Inbound marketing isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it process. Instead, many moving pieces all work together to form inbound marketing. And when the combination is just right, those moving parts create great things. Finding a brand’s ideal inbound strategy requires a lot of planning, strategizing, and analyzing upfront.
Don’t get me wrong, inbound marketing is awesome, but it’s also a lot of work. Just getting started? You can learn about the basics of setting up an inbound strategy here, here, and here. If you have a decent grasp of inbound methodology, processes, and terminology, it’s time to talk trends.
Inbound marketing constantly changes and evolves, partly due to its user-centered approach. Inbound marketing meets consumers wherever they are and provides them with answers. The tricky part is, the way users seek out and digest content constantly changes and evolves.
Inbound Marketing Trends Worth Following
Consumer preferences adapt quickly. And marketing to someone in a way they don’t like is a surefire way to lose their business. Keep up-to-date with marketing trends, and incorporate whichever ones bring you closer to your goals.
1. Emotional Advertising
Emotion influences purchasing and brand decisions more than information does, according to a Psychology Today study. It’s hard to argue with those findings, especially if you’ve tried to have a logic-based conversation to alter someone’s thinking. It’s much more effective to uncover and address an emotional tie than it is to rattle off facts. Marketing toward your persona’s emotions can lead to more purchases and/or social shares. Check out HubSpot’s full article on emotional advertising to learn more.
2. Episodic Content
We’re all aware of the benefits of creating engaging content throughout a marketing campaign. The issue isn’t what, it’s how. Episodic content evolves over time, revealing itself bit-by-bit to keep personas interested. Breaking narratives into episodes or series allows time to incorporate suspense and anticipation.
3. Personalization
Potential customers and consumers experience so much content on a daily basis they develop ways to filter out messages. This process that keeps individuals from getting overwhelmed also makes it more difficult to get noticed. The first step in creating personalized content is understanding your personas and their pain points. Once you’re aware of their wants and needs, structure your content around that.
4. Interactive Content
Interactive content, which includes price calculators, product recommendation tools, surveys, contests, and ROI calculators, allows potential customers to interact with your brand. Creating space for your consumers to interact or play can allow your content to break through all the noise.
Choosing an Inbound Marketing Trend
When it comes to selecting which inbound marketing trend to incorporate, first and foremost consider your persona. After all, that’s who you’re after, right? If you choose one of the trends above, or any trend for that matter, make sure you first ask: “Does this provide value to my ideal customer?” If the answer is no, keep learning, planning, and analyzing.
