More and more SMEs realize that the growth model of their business involves the Internet. In these times of brutal crisis, they need to find new clients and explore new avenues with their current clients, and to do this, there is nothing better than the techniques of “Inbound Marketing” or Attraction Marketing.
What is Attraction Marketing?
The one in which it is the consumer himself, who has a need, the one who feels attracted to a brand when they find it looking for a solution for that need.
It could be defined as the set of actions that a company carries out so that the user is the one who finds it. This is opposed to more traditional marketing (or “outbound marketing”, if you want to call it that), in which the strategy is aimed at seeking out the user in an active – intrusive, even – way, breaking into channels in which the individual , at first, does not want to have a relationship with the brand.
To give a practical example: A consumer is looking for shelf models on the internet to renovate a room, when suddenly he comes across a Home Decoration Blog from the company “TodoMuebles SL”, in which various decoration tips and tricks for all types of furniture are explained. homes.
The consumer, interested in the topic, since it has provided various alternative solutions to the shelf they wanted, begins to follow them on their Facebook page to find out about Blog updates.
Months later, a friend asks him how his renovation ended, since he plans to do a similar one and wanted to know certain details as a solution. The consumer explains it to his friend and also refers him to the Blog where he will surely find interesting suggestions.
This is nothing more than an example, it is a situation that happens daily. Having a presence on the internet, but in a positive way, contributes to building a reputation for the company in which potential clients recognize it as an expert in the sector, thus attracting potential clients by providing them with value, and making these clients, in turn, the best salespeople.
How is attraction marketing done?
Traditionally, intrusive, one-way Marketing has been practiced from the brand to the consumer, without the latter having the right to speak but rather being a mere recipient of the message.
Marketing 2.0 has to change radically since the platforms where it is done are radically different. Mass mailing with advertising (one-way and without segmentation) or the famous brochures in cars, reproduced on the Internet is called “SPAM” and are unproductive practices, if not prohibited.
Therefore, when an SME makes the leap to marketing 2.0, it must first understand what that 2.0 ecosystem is and its rules if it wants to be successful:
– Communication is not hierarchical. It does not occur from top to bottom, but horizontally. The brand or business, in front of its consumers, is nothing more than one more within a community with interests. Becoming a relevant figure in that community depends on what you tell them.
– Communication is two-way: It is as important, or even more important, what your potential clients tell you than what you tell them. In attraction marketing you don't sell, you talk, you learn and you suggest.
– There is no moderator, nor can the brand be one. It is the community itself that moderates and imposes its rules. And the brand must not only accept them but integrate into them. You have to speak in their same language.
The three fundamental pillars of Attraction Marketing
1 – Positioning: If you don't show up, it's worthless. SEO, SEM…Once the consumer performs a search, you have to appear.
2 – Social networks: If positioning is reactive, social networks are proactive. Make a brand with your business, build a reputation with your comments, talk to your potential clients, be useful and generous, talk and above all listen… Your fingerprint exists. People are going to talk about you on the internet, whether you are on the networks or not. Take advantage of social networks to build an optimal online reputation that helps your business grow.
3 – Content marketing: None of the above is of any use if we have nothing to offer our clients. Offers are not worth it, advertising is not worth it. If we do not generate quality content, we will not attract potential customers who search for that content, and we will not build a positive online reputation.
Content marketing could be defined as the development and execution of actions to create and distribute relevant content (about the company, the sector, etc.) with the aim of getting closer to the customer and attracting them to the brand. These can take place on social networks but also on other platforms beyond them, such as the company website, influencer blogs, online media, traditional media…
It's no use telling someone how good we are… That's a marketing 1.0 concept. What really We have to aim for our clients to tell their circles how good we are. That is Marketing 2.0 and that is the objective we must aim for.
The individual as the center of strategy
In the actions of inbound marketing the individual is always at the center of the strategy. You have to ensure that he is the one who, in an active way, goes looking for the brand. He can be “helped” with actions that attract him to her, but ultimately he is always the one who decides to act and “like” a company's profile on social networks. And he does it because the proposal that that brand makes to him – in terms of content, offer, feeling of belonging to the community, customer service, etc. – is attractive to him at a specific and specific moment.
Getting the user to become a prescriber of the product or service offered by the brand is not easy nor can it be achieved in a short time. It is necessary to think about long-term strategies that allow us to know the individual better, know what their needs are and understand what is the best way to do it and at what precise moment. Taking all this into account, you will be provided with valuable content through the most appropriate channels, which may be social networks or others, such as corporate blogs or email, for example.