Attracting an online following is commonly done with inbound marketing, which involves developing niche web content that surfers are searching for. This method of attracting a target audience is both an art and a science. The art side of it involves expressing yourself in a creative way, while the science side deals with generating leads through SEO. Here are some details on how inbound marketing can help your business.

How Consumer Attention is Earned

No longer are traditional forms of advertising the best way to get a consumer’s attention. Last century viewers sat through commercials, but this century viewers record shows and skip past commercials. Companies that fall back entirely on traditional advertising can lose to competitors who combine traditional and internet marketing, as well as small businesses that rely on inbound marketing.

The key to attracting consumer attention in the internet age is to present a remarkable message that cuts through the clutter. Even though the internet is home to many empowering sites, it’s also flooded with useless, boring and redundant sites. That’s why you need a blog or articles that clearly offer much more valuable information than the bulk of time-wasting sites. By designing your site as a hub for deep knowledge, you will establish yourself as an authority with curious followers.

Ways to Attract Attention

• Write informative and entertaining blogs and articles based on keywords
• Create content with SEO in mind
• Offer free tools, coupons or digital products
• Use sales funnel tools that enhance the customer experience
• Make videos and other audio/visual presentations to accompany text
• Promote your content through social media, newsletters and other channels
• Collect customer information through a Call-To-Action using forms and email

Enhance Your Web Presence

Once you have built your site to include the basics for holding people’s attention, you need to keep the content growing. Focus on improving the quality of your content by studying analytics. Find out what target users like most about your site and feed them deeper content within that realm.

One of the best ways to spice up a website is with eye-catching visuals. Even high resolution photos from a smartphone can be used on web pages.

Develop an Inbound Strategy

In order for inbound marketing to generate an impressive return on investment, you need to craft a plan that unfolds over many months. Hiring an online marketing expert is a major advantage if you have the budget. Experienced online marketers can implement a custom strategy based on ideas that have worked in the past. No matter who devises the strategy, though, it must be adjusted over time based on online behavior and customer feedback.

Central to any inbound marketing strategy is the notion of sharing, which translates into caring. The more free content you share with the world, the more people will likely pay attention. If your website dries up and stops offering fresh content, there’s a good chance that traffic will gradually decline. Traffic can be boosted by continuously expanding the site with relevant content, and by advertising through pay-per-click ad platforms such as Google AdWords.

The content needs to answer customer questions and be targeted to a specific audience, then distributed through multiple channels. Optimizing design and content for mobile devices has become essential to most inbound strategies. It’s helpful to create buyer personas that identify different segments of your target market. Keep in mind the four steps to success are attract, convert, close and delight.