Both terms are essential to understand how online marketing is done today, but there are still many who confuse them or those who believe that one is simply a translation of the other. The truth is that there are some key differences and qualifications that we have to understand at a conceptual level, so let’s put black on white and clarify once and for all how attraction marketing and inbound marketing are alike and  different .

What is attraction marketing?

Traditionally,  advertising  has been based on a “push” methodology, in which the potential customer is impacted without their having any control over it. Take, for example, television advertisements, billboards or, in the case of online advertising, banners Buy Lithuania Cell Phone Number Database and interstitials that appear when browsing different pages. On the other hand,  attraction marketing  turns this pattern around to be based on a  “pull” methodology , that is, what we are looking for is that the potential customer voluntarily consumes the brand’s content. Instead of “hunting”, we put a hook and wait for the user to “bite”.

Phases of attraction marketing

This  customer attraction process  follows a series of predetermined steps or phases, which we can classify as follows:

• Content creation . The “bait” that we put on the hook to attract the customer. The contents must always be focused on offering value to the type of user that we seek to convert. Normally, within the content strategy, different formats will be included, such as articles, ebooks or video tutorials.
• Optimization . In this phase we focus on the online positioning of the content through  SEO techniques . The objective is that the user can easily find us when they detect that they have a need related to the brand. To achieve this, we must pay close attention to the selection of keywords.
• Diffusion . The third phase is based on working an active presence on  social networks  and other brand channels, to get in touch with potential customers and send them our content.
• Conversion and measurement . Finally, we will seek to convert all the traffic that we have generated in the previous phases so that it becomes a client of the brand or meets some other objective that we have set. At this stage it is essential that we have set quantifiable goals in advance and that they are linked to the business objectives of the company.

Attraction marketing methods

Attraction marketing uses a variety of methods and techniques to connect with your audience and attract them to your brand. These are the main four.

• Content Marketing . In attraction marketing, content constitutes one of the main foundations of the relationship with the customer, since it is the technique used to awaken their interest in the brand. As we have seen, the fundamental thing is that this content adds value to the brand’s typical customers. Within the variety of formats and possible distribution strategies, the brand blog continues to be one of the most useful resources, since it allows combining a variety of formats within a structure that is familiar to users.
• SEO . With very few exceptions, users rarely go beyond the first page of Google when searching for information on their topics of interest. Therefore, positioning techniques are essential to be able to occupy the first places and be there when users look for us. Within SEO we will deal with aspects related to optimizing our own website (SEO on page) and getting links from other sites (SEO off page).
• Social media marketing . Social media marketing is based on being on the same sites as users, interacting with them on a more horizontal level. The networks help us to disseminate content and create a community around the brand, which in the end translates into more audiences for our attraction initiatives.
• Diffusion . This method would include different techniques to get our message to more users, from strategies based on more traditional public relations, such as sending press releases, to  email newsletters  or even paid search engine ads.

What is inbound marketing?

The  inbound marketing  is based on a series of non intrusive techniques designed to drive traffic to the website of the brand, get visitors leave us your information to become leads and automate marketing so that each lead receives the information you need to end up becoming a customer of the brand.

As part of its methodology, inbound marketing incorporates the concept  of the conversion funnel , that is, the different stages that users go through from when they hear about a brand for the first time until they become customers. This user journey is made up of three stages:

• The TOFU or “top of the funnel” phase . At this stage the first contacts with the user are made, who have just identified that they have a need related to our brand. To attract you, we need to have content that responds to generic searches for information about that need, for example, blog articles or infographics.
• The MOFU or “middle of the funnel” phase .  Here we are making progress in the relationship with the user, as he becomes more aware of his need and the possible options to solve it. To connect with him, you need to offer him more specialized content, such as video tutorials, expert testimonials or detailed guides.
• The BOFU or “bottom of the funnel” phase . After considering the possible options, the user remains interested and only needs one last push to become a customer. Now is the time to offer you personalized discounts, promotions and trials.

The  automation of marketing  also plays an essential role in the inbound marketing in its different aspects:

• User monitoring : through cookies and analytical systems, we obtain information about user behavior that allows us to be more accurate with the content offer.
• Lead generation : it is based on convincing the user who visits us to leave us their data to continue nurturing the relationship with him. For example, offering you valuable content in exchange for giving us information in a form.
• Lead scoring : not all contacts are the same, nor do they have the same value for the brand. Lead scoring is a quality evaluation system for users who have left us their data, so that we can know how much interest they have for us and how close they are to converting.
• Lead nurturing : from the moment they leave us their data until they are ready to buy, the user goes through a process that normally requires several impacts. Lead nurturing automates these impacts in the form of regular communications tailored to the user’s needs.
• CRM : CRM (customer relationship management) tools are a form of automation of sales actions that can be integrated into the inbound marketing process to achieve more effective lead management.

Attraction Marketing and Inbound Marketing: How They Are Alike and How They Are Different

The parallels between  attraction marketing and inbound marketing  are more than evident. Both methodologies discard “push” techniques, such as traditional ads, preferring to focus on less invasive ways of reaching the customer. Instead, they opt for softer methods, in which the user himself is the one who decides to consume the brand’s content. Another very important Phone Number List commonality is the role  of content marketing , which occupies a central place in both attraction marketing and inbound marketing. This resource makes it possible to attract the type of user who could potentially become a customer of the brand.

As for the  differences , an easy way to see them is to think that inbound marketing is an evolution with respect to the concept of attraction marketing, since it brings new resources and a more complete approach:

• Inbound marketing has developed the concept of  ” buyer persona ” , that is, a semi-fictional profile of the ideal client of our brand that allows us to better understand their needs and guide the strategy and content based on them. Therefore, segmentation is much more worked within this methodology.
• Inbound marketing incorporates marketing  automation , allowing you to skip repetitive tasks and increasingly optimize the entire customer acquisition process. Inbound has implemented techniques such as lead scoring and lead nurturing, which facilitate the entire recruitment process.
• Finally,  inbound marketing has developed a process that goes beyond attraction marketing, since it  does not end when the sale closes . In the last phase, the relationship with the brand’s new clients continues to be nurtured so that they trust in future purchases and become recommenders of the products and services.