Have you read an article that compares and differentiates two phrases that you used interchangeably? Well, this is that situation that we have right here. Those two phrases are inbound marketing and content marketing. It turns out that content marketing vs inbound marketing have specific differences and we will have to discuss each and every one of them, and make some leads.

In business, developing a content strategy is worthless without your content marketing strategy in place. Having knowledge in content marketing theory and practice will give you little help without inbound marketing as your foundation. So, it’s imperative that marketers know the distinction between inbound and content marketing.

The Difference and Relationship of Inbound Marketing VS Content Marketing

Both inbound marketing and content marketing are marketing strategies that have distinct differences, yet, both have similarities as well.

We will discuss first the inbound and content marketing contrast to each other.

Inbound Marketing

• According to Hubspot, inbound marketing is an approach that focuses on attracting customers through content and interactions that are relevant and helpful.
• The types of inbound marketing are; content marketing, search engine optimization, web design, social media, PPC, permission-based email marketing, and lead management.
• Inbound marketing targets specific buyer personas.
• The 4 stages of inbound marketing are; ATTRACT-> CONVERT-> CLOSE-> DELIGHT

Content marketing

• According to Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a defined audience to drive profitable customer action.
• The types of ‘content’ being used in content marketing are; blogs, videos, ebooks, guides, resources, and email newsletters.
• Content marketing targets a broader audience.
• The 3 stages of content marketing are; ATTRACT-> CONVINCE-> CONVERT

The relationship of content marketing and inbound marketing strategy is easy to spot for those people who use digital marketing like social media marketing and blog posts to their advantage. HubSpot categorized the four stages of inbound methodology as follows: ATTRACT, CONVERT, CLOSE, and DELIGHT, while the content marketing process has three stages namely: ATTRACT, CONVINCE, and CONVERT.

It is pretty obvious that content marketing vs inbound marketing methodology has only a slight difference. So, therefore, is Content Marketing just part of Inbound Marketing and Content Marketing Inbound is a valid term? The answer to that is, NO is not. While both inspire for relevant content, content marketing centers on building relationships through valuable content, inbound marketing in a much broader sense uses various concepts and approaches to inspire a customer to act in favor of your brand.

Both content and inbound should, ideally, can work together and be part of your online marketing strategy. Neither methodology is better than the other, when used together, can create some fantastic results.

Together, inbound marketing and content marketing can make your website great. These methodologies can grow your presence, generate more leads, create amazing relationships with customers, and get your content shared over and over again. By utilizing both Inbound and Content marketing, you’re making it more likely that your brand will succeed online.

Some Examples of Inbound Marketing

Marketing Inbound is just another way of saying Inbound Marketing. Here is some example of inbound Marketing that marketers can use:

Topical blogs

This is about writing blogs on trending topics, content that is gaining a lot of popularity. Topical content is an excellent way of achieving quick likes and shares, but it becomes irrelevant quickly due to new hot topics gaining all the attention.

Social media campaigns

A coordinated marketing effort to reinforce or assist with a business goal using one or more social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. Campaigns differ from everyday social media efforts because of their increased focus, targeting, and measurability.

Ebooks

A non-editable, reflowable book that is converted to a digital format to be read on any digital device such as computer screens or mobile devices. eBooks are files that you can read on a digital device – a tablet, smartphone, computer, etc. eBooks are becoming increasingly popular as part of marketing strategies. This is because content is the backbone of inbound marketing, and the quality of that content can make or break an inbound marketing strategy.

Search Engine Optimized (SEO) website text

A program that searches the web for sites based on your keyword search terms. It’s the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of website visitors through organic search engines, as well. A search engine navigates the web by downloading web pages and following links on these pages to discover new pages that have been made available by their website design.

Viral videos

A video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, and this website content will be shown to as many people would like it to see, such as YouTube as well as social media and email.

Web-based seminars (Webinars)

A virtual event that’s hosted and broadcasted by an organization. It offers one-way communication to attendees and is interchangeable with webcasts, online events, and web seminars.

