Whether you’re an experienced content marketer who is seasoned in all things inbound, or a rookie trying to figure out where to begin, the goal of inbound marketing remains the same: create value for your customers by solving a problem for them. So how can you do that through your content, and how can you give those customers a great experience when they come into contact with your brand? We’re here to give you some tips to take your inbound strategy to the next level and show you how to attract, convert, close, and delight your customers.
Inbound Marketing 101
1) Blogging: No matter what type of industry you are in, blogging is a great way to establish yourself as an industry leader and showcase your expertise. Use your website as a resource for customers who may have questions about your products or services, or broader questions about your industry. The more specific your blog posts are, the more likely it is that you’ll bring value to someone who is looking for a solution to a specific problem or an answer to a question. Google loves fresh content and while posting blogs on a regular basis can be time consuming, it will be well worth it. Over time, Google will reward you with higher ranking for frequent posts that are relevant to your business. Even if you go back to old posts and breathe some new life into them, Google will still reward you with higher ranking and it will benefit your customers as well. Think about new editions of a book. Times change and with an updated blog post, the content is fully relevant, fresh and back on top where customers can find it. So how often should you post to your blog? Once week is ideal but the key is to post as often as you have interesting, relevant content. If you’re just starting out, don’t force yourself to blog more frequently if the content is dull or thin. Shoot for between one and four times per month. In inbound marketing, content is king, so the more content you post over time the better.
2) Social Media is another important tool for any inbound marketer. If you spend a good amount of time posting great content on your blog, don’t you want to share it with the world and get more people to see it? The best way to get more visitors to your blog posts is by leveraging social media to tease them with a piece of your blog content. Creating a social media plan that works for you and using a calendar to update your posts is a great way to manage the effort in a way that will help you stick to the plan and gain traction. Social media is just like blogging, if you post frequently with interesting, relevant, interesting content, your will gain fans and friends, encourage engagement, build your leadership position and attract a regular source of website visitors.
3) Forms: You’ve probably seen pop-up forms on certain websites. In fact, if you’ve been to adedgemarketing.com, you probably saw one there too. Why? Because they work. Pop ups are a great way to encourage interaction with your customers and let them know about special promotions you may have or inform them about an event that is coming up. Forms are most commonly used to capture lead information like name, email and phone number of the person who is requesting information about your products or service. Another benefit of forms is, when used in conjunction with SEM, they give you an opportunity to “grab” the lead before they hit the [back] button to check out other resources. If you post valuable content frequently, use forms to encourage prospects to sign up for your newsletter or subscribe to your YouTube channel. Once you’ve got a curious prospect on your site, use your content to share your unique selling proposition and show them that you’re the best in your industry.
4) Landing pages: This is probably the most overlooked part of the process when it comes to inbound marketing. Where you send your visitors can either make or break their experience on your website. Where they land on your website is going to be their all important “first impression”. If you want to impress and keep them on your website, provide value and make it easy. It’s all about relevance. Let’s take real estate for example. Prospects who come to your website from a social media post about new homes for sale should be directed to a page about new homes for sale, not listing homes for sale, and not finding a realtor. Directing visitors to relevant landing pages on your website will help engage and close customers.
5) Newsletters: Once you’ve created a substantial list of prospects or clients/customers, a great way to keep in touch with them is through monthly or even weekly newsletters. A happy customer is a loyal customer, so whether it’s through a newsletter, annual event, or featuring them on social media posts, it’s important to keep in contact and delight those already established customers. With the right tactics and the right content, inbound marketing will attract customers to you naturally without any old-school sales or advertising techniques.
If you have any questions about inbound marketing or need help with strategy or building a plan, schedule a call with one of our experts today.
