Two effective examples of inbound marketing: Patagonia and Headspace

Inbound marketing is a crucial tool for establishing and nurturing valuable relationships with potential customers by delivering high-quality content tailored to their needs and interests.
To understand how this approach can function across various levels in a multi-channel context, let’s examine two distinctly different brands that nevertheless implement precise strategies in this domain: Patagonia and Headspace.

*Fig. 1. An outdoor clothing brand and a meditation app respectively, Patagonia and Headspace share effective inbound marketing practices. [Online images]*

The approach of Patagonia to inbound marketing

Patagonia, an outdoor clothing brand, effectively utilizes inbound marketing, primarily through its official website, where it publishes numerous contents (articles, films, and podcasts) centered on the themes and values it advocates for, including wildlife conservation, environmental protection, and sustainable business practices.
These themes are consistently promoted across social channels and email campaigns with frequent links back to the website.

*Fig. 2. Patagonia frequently publishes articles and videos on the subjects of wildlife and sustainability in the “Stories” section of its website. [Online image]*

The approach of Headspace to inbound marketing

Headspace is an app designed for meditation, relaxation, and stress management techniques.
It effectively employs inbound marketing through a content-rich section of articles on its official website, a variety of content on key social media platforms (with a particular focus on YouTube), email campaigns providing guidance on mental well-being, and a thriving user community.

Strengths and weaknesses of the inbound marketing approach used by Patagonia

Strengths include the use of impactful and evocative images, diverse content formats for promotion, frequent updates, and the ability to share content through various channels. Patagonia ensures flawless viewing on mobile devices for the site, emails, and social channels.
Unfortunately, the site lacks links to the brand’s official channels, and there are no Thank You pages for the subscription processes. Additionally, website and newsletter registration should be promoted more, and the benefits associated with these subscriptions should be highlighted by the main CTAs to encourage visitor progression through the conversion funnel.

*Fig. 3. Patagonia uses powerful and evocative images both to promote its garments and to enhance the content published on its website and other channels. [Online image]*

Strengths and weaknesses of the inbound marketing approach used by Headspace

The brand excels in using soft-line illustrations and vibrant colors to establish a strong and highly recognizable identity across all channels. It also impresses with the diversity of content formats (articles, videos, and audio files). Mobile viewing is excellent across all channels.
However, there is room for improvement in terms of the frequency of updates and the redirection of social content to the official website.

*Fig. 4. Headspace is a highly recognizable brand, largely attributed to its use of amusing characters with soft lines and bright colors. [Online image]*

Which is best at inbound marketing and why

Patagonia and Headspace both serve as commendable examples of effective inbound marketing strategies, and the gap between the two brands is not particularly substantial.
In the comparison, Patagonia stands out for the frequency of content publication, which is updated both on the site and on social channels. On the other hand, Headspace excels in maintaining a consistent brand identity across all channels, thanks to the unique style of its characters, and offers a wealth of resources on its website.

How Patagonia could improve its inbound marketing

The integration of social channels on the site, the addition of thank-you pages after registration processes, and the refinement of CTAs are some of the potential areas for improvement for Patagonia.
Increased use of personalization, automation and interactive content in email campaigns could also contribute to enhanced performance.

How Headspace could improve its inbound marketing

More frequent updates of the contents published on social platforms and the inclusion of links directing to the site are desirable improvements for Headspace.
Regarding email marketing, introducing more interactive elements in addition to CTAs and increasing automation are additional factors that can strengthen the inbound marketing strategy.

Originally published on Medium, September 22, 2023

REFERENCES

Fig. 1. Patagonia campaign and Headspace hero image. [Online images].
Respectively available at: https://www.homere.shop/blogs/homere/notre-avis-sur-patagonia and https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/headspace-studios-to-launch-new-podcast-channel-and-sleep-subscription-available-exclusively-on-apple-podcasts-301301145.html [Accessed September 21, 2023]

Fig. 2. Petition against trawling. [Online image]. Patagonia.
Available at: https://eu.patagonia.com/it/it/home/ [Accessed September 21, 2023]

Fig. 3. Men’s clothing section. [Online image]. Patagonia.
Available at: https://eu.patagonia.com/it/it/shop/mens-new-arrivals [Accessed September 21, 2023]

Fig. 4. The funny characters of Headspace. [Online image]. Headspace.
Available at: https://www.headspace.com/articles [Accessed September 21, 2023]