Inbound marketing is the newest, latest term for "passive" online marketing.

In contrast to outbound marketing, (i.e. going out and hunting down customers) it involves tempting customers to come to the marketers by building attractive online presences.

In other words, it's one of the primary ways online marketers have been operating for many, many years.

Now the bricks-and-mortar crowd has finally noticed that inbound marketing is highly effective, though. In order to welcome everybody into the inbound marketing fold and get everyone on the same page, it's probably a good idea to review the core principles that govern this very useful strategy for connecting with customers online.

Be Informative

Inbound marketing is an inherently responsive way to communicate with customers. The job of a canny marketer using this strategy is to anticipate the customers' needs and fulfill them as quickly and thoroughly as possible. This means abandoning the "all things to all men" approach of old, outbound-style marketing and focusing on solving the specific needs of a specific customer. By building a model of an ideal customer, (usually called a "persona") a skilled marketer can target content to answer the most common, pressing questions that potential customers are asking when they first arrive.

Be Honest

Honesty goes hand in hand with providing useful information. Inbound marketing is all about establishing a trusting, comfortable rapport with the customer base. Being deceitful, reticent, or manipulative - or even just hinting at dishonesty - is absolutely toxic to the bond of trust good inbound marketers are striving to create. An inbound marketing relationship begins when a potential customer shows up curious and eager to learn. When the marketer provides straightforward, helpful, honest answers to the customer's questions, the bond between them strengthens and the customer becomes receptive to learning a little more.

Be Creative

Of course, a marketer can't expect infinite patience and curiosity out of his or her audience. Another important tool for encouraging an ongoing relationship is the "wow" factor. This is where variety, creativity, and audacity come into play. By providing a steady supply of fresh content that will entertain as well as inform, good inbound marketers hook their customers and get them to come back again and again. An honest, informative site built for inbound marketing earns a customer's trust; a creative and entertaining one can convert the customer into a brand-new marketing asset, spreading positive word-of-mouth far beyond the pool of on-site visitors.

Be Prepared To Tweak, Tweak, Tweak

It should be clear that inbound marketing is a strategy that calls for passionate attachment and long-term commitment on the part of the marketer. After all, that great knock-'em-dead content isn't going to create itself day after day and week after week.

But inbound marketing needs more than just grist for the content mill. The effectiveness of the marketer's efforts has to be monitored constantly.

Tactics must be adjusted, personas must be refined. Inbound marketing is scary for more traditional marketers because all of this tweaking and fixing is done on the fly. Ultimately, though, it's the only way that works. Customers' needs and interests are constantly evolving in the online sphere, so good marketers need to keep their techniques responsive.

There are just about as many successful strategies for inbound marketing as there are successful inbound marketers. Every client and every campaign calls for a customized approach.

These general principles, though - utility, honesty, creativity, and responsiveness - show up over and over. They are truly the keys that unlock the gateway to successful inbound marketing.