Inbound Marketing Insights

Inbound marketing engagement focuses on attracting potential customers through relevant and helpful content, fostering genuine relationships, and ensuring that businesses meet consumers where they are in their buyer's journey. It's a customer-centric approach that values permission-based tactics over interruption-based ones, ultimately leading to stronger, more meaningful connections with audiences.

To provide you with some of the most effective content ideas to help you better engage with your inbound marketing audience, we've gathered insights from ten industry professionals, ranging from content specialists to founders. They have shared their experiences, from using infographics for lead generation and awareness to repurposing expert content into engaging media. Dive into the following 10 ideas to discover what type of content might work best for your audience:

• Infographics: Boost Lead Generation and Awareness
• Podcasts: Offering Valuable Insights and Generating Leads
• LinkedIn Animated Videos: Crowd-Pleasing Content
• Webinars: Interactive Platforms for Expertise Demonstration
• Case Studies: Showcasing Real-World Success
• Blog Posts: Flexibly Addressing Audience Needs
• Whiteboard Animations: Simplifying Complexity
• Micro-Content: Capturing Attention and Promoting Interaction
• Interactive Quizzes: Personalized Experience and Gamification
• Repurposing: Turning Expert Content into Engaging Media

1. Infographics: Boost Lead Generation and Awareness

The content format that has delivered the best results for us, in terms of drawing in our target audience, has been infographics. As part of our social media marketing efforts, we create and publish a good number of infographics and carousels for different platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. The goals usually revolve around boosting lead generation and brand awareness.

Using compelling and thought-provoking infographics as part of our social media content strategy has allowed us to improve the shareability of our content on these platforms, reach a larger audience, and persuade the audience to take the next step.

The reason infographics work so well is the way they present bite-sized, crisp information in a visually attractive format. This makes them much easier and faster to consume for the audience, an important factor for social media platforms where you only have a couple of seconds to capture a user's attention.

Shivani Maheshwari, Content Specialist, WrittenlyHub

2. Podcasts: Offering Valuable Insights and Generating Leads

One of the best ways to increase the amount of leads you generate is through mediums where people are problem-aware but not solution-aware. Going on podcasts allows our agency to explain the consumer testing we include as part of our integrated packaging-design services. For many brands who listen, we are the solution they didn't know they needed but are grateful when they find out we exist. 

On these podcasts, we get to add valuable insights discovered through our testing, helping brands who cannot afford our services. It's a win-win-win for the audience, the podcast, and our agency.

Jason Vaught, Director of Content, SmashBrand

3. LinkedIn Animated Videos: Crowd-Pleasing Content

For the type of content that gets a lot of traction in our inbound marketing efforts, short animated videos on LinkedIn take the cake. Over time, we've tried and tested various formats, but these little animated nuggets keep proving themselves as true crowd-pleasers.

So, why does this particular content format work so well on LinkedIn? It's the way these videos blend visual storytelling with LinkedIn's business-oriented audience. An eye-catching animation pops up in the feed and, within seconds, delivers a compelling piece of information or tip.

Easy to watch, understand, and share—it's no wonder these animations have become a trusted part of our content strategy.

Shane McEvoy, MD, Flycast Media

4. Webinars: Interactive Platforms for Expertise Demonstration

One content format that has proven exceptionally effective in our inbound marketing at Click Intelligence is webinars. These are interactive online presentations where we can deep dive into complex marketing topics, share industry insights, or even host guest experts.

The strength of webinars lies in their interactive nature. Attendees can ask questions, participate in polls, or engage in discussions, which fosters a high level of engagement. For instance, our webinar on “SEO Trends for 2023” attracted a significant number of attendees with high engagement through questions and post-webinar discussions.

Moreover, webinars offer a platform for demonstrating expertise and building trust with the audience. They can be repurposed into multiple content pieces like blog posts, infographics, or short videos, amplifying their value. This blend of interactivity, value provision, and content repurposing makes webinars a powerful tool in our inbound marketing arsenal.