Infographic

A collection of imagery, charts, and minimal text that gives an easy-to-understand overview of a topic. As in the example below, infographics use striking, engaging visuals to communicate information quickly and clearly.

Whitepaper

An in-depth, well-researched piece of educational content that adopts a somewhat more formal tone than your average blog post. Marketers create whitepapers to educate their audience about a particular issue, or explain and promote a particular methodology. They’re advanced problem-solving guides.

Case Study / Customer Spotlight

A detailed story about something your customer did or was able to achieve while using your product or service. Case studies go beyond testimonials. They serve as comprehensive long-form content, each one exploring a topic in its entirety.

Podcast

An episodic series of spoken word digital audio files that a user can download to a personal device for easy listening. That way, when your prospects are making their final decisions, they’ll remember you and your partner as both a valuable and relatable resource.

The 3 Rules of Content Inbound Marketing

1st Rule of Inbound Marketing: Content Creation + Distribution

In this rule, you must create targeted content that answers prospects’ and customers’ basic questions and needs, then share that content far and wide. Content creation is just the beginning of inbound marketing tactics that gives brand awareness to people.

2nd Rule of Inbound Marketing: Personalization

Tailor your content to the wants and needs of the people who are viewing it. As you learn more about your leads over time, you can better personalize your messages to their specific needs.

3rd Rule in Inbound Marketing: Integration

You should focus on publishing the right content in the right place at the right time.

How do you do inbound marketing?

Define your business goals and buyer personas

Identify your target audience and learn all you can about them. You can’t write content to inform your customers until you know your audience.

Provide content at every stage

Preemptively answer the questions that your customers are likely to have at each stage of the sales funnel of their buying journey. Determine your unique, compelling story. Why should your audience listen to you? The concept of what we call transformational inbound marketing goes beyond traditional inbound marketing techniques. Unlike traditional inbound, transformational inbound leverages valuable content to attract and retain customers throughout their entire lifecycle, not just before they are a customer, but after as well, by using content to attract and turn prospects into leads. Additionally, transformational inbound marketing puts a greater emphasis on personalization and relevance.

Choose your delivery platforms

The more valuable the content you create for your audience, the more likely you are to win them as customers. Determine the best way to reach them, whether it’s through Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, your blog, or elsewhere.

Create and execute your content calendar

It is important to create a schedule that will consistently turn out fresh and relevant content to continue to engage your audience. By keeping a constant stream of content that addresses your customers’ questions, issues, and pain points, you’ll maintain relevance and build your brand as a trusted thought leader.

Analyze results and optimize your inbound marketing program

There’s a variety of metrics to choose from when measuring the success of your inbound marketing efforts. Whether you decide to analyze SEO rankings, inbound links, or the number of articles published, these resources will provide valuable insight into how your campaigns are performing. Set aside time for analysis on a weekly basis. This step will aid you in understanding how effective your inbound marketing efforts have been and how they can improve.

Does inbound marketing really work?

Yes. Inbound marketing really works… if you’re willing to put in the time and effort.

Inbound is all about creating content that informs, empowers, and attracts current and potential customers. It requires patience, creativity, and clever optimization before seeing results, but sticking with it will help you build a better, stronger marketing strategy.

Bottom Line

Your company and its sales team would need to work together to go through the marketing process of marketing and sales to make sure that your products and services will translate to sales. That was in the old ways, today, in the era of mobile devices and computers, the marketing approach is different to ensure that your company has sustainable business growth.

There are other marketing strategies that help, such as content strategy and conversion strategy that marketers can use to make their company advance. For example, did you know that based on 2018 data, email marketing is still ranked as the most effective marketing channel, beating out social media, SEO, and affiliate marketing? It’s the most direct and effective way of connecting with your leads, nurturing them, and turning them into customers.

You can do this on your own, or better yet, visit HubSpot internet site, for they can help you push your products and services by generating leads. Yes, their specialty is inbound marketing, which helps you uncover more leads in less time, connect with those leads, and close deals faster. Just visit their site and avail of their services.