10 Examples of Inbound Marketing That Drive Sales

If you've already invested in a digital marketing strategy for your business, you're probably hoping to see impactful results. You may still be missing the mark with your audience, especially if you aren't approaching inbound marketing correctly. 

In 2020, 75 percent of marketers said inbound marketing was effective. But for it to work, you need to ensure you're using techniques that will drive sales. 

So how do you get your message to resonate with your target demographic? In this guide, we will look at what it means to have a robust inbound marketing strategy and which campaigns got it right. 

Here are 10 examples of inbound marketing campaigns that translated to sales. These campaigns are sure to inspire you! 

1. Home Depot's Blog

If you're wondering how to create blog content that resonates with your target demographic, Home Depot's DIY Projects Done Right blog is a great place to learn. The hardware giant stuck to the basics with its blog. It focused on its customer's needs.

Home Depot's blog is broken into three categories, DIY projects, outdoor living, and home décor. But content is split into different groups within those categories. This makes the user experience simple for customers using the blog.

This saves customers time and allows them to find exactly what they're looking for without searching the entire blog. The content addresses customer needs and provides digestible solutions.

In business marketing, a blog helps establish businesses as industry experts. It will help gain customer trust and loyalty and drive sales.

2. Social Listening and HelloFresh

Inbound marketing is often something that requires tangible action. But do not underestimate the power of social listening. Social listening allows businesses to gain insight and feedback they otherwise would not have access to by paying attention to how their brand is discussed online.

When the meal catering giant HelloFresh first launched, the company spent time reviewing customer complaints and feedback online. This allowed HelloFresh to identify trends and address issues customers had. 

By gathering this data, HelloFresh was able to address customer needs and improve its service. They tweaked popular recipes and adjusted their packaging and delivery process. 

Social listening is one of the least intrusive and affordable marketing tactics available to businesses. It can help you increase sales.

3. The Daily Podcast

Several brands have successful podcasts for business marketing, but few have achieved the level of success of The Daily. The podcast breaks down popular news headlines and is created by the New York Times. 

It typically ranks 1st or 2nd as one of the most popular podcasts in the world. So, how did the New York Times create such a raging success? Some say it was a fluke, but there is more to this podcast than meets the eye.

The Daily is an investigative, conversational, audio deep-dive into stories in the news. It's an alternative way to consume information from the New York Times or other popular news sources. It offered a more intimate experience for those consumed by headlines.

The Daily has succeeded for the New York Times because it has reached a new audience and increased its brand recognition.

Podcasts also build trust with your audience. They make a business seem more credible and position it as an industry expert. They create brand loyalty which leads to a boost in sales.

4. Domino's Pizza x Stranger Things 

Domino's Pizza always seems ahead of the curve with inbound marketing campaigns. For its most recent campaign, the company partnered with a hit Netflix show to promote a direct messaging app. The TV show was Stranger Things, one of the most popular shows of the last decade.

The "Mind Ordering" app they launched claimed it could detect a pizza order using "telekinetic powers." In truth, the app uses facial recognition software to confirm an easy order option saved in users' Domino's Pizza profile. 

But the campaign generated roughly 4.4 million potential impressions in its first month. By leveraging the popularity of Stranger Things, Domino's Pizza convinced its customers to try its direct messaging ordering app.

Community partnerships and influencers are mutually beneficial because they overlap followers and communities.  

5. Sephora's Conversational Marketing

More companies use software programs, bots, and AI to improve customer experience. Sephora proved it was a leader in this technology when it launched its Kik bot system.

Kik allows shoppers to perform various tasks without the customer service chat dropping out. But it is more than an average chatbot. It shares resources with customers to suit their individual needs.

The resources include beauty coaching, information about makeup trends, and product tutorials. It even has a virtual assistant and a reservation assistant. 

Kik uses conversational marketing, an organic form of inbound marketing within chat functions, allowing businesses to customize the customer experience. This personalized customer experience meets the individual needs of customers and drives sales.

6. Pura Vida Facebook Ads

Businesses should be active on social media accounts to generate new leads and reach new audiences. But sometimes, getting your advertising to cut through the noise on platforms like Facebook is hard.

Pura Vida used high-quality, colorful photographs of their bracelets and made them into an interactive, striking, and creative carousel advertisement. The advertisement also resonated with socially conscious customers, letting them know that proceeds help provide jobs to artists in Costa Rica.

The campaign was a huge success; the brand sold 20 times as many products as usual. It proves that with the right visuals and interaction, social media advertising can be sexy and exciting.

7. Uber's Inbound Marketing Technique

Most consumers are familiar with the Uber brand. Users are also familiar with Uber's email marketing tactics. 

Uber uses email to send brief updates and communication to its customers. The emails are often tailored to the user experience.

Because of the nature of Uber, the emails are quick and to the point. Users can scan the text and digest its purpose on the go. 

Uber has also succeeded with email marketing by using consistent brand elements across all platforms. The emails are recognizable, giving them credibility. They enhance the user experience, encouraging loyalty to the brand's app.

8. Chewy's SEO Strategy

You may recognize the Chewy brand as an online store for pet products, but that brand recognition is partly because of the company's SEO strategy.

Chewy has earned a high-ranking spot in search engines. The website is designed similarly to Amazon. It's a combination of quality images and video and descriptions.

The product descriptions are detailed, with roughly 250 words. Chewy also capitalizes on engagement by including Q&A's from customers as well as a review section. 

Chewy's marketing plan proves that detailed, interactive product descriptions matter, and SEO is vital to driving sales.

9. Grammarly Video Advertisements 

If you ask anyone in marketing, they will tell you video is imperative to inbound marketing. 

The popular grammar app Grammarly knows how to use video to reach new audiences. The company's advertisements are some of the most viewed on Youtube. 

The videos use compelling storytelling and testimonials to promote what the app can do for users' writing. The advertisements stop short of providing nitty gritty details or sharing too much technological jargon. Instead, they focus on solutions Grammarly delivers to its users.

Video is an excellent way for businesses to gain credibility. Storytelling evokes emotional responses in customers, resonates longer, and improves brand recognition. The video format also allows enterprises to build rapport with audiences and drive sales. 

10. Spotify Wrapped Viral Marketing

Few companies know how to create user engagement quite like Spotify does. Anyone with a Spotify account is likely familiar with the Spotify Wrapped campaign. Towards the end of each calendar year, Spotify gives users stats on their annual individual listening habits.

The campaign has achieved groundbreaking results. From 2020-2021, Spotify saw a 461 percent increase in Tweets, proving high engagement. 

Spotify benefited from the Spotify Wrapped campaign because it created something personalized and unique with shareable content. The ability to share content on multiple social media platforms caused the campaign to go viral. 

To create a viral marketing campaign, brands must create something shareable that prompts user engagement. Viral marketing is a great way to reach new audiences with your business marketing.

Inbound Marketing Drives Sales

If you've invested time and energy into improving your business's digital marketing strategy, you are likely hoping to drive sales. Digital marketing is an effective way of attracting new customers, but your campaigns must have intention.

All of the inbound marketing campaigns discussed in this guide yielded impressive results. By using these examples as inspiration, you can ensure your marketing reaches new audiences and generates new business.

SmithDigital can help you improve your inbound marketing strategy. Let's schedule a meeting together to begin generating the leads and sales you've been looking for!