Simon Brisk, Director, Click Intelligence Ltd

5. Case Studies: Showcasing Real-World Success

Case studies are very engaging in marketing. They are real stories about specific actions and clear results. Often, marketing is full of general advice, but case studies show what really works. For example, I tell stories about my clients who have increased organic traffic using our services. This real-world info helps people understand better.

Dmytro Sokhach, CEO, Editorial.Link

6. Blog Posts: Flexibly Addressing Audience Needs

For us at Webserv, despite being a smaller agency with a lean internal marketing team, blog posts have consistently engaged our audience in our inbound-marketing strategy. Blogs provide us with the flexibility to directly address our audience's needs, concerns, or interests in a personalized and authentic tone, while minimizing financial investment. 

Moreover, they serve as a versatile platform where we can incorporate various media formats, like videos or infographics, adding depth and interest to our content. Blogs are truly the foundation of our inbound-marketing strategy, delivering consistent engagement while allowing us to stay adaptable to our audience's ever-evolving preferences.

Kevin Hall, Marketing Operations, Webserv

7. Whiteboard Animations: Simplifying Complexity

One content format that has never failed us is whiteboard animation videos. They're a standout, honestly. People are more drawn to visual storytelling; it speaks to them on a deeper level. 

Here's a vivid instance; I remember launching a digital marketing campaign for a client in the tech industry. We incorporated a series of whiteboard animations, breaking down complex technological concepts into relatable, easy-to-understand visuals. 

The result was exceptional; our engagement rates skyrocketed, the client saw a significant increase in lead generation, and most importantly, the audience was satisfied. They could understand and interact with the content effortlessly. That’s the power of whiteboard animations, they have a way of simplifying the complex and making it digestible and engaging.

Joe Troyer, CEO and Growth Advisor, Digital Triggers

8. Micro-Content: Capturing Attention and Promoting Interaction

Micro-content, such as social media posts and snippets, consistently engages audiences in inbound marketing. Its concise and easily digestible format captures attention and sparks curiosity. 

For example, short quote snippets from blog posts can be shared on social media platforms, enticing users to click and explore further. Micro-content encourages interaction, as it can prompt users to like, comment, or share, amplifying the brand's reach. By delivering valuable information quickly, micro-content effectively engages audiences and promotes further engagement.

Ben Lau, Founder, Featured SEO Company

9. Interactive Quizzes: Personalized Experience and Gamification

One content format that has consistently engaged our audience in inbound marketing is interactive quizzes. Interactive quizzes are effective because they provide a unique and personalized experience for the users. 

Instead of passively consuming information, users actively participate and engage with the content. The element of gamification adds an element of fun and excitement, making them more likely to share their results with others on social media platforms or within their own networks. 

This not only increases the reach of our content but also helps build brand awareness and attract new audiences who might be interested in taking the quiz themselves. Interactive quizzes allow us to gather valuable data about our audience's preferences, behaviors, and needs, which can then be used to refine our marketing strategies and create more targeted content. 

Quizzes offer a dynamic way to connect with our audience and drive engagement while providing insights for inbound marketing efforts.

Steve Dinelli, Founder, MarketerInterview.com

10. Repurposing: Turning Expert Content into Engaging Media

In Q1 of this year, our digital media company, providing the latest insurance information to consumers, started repurposing the vast amount of expert content on our sites as YouTube videos and Twitter posts. This has been found to be an effective form of inbound marketing, due to our thorough production and approval process. 

The short content features compelling copy and graphics that pique consumer interest and provide them with helpful information from our experts. Topics have included "5 Things You Should Tell Your Car Insurance Company," "How to Get Cheap Car Insurance," and "Cost Spike Warning: Here's Why Your Car Insurance Rates Could Triple This Year.”

Michelle Robbins, Licensed Insurance Agent, Clearsurance.com