The impact of inbound marketing on word of mouth marketing, brand awareness and purchase intention

Traditional marketing techniques have been insufficient for digital marketing, which has been increasing with technology. While digital marketing offers new opportunities to businesses, it has made it necessary to apply new techniques. One of these techniques is Inbound Marketing, which is gaining in value. The aim of this study is to define inbound marketing, to determine its importance and its effects on marketing efforts, as well as to determine the effects of word of mouth marketing and brand awareness on purchase intention. Casas's Inbound Marketing Model forms the basis of the study. By adding the "Live Communication" and "Brand Awareness" variables to this model, the inbound marketing model was developed and a different perspective was gained. Before making a shopping decision within the scope of the research, consumers who search for information on the internet were taken into account. The sample size of the research was determined as 499 as a result of the elimination of the wrong questionnaires and those who answered "No" to the elimination question at the beginning of the questionnaire to reach these consumers. The reliability of the scales used was measured with the Cronbach Alpha Method. Their validity was tested with the Factor Analysis method. The hypotheses established after the scales passed through the reliability and validity analysis were analyzed. Structural Equation Model was used for analysis after checking the fit values with Confirmatory Factor Analysis. In the analysis results obtained; Inbound Marketing elements (visibility management, active listening, community building and live communication) were found to have a positive effect on word of mouth, brand awareness and purchase intention. In addition, it was concluded that brand awareness and word of mouth marketing researched within the scope of the research have positive effects on purchase intention.