What is Inbound Marketing?
“Provide for them what they’re seeking, and you’ll know what inbound marketing is.”
If we'd have to reduce the term inbound marketing into a single word based on its definition, it would be websites — even above inbound or marketing. Why? Because everything, both literally and figuratively, points to websites (to and fro).
With inbound marketing, your website becomes the central hub for all online operations. PR links are directed to your website. The right keywords are used for & on your website. For clarification purposes, the latter is done to simultaneously display accurate titles and in-context body copy to existing visitors (readers, viewers, and listeners alike) along with generate targeted traffic via both stand-alone and social media search engines.
On a slightly less technical level, it's used for qualifying leads by means of CTAs (i.e., calls-to-action) and/or internal linking (meaning, re-directing visitors from one page to a desired landing page by use of anchor text [a word or group of words] or a button). To sum up, inbound marketing is a very effective method for controlling all that precedes (and, more importantly, culminates to) the customer journey.
Who is inbound marketing for?
It's for anyone and everyone... really. Small and medium-sized businesses along with large enterprises can increase their bottom line via inbound marketing initiatives. Non-profits can grow their community or cause. Politicians can gather support. The list goes on and on, but there are a few segments that might otherwise discount inbound marketing as a strategy.
Individual marketers, such as affiliate & network marketers, sometimes fail to see the benefits of inbound marketing for lack of having a product for sale or offering a service. But the key to success here isn't the product nor the service; it's, once again, the website. If you own & run a blog, people aren't visiting it (at least not initially) for the sake of learning about a product or service you either recommend or display through advertisements. They want your content, usually free and publicly-available.
Content marketing is a monumental aspect of inbound marketing. It's what drives targeted traffic, and warms interested visitors into qualified leads. Your content, therefore, is the most valuable piece of the profit (or donation/funding) puzzle... for you and them equally. You publish quality, you get rewarded.
The formula is almost always the same because the Internet, while limitless in its digital marketing capabilities, is still primarily an informational tool. People consistently want to figure out how to do stuff, whether it be learning how to play an instrument, get in shape, build a deck, or something in between. Provide them with what they're seeking, and you will truly know what inbound marketing is.