Creating a strong inbound marketing strategy is a balancing act. It needs to be attractive enough to stand out in the noise without being too pushy or disruptive. You want to compel people to engage with your content while feeling empowered that it's solely their choice.
When it comes to inbound marketing, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Here are some of the best inbound marketing trends your small business can use for 2020.
Hop on Viral Trends
Have your business ready to hop on viral trends as they appear on social media. This is a great way to show the human side of your business and take advantage of trending hashtags and searches. A recent viral trend was the Dolly Parton challenge outlining your profile picture for Facebook, Instagram, Tinder, and LinkedIn. Another example is the Flip the Switch challenge on TikTok.
To be able to use these viral trends to your advantage, you need to have a person who delegated the task of being ready to jump on these. Choose a creative individual on your team or take inspiration from other businesses. These moments are fleeting, but they have an incredible impact when woven into a social media strategy.
Utilize Instagram Stories
Instagram stories made waves when they were launched a few years ago, and they continue to impress marketers today. The story feature tends to be a bit more interactive and doesn't get lost in the algorithms as much as static posts. Additionally, stories make it easier to follow another popular inbound marketing trend: user-generated content.
More inbound marketing agencies are creating strategies using the Instagram stories feature. Interactive features like polls, sliders, gifs, and geotagging make it easier to connect with an audience on a functional level. As followers grow, small businesses can use the "swipe up" feature to link directly to an e-commerce page and effectively boost sales.
Podcasting is the New Blogging
The world has evolved dramatically from when listening to the radio was common practice for news and sports updates. However, when it comes to podcasts, we've come full circle. Podcasts are a great way to connect with an audience who can't be fully engaged to read an article or watch a video. It's a fantastic method by which to build a rapport and share valuable information.
Launching a podcast relevant to your business is a significant undertaking, but a burgeoning inbound marketing trend. It's also a budget-savvy way to repurpose previously published blog content to connect with an entirely new audience.
Segment Your Email Marketing
Email marketing is alive and well— but you have to evolve to stand out. It's no longer enough to drop an email in someone's inbox. Every message sent should have a purpose and spark a personal connection. Think of what you can share with your audience instead of what you can sell.
One of the best ways to improve your conversions via inbound marketing is to segment your email lists. Personalization is a high priority for marketers in 2020, and segmentation falls under that umbrella. Use lifecycle email marketing to create segmented lists for lapsed customers, cart abandoners, people who have taken advantage of specific sales, etc. The better your segmentation, the more effective your communications will be.
SMS Marketing
Reach subscribers in a new way with SMS marketing. While people can ignore social media posts or emails, it's hard to ignore a text. Use this approach wisely and send infrequent messages that build your relationship with customers. Let them know about a sale they might be interested or last-minute access to an event.
When implementing an SMS marketing strategy, hit your audience sparingly, and ensure you follow proper regulations.
Link Building
Link building is a trend that consistently stays on top of inbound marketing strategies year over year. Every 12 to 18 months Moz releases their updated Local Search Ranking Factors and link signals is consistently the number 1 factor. With this being said, every business, particularly the SMB segment, needs a strategy to acquire new backlinks month over month. Ranking on the top of a Google search for an SMB is even more essential to a business during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
There are a lot of different link building strategies you can deploy to meet your needs. Some digital agencies even offer free backlinks from bloggers.
Keep Your Brand in Mind
No matter what strategies you use, you should always do so with your brand in mind. Do the approach, and the messaging, align with your brand? Does it feel authentic and organic? These are essential considerations when incorporating inbound marketing trends into your small business.