What are Content and Inbound Marketing and How Can They Help Your Business Connect with Customers?

Sometime around 1981, I was given a radio cassette player, and it changed my life. Being able to not only listen to the radio but also record songs from it was a total gamechanger. Those were the early days of my mixtape collection. If you're of a certain age, you'll remember the joy of creating mixtapes. After about 10 years, I had loads of them, and they seemed to gather around my feet as I drove my brown Ford Escort around southeast London.

The making of a mixtape was not something to be undertaken lightly. You didn’t just throw any old tracks together. It had to be carefully curated for whoever was going to listen. Whether it was for an individual, a party, or just for yourself, each song was a character in the story you were telling. One song out of place or out of character could have the whole cassette filed under ‘Uneasy Listening’. It had to hit the right tone, create the right mood, and it had to fit neatly on two 45 minute sides of the C90 cassette. It took thought, strategy and passion. You also needed to be a little bit geeky.

The Marketing Playlist

Creating marketing and messaging is about creating the perfect playlist of content for your customers, meeting them where they’re at, solving their problems, and making sure each message resonates. It takes thought, strategy and passion.

Just like your carefully crafted mixtape, what’s known as ‘content’ and ‘inbound’ marketing are all about thoughtfulness and connection. You don’t have to shout your message to the world because you’re giving people exactly what they need, when they need it. Your message is relevant, personal, and, importantly, helpful.

The Shuffle

Traditional marketing is like hitting ‘shuffle’ on a bunch of random Spotify songs and hoping your audience sticks around long enough to hear something they like. 

Pop-up ads, cold calls, and spam emails are all about interrupting people with a message, whether they’re ready to hear it or not. Sometimes you might get lucky and hit the right note, but more often than not, it’s just noise - and in marketing, noise is the enemy (says Donald Miller of StoryBrand).

By contrast, content marketing and inbound marketing are like crafting that perfect mixtape. Each piece of content, whether it’s a blog article, a video, or a social media post, is designed to connect with your audience, addressing their needs, problems and interests. You’re not forcing anything on them. Instead, you’re curating a selection of useful, relevant information that helps them make informed decisions about your business. It’s a smoother, more personal approach. and it works.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is the art of building your mixtape. It’s about creating and sharing content that’s tailored to your audience. It’s content that educates, informs, or entertains, depending on what your audience need at that moment. Whether it’s a helpful blog post or a how-to video, the goal is to give your audience something they value, not just a sales pitch.

Think of each piece of content as a track on your playlist:

• Blog posts that answer your customers’ questions
• Social media posts that share valuable tips
• Videos that explain how your product or service works
• Email newsletters that keep them in the loop

Each piece is designed to move your customer along their journey with your business, service or product, whether they’ve just discovered you, or are getting ready to make an enquiry or purchase. Also, if you get it right, you won’t create a one-hit wonder, and your content can keep playing, bringing value to new customers long after it’s first published.

What is Inbound Marketing?

If content marketing is the playlist, inbound marketing is the strategy behind it, the process of making sure each track is heard at the right time by the right people.The term ‘Inbound Marketing’ was coined by Brian Halligan (Hubspot CEO) and it is all about attracting, engaging, and delighting your audience with content that’s built around their needs.

The inbound marketing process is a bit like setting the tone for a great party with your ‘heavy on the dance vibes’ playlist:

1. Attract – Use content like blogs, videos, and social media to draw your ideal customers to you. They’re searching for something, a solution to a problem, and your content provides the answers they need. That first track has to hook them in.
2. Engage – Once you’ve got their attention, keep them interested. Maybe it’s an in-depth guide that helps them solve a problem, or a case study that shows how you’ve helped others in their predicament. It’s about building a relationship, like a playlist that flows perfectly, from one great track to the next.
3. Delight – Even after they’ve made a purchase, keep the tunes can keep coming. Offer more value with follow-up content, tips, and insights. It’s the unexpected encore turning one-time customers into long-term fans.

How will Content and Inbound Marketing help your business?

1. Building Trust and Authority
   When you create valuable content that helps your audience solve problems or make better decisions, you’re building trust. Each piece of content is like another great track that keeps your audience engaged and coming back for more. Over time, you become the go-to expert in your field.
   
2. Reaching the Right People
   Imagine being at a party and the DJ plays Dua Lipa, Slipknot and then Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (I guess someone might find that fun). Traditional marketing can feel like picking random songs and hoping someone likes one. But with content marketing, you’re creating a tailored playlist that speaks directly to your audience’s interests. When they search for answers, your content pops up and gives them exactly what they need. It’s targeted, relevant, and effective.
   
3. Cost-Effective Marketing
   Rather than being a one-hit wonder, content marketing is a long-term investment. A well-written blog or video keeps working for you. It drives traffic to your website and generates leads long after it’s been created, making it a cost-effective way to grow your business.
   
4. Building Relationships Over Time
   Content and inbound marketing aren’t about quick sales; they’re about building lasting relationships. Each piece of content you share is another tune on the C90, guiding your audience through their journey and building trust along the way, keeping them engaged and the conversation going until they’re ready to make a purchase.
   
5. Higher Conversion Rates
   When your content is relevant and useful, it’s much easier to convert visitors into customers. Each piece of content helps answer their questions and solve their problems, moving them closer to a purchase. Because they’ve come to trust you through your carefully curated, helpful content, they’re much more likely to buy.
   
6. Supporting Every Step of the Customer Journey
   From the first track to the final coda, content marketing supports your customers at every stage. Whether they’re discovering your business for the first time or making their final purchase decision, your content is there to guide them. It’s all about offering the right information at the right time.

What You'll get with Simple Story Marketing

With Simple Story Marketing, you'll get the perfect marketing mixtape. Using the StoryBrand framework, we help you build content that resonates with your customers; content that answers their questions, solves their problems, and guides them through their journey with you.

We know how to help you create the right playlist for your audience, whether that’s through blogs, social media, or email campaigns. Each piece of content is designed to attract, engage, and delight your customers, ensuring they stick around for the full experience.

Marketing has changed. It’s no longer about blasting your message at random; it’s about curating the perfect playlist of content that meets your customers where they are, solving their problems and building relationships. Content and inbound marketing are thoughtfully crafted, deeply personal, and endlessly valuable. 

Let’s curate a marketing mixtape and help your business succeed

If you’re ready to stop confusing your customers with random messages and start guiding them toward success, we’re here to help. At Simple Story Marketing, we combine the StoryBrand framework with an understanding of customer needs to craft messages that truly resonate.

Schedule a call today to see how we can help you clarify your message and connect with your customers.

P.S. If you want to make 7 simple changes to your website content so it makes the customer the hero visit the homepage and download the free PDF.