How to Use Blogging As an Inbound Marketing Strategy

By Christopher Ugo Oseh

In the digital/online space, effective content is one that provides relevant and valuable information to individuals along the continuum of Visitors--Leads--Customers. This is what Inbound marketing captures.

What then is Inbound marketing?

According to Hubspot Academy, Inbound marketing is the process of attracting customers through relevant and helpful content which adds value to them. Online content can be in form of video marketing, social media marketing or blogging.

Blogging is one of the commonest methods of online content and can be used for all stages of Inbound marketing.

WHAT ARE THE STAGES OF INBOUND MARKETING?

The stages of inbound marketing are:

� Attract

� Convert

� Close

� Delight

HOW TO IMPLEMENT INBOUND MARKETING USING BLOGGING

ATTRACT

Your goal is to use a blog post to attract strangers to your website and transform them into your visitor on getting to your website. Your blog post should contain relevant keywords and information that answers your visitor's questions, meet their needs and provide insights into helping them achieve their goals.

CONVERT

After attracting your website visitors, you convert these visitors into leads using website email forms and chat messaging channels where your prospects can submit their contacts such as email address or phone number. This provides a communication channel to continuously provide relevant information, build rapport and credibility with your prospects.

CLOSE

This is the stage where you convert the leads into customers by getting them to make a buying decision or to take a profitable action.

This is achieved by using automated email sequences to send your prospects messages in order to build credibility and to identify their problems and goals.

Subsequently, you can send them specific information about the benefit of your products and how it will solve their problems. This is called PRESELLING. Preselling increases conversion rate and the odds of making sales.

NB- Prospects buy only from marketers they trust thus do not sell your products to a prospect immediately you get their contact. Build rapport first and get to know them.

DELIGHT

This is when a customer has been thoroughly satisfied with your product/service and becomes a loyal customer. Also, your customers may even go the extra mile to refer friends and families to you.

HOW TO INCREASE BLOG POST ENGAGEMENTS, CONVERSIONS, AND SALES

Identify your buyer's persona

You need to clearly identify your ideal buyer's demographics, interests, needs and goals. This helps you to attract the right customer and increase your conversion rate.

Consider your buyer's journey stage

The content of your blog post should be determined by whether your client has knowledge about what your product/service is or not. If your target reader has no knowledge about your product/service then you have to simplify your information and educate them until they can make a buying a decision.

Drive targeted traffic to your blog

Organic traffic methods often do not attract visitors/prospects that fit your buyer's persona.

In contrast, paid traffic enables you to target the specific persona of your ideal buyer while setting up the ads campaign. This method increases your conversion rate and online sales when properly implemented.

Finally, blogging is an effective inbound marketing strategy which can be used to drive traffic, increase conversions and sales online.