The core concept of inbound marketing is that by offering something of value to potential customers, you are able to build trust and establish mutually beneficial relationships that lead to conversions. Producing quality content is the perfect way to offer real value, and your content strategy begins with your blog. In the insurance industry, there's currently a tremendous opportunity to serve your customers and generate new business.

The economy is recovering, but plenty of people are still struggling to meet their health care needs. Obamacare has changed the insurance industry dramatically, and everyday people are confused by the new landscape. Basically, people are looking for exactly the sort of answers that your insurance agency can provide. Inbound marketing is not automatic, however. It takes a plan, and we've got you covered with 3 killer tips to improve your inbound marketing.

Inbound marketing lets you serve your customers and generate new business. 

Pair Blog Posts With Relevant Lead-Generation Offers

A blog post is really just the first step in a comprehensive inbound marketing strategy, but it's an important one. The body of a blog post should always offer value in the form of advice, answers to big questions, or actionable insight. Once you have your prospect's attention, the next step is to lead them them further into your marketing funnel. Your funnel is like a series of checkpoints along the purchasing process, each of which increases engagement with the prospect.

• When planning your blog content, look for opportunities to pair posts with relevant lead-generation offers. Include a call to action that encourages prospects to click, and link it to a landing page that showcases the offer.

• The actual offer will usually revolve around your high-level content, which provides a deeper look at the topics you cover on your blog. Whitepapers, eBooks, and other long-form content are ideal.

• In exchange for your offer, the prospect will typically provide some basic contact information. You get a lead, and the prospect gets some valuable content.

Use Social Media and Email Marketing to Promote Your Content

You compete for business, and you'll need to compete to get eyes on your content, too. Too often, valuable blog posts get lost in the shuffle because they aren't being promoted in the right places. The good news is that there are people looking for exactly what you have to offer. You just need to know where to find them.

• Social media is one of the best places to promote your content, and there are a ton of social sites to choose from. Facebook is essentially a must. It's got the largest user base, and the format encourages people to engage if they enjoyed your post.

• Twitter features a more frenetic pace, and allows you to connect with an audience that skews toward the tech-savvy. LinkedIn is a good place to target professionals, especially if your agency deals with workplace insurance.

• Email marketing is another effective way to stay connected and showcase your content. If you're having trouble finding email subscribers, consider putting more focus on your lead-generation offers to acquire contact information.

Rely on Inbound Marketing Software for Efficiency and Effectiveness

Technology is what makes inbound marketing possible, and choosing the right tools will make a big difference when trying to improve your inbound marketing. That starts with identifying the inbound marketing software that best suits your needs. You could, for example, type 1,000 individual emails, address them, and send them manually. But why would you? Inbound marketing software streamlines the process, and eliminates the tedious work that could bring down your ROI.

• Automation is not a bad word, as long as it doesn't come at the expense of personalization. Automating key elements of your email marketing will help you ensure that the right prospect sees the right content at the right time.

• Thanks to analytics, your software will also help you improve your inbound marketing over time. The data you generate will give you major insight into what's working, what's not, and what changes you can make to improve performance.

• One of the biggest benefits of inbound marketing is that it yields a ton of valuable information on your prospects. Your software allows you to keep track of all of that data in a centralized location, so you'll always have the information you need when it's time to close the deal.

Success with inbound marketing requires a real commitment on your part, but the process is less time-consuming than it appears. Your inbound marketing software goes a long way toward improving efficiency, and blogging will quickly become a habit if you set aside regular time for the task. With inbound, everything is connected. Improve your inbound marketing by providing valuable content, promoting it in the right places, and putting the data you earn to work.