Perhaps the most important element of the inbound methodology is the final stage: Delight. This is what truly sets the inbound approach apart from traditional sales tactics. Delighting your customer goes a long way for an inbound marketing company’s reputation. Delighting your customer builds trust, which is vital to developing a meaningful, helpful relationship with them.

It’s not just marketing that has been transformed by the inbound approach. The sales process has also changed significantly over time as well due to the changing of the buyer’s journey. As an inbound marketing company, aligning your sales practices with the inbound methodology is key to making sure your marketing efforts convert into sales.

Few people have ever been excited by a pop-up ad appearing in front of an online article. There is no thrill from a favorite program being interrupted by a commercial. Few moments seem to drag longer than the five-second countdown on YouTube’s “Skip Ad” button.

With all of the new technology that exists in marketing nowadays, it’s easy to overlook one of the most effective marketing tools around: email. While many have passed email off as outdated and on its way out, an email marketing strategy is more important than ever – in fact, 76 percent of marketers say they use email more now than they did three years ago.

One of the biggest obstacles businesses can face is a poor relationship between the marketing and sales teams. Historically, the two sides have had little nice to say about each other; in fact, 87 percent of marketers and salespeople describe the others negatively.

Blogging is an essential part of inbound marketing and is a staple of any content marketing strategy. While blogs started as more personal accounts, they have come to take an increasingly large role in the professional realm as well. Blogs serve to inform and, when done correctly, give you an opportunity to stand out within your field as an informer and an opinion leader.

“Content is king” is not a new concept, but it seems to be one that many marketers easily forget. It shouldn’t be. Quality content is one of the most important aspects in marketing, especially from an inbound perspective. Content is the driving force behind the inbound method of Attract, Convert, Close, and Delight; quality content is what moves a prospect across each step.

In today’s market, many customers no longer rely on conventional advertising to find solutions to their various needs. The prevalence of search engines like Google has streamlined the process of pre-purchase research, giving users immediate access to the most informative, accurate answers to the questions they ask.

Because search engines have refined their methods of searching so well, marketers have to put their full effort into making sure their online marketing content appears as high as possible on a list of search results. This practice is called search engine optimization, or SEO.

Social media has had a huge impact on marketing and communications since its inception. Over 2 billion people use social media, meaning a significant portion of the world’s opinions, thoughts, and purchases are being influenced by social media.