meet the needs of their customers.
Thus, in the age of COVID-19, digital marketing is the key to connect with your customers and reach a wider audience. To better promote and sell their products and services online, many businesses are taking advantage of inbound marketing.
Why use an inbound marketing strategy?
Inbound marketing strategy focuses on creating valuable content to attract customers. If you’re wondering why this method is highly recommended, here are three significant benefits that you can gain from it.
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Cost efficiency
Since the pandemic disrupted the daily operations of businesses, many are running on a tight budget. Creating digital content is much cheaper than paying for traditional marketing materials like TV ads and posters.
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Long-term value
The common practice in creating inbound marketing materials is to produce evergreen content. This way, the information won’t go out of date. It will be useful for your existing and new customers. You can even add more details and republish your content in the future to attract more prospects.
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Brand authority
When you keep providing content that’s helpful to your target market, you can gain their trust and loyalty. They will share your content online, and when that happens, other people will be aware of your brand. As more and more people learn about your business and the value you offer to your customers, you will be considered a reliable source of information and become an authority in your field.
Types of inbound marketing content
To keep your online audience engaged and interested in your brand, it’s important that you produce different types of content. You have to be creative while making sure that you deliver the right message. Keep in mind that we’re in the middle of a global health crisis. Be careful not to make insensitive remarks as they can damage your reputation and lose customers.
Here are some content ideas that you can explore to boost your customer engagement:
Blog Posts
When people search for anything related to your products and services on search engines like Google and Yahoo, they will see numerous articles published by different websites. By posting blogs on your business website relevant to what your target market is looking for, you can seize the opportunity to be included in the search engine result pages.
To ensure that your blog posts are highly optimized to rank on the first page, you can consider seeking help from an SEO expert. Different marketing agencies offer local SEO solutions. Having optimized pages will attract more visitors to your website and increase your chance of converting leads into customers.
Videos
There are various social media platforms where you can post video clips to get the attention of online users. According to a report, as of July 2021, there are 4.48 billion social media users all over the world.
Most people spend their free time scrolling on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Take advantage of this opportunity to show your product demos and other educational videos so that people can learn more about your brand and how you can help provide what they need.
E-books
Downloadable content like e-books is a valuable resource to your customers or anyone interested in trying your products and services. You can create a detailed product guide so that it’s easier to present information about what you offer.
Many businesses offer free e-books as gated content. This means that people should fill out a form first to provide some information like their email address before gaining access to the downloadable material. This way, you can obtain information with the consent of your customers and prospects.
Webinars and other online events
Due to COVID-19 risks, holding outdoor events like conferences, seminars, trade shows where many people gather is not possible. Fortunately, there are video conferencing apps that you can use to hold free webinars and other online events so that you can actively engage with your customers.
Hosting live virtual events where guests can ask questions and get answers immediately is an effective way to identify issues that need to be addressed. It will also keep your target market entertained and feel more connected to your brand.
Implementing a well-planned inbound marketing strategy is crucial for businesses to build stronger customer relationships. Make sure that you provide personalized customer experiences to show that you care for them a lot, especially in these difficult times.
