5 Ways Inbound Marketing is Similar to Swimsuit Shopping


Inbound Marketing

The beautiful flowers and warm breezes of spring are upon us, and summer is right around the corner. Thoughts turn to fun, vacation, and swimsuit shopping.

For a variety of reasons, most people don’t enjoy shopping for swimwear. Choosing the right swimsuit is, however, in many ways similar to creating an effective inbound marketing campaign. Whoa! I’ve lost my mind, you say? Read on to hear about five ways inbound marketing is similar to swimsuit shopping.

The right material is critical

Swimsuits made from inferior material will fade and stretch. Inbound marketing campaigns with content that is not written well, is too sales-oriented, or is not valuable to the prospect will net puny results. On the other hand, well written content can completely revitalize a company’s lead generation. According to Demand Metric, “content marketing generates three times as many leads as traditional marketing.” Content that’s interesting and answers a question or provides value in order to attract and engage the reader is a good choice.

They both need to fit the audience

Even if a person is fit and trim, a skimpy bikini is an awful choice for a family reunion. The same goes for marketing content. Adding aggressive sales tactics in a blog post  geared to educate, or offering information that misses the mark with your targeted audience will bring few new leads to the funnel. Choose the right topics by understanding your audience and their needs before you begin creating content.

They must cover the basics

The thought of certain body parts hanging out of a swimsuit makes most people cringe, so they take great care to make sure to cover the basics. Likewise, planning inbound marketing initiatives must cover the basics to reach the targeted audience and reap success from the efforts. Marketers must understand their buyer, offer engaging content, and execute a way to capture the prospect’s information. Lay out the facets of the plan before the initiative begins, and include the overall goal, each step, and timeline. Campaigns that miss any of these essential steps will most likely fail.

Both should give you the confidence to take the next step

Swimwear that fits well, shows high-quality construction, and flatters the figure makes a person feel good and secure about hitting the pool, lake, or beach. Inbound marketing functions the same way. Savvy marketers who have succeeded in forging powerful campaigns that reach the right people have created a confidence in the lead toward the company and product. Relevant content leads the reader to visit the website, complete a landing page, or choose a trial offer. Content that is not engaging has the opposite effect, causing the prospect to “click away” and disappear.

Finally, they are enticing enough to make you buy it

Even if the swimsuit is nice and looks good on, does it really light the fire that makes a person plunk down the cash to take it home? Ditto for inbound marketing. Once a lead is familiar with the company and product, has followed the content to the website, and maybe even received valuable emailed information, will they decide to move forward? Pushing the lead through the funnel takes smart landing pages and enticing calls-to-action. It’s essential that marketers spend time on these tools if they want to efficiently push the lead with their inbound campaigns. A good practice is to create can’t-miss-it-or-resist-it calls-to-action and sprinkle them throughout the content. Take time crafting the landing pages to provide the strongest opportunity to snag the lead’s precious contact information. Every part of your inbound marketing initiative needs to pop and sparkle.

Building effective content and executing an inbound marketing strategy that yields results is like trying to find the perfect swimsuit: it takes dedication, planning, and understanding. But both are worth it in the end.

Now, don’t forget your sunscreen!

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