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it's likely you're running some form of Inbound marketing already. But just in case lets review what inbound marketing really is. unlike traditional #outboundmarketing methods... (i.e. billboards, print ads, press releases, etc.) that interrupts and tries to get in front of as many people as possible, wherever possible, #inboundmarketing is about pulling in customers who are already actively hunting for answers.
It’s not about pushing your product or service on people......it's about making it easier to find when they need it and educating them about your brand so they make informed purchase decisions by choosing you!
Why continue to buy customers with traditional “outbound marketing” when consumers aren’t even paying attention? All the statistics show that people are paying less and less attention to #traditionalmarketing, but Inbound works by gaining the audience's attention. When you just play along and provide exactly the kind of information that they’re searching for, you’re just blending in and not coming across as salesy at all.
So whether you're just starting out with #contentmarketing or you’ve been running strategies for some time your inbound marketing now's a good time to review your strategy you’ve got even more competition. The first step is getting a head start on the competition is having a Pretty Vicious and cost-effective plan. A reliable plan is going to lead to a reliable source of leads and will give you room to experiment with other forms of marketing to generate profits. Plus, your content will help educate your audience regarding your brand.
So here are some Pretty Vicious Inbound marketing fundamentals to get you thinking:
DETERMINE WHAT YOUR GOAL?
Why do you want to produce content and what are you hoping to achieve, you have to know your goals before you start sharing.
AND WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO TARGET?
Especially important if you're just starting out or if your business is new to marketing. To develop a successful Inbound plan you need to clearly define your contents audience i.e buyer persona (I see a future blog post coming on buyer personas). The essence of inbound marketing is attracting the right audience. So before writing content, creating offers and blasting out messages, consider who the targeted audience is going to be and develop buyer personas, the issues they face and how your product or service can help solve their issues. Once you know the persona you’re talking to, you can deliver a personalised message that resonates with them specifically.
UNDERSTAND THEIR BUYER JOURNEY
One email click a lead does not make. Even when delivering a message that resonates, understand that there is a process for every buying decision. Before handing a prospect off to sales, it helps to understand what stage of the buyer’s journey they are in. They may still be trying to identify their problems and prefer to do research on their own. If that’s the case, they probably wouldn’t be very responsive to a sales call. Inbound marketing is about delivering helpful content and messaging specific to personas based on their current needs – which can be different in each stage of the buyer’s journey. By delivering the right amount of education in your content, you can ensure that you are providing value that prospects want and you can nurture them by showing them the next step in solving their problems and identifying solutions.
PROVIDE VALUE INSTEAD OF A SALES PITCH
After identifying the targeted persona’s needs and understanding their buyer journey, inbound marketers then have the opportunity to help them. This is not always done by starting the conversation about products and services, but instead by delivering helpful advice and industry insights over time through lead nurturing. Research from Roper’s Public Affairs shows that 80% percent of business decision-makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. A lead nurturing path should include educational blog articles, tip sheets, whitepapers, case studies, etc. that provide value to your personas while moving them along to the next stage of the buyer’s journey.
These resources are not just valuable to the prospects already in your funnel, they’re also sought after online by new prospects that haven’t discovered you yet.
RUN A CONTENT AUDIT?
If your business has been running for a while now is a good time to review your Inbound strategies and results so far.
DECIDE HOW WILL YOU MANAGE YOUR CONTENT?
It’s vital to have a plan in place that covers #contentcreation, publication, and analytics.
So there you have it!
To summarise with inbound marketing, you’re meeting people where they’re at and lowers their defenses. The key is to provide content that ranks well with the search engines, offers unique information not found elsewhere, and generates curiosity with its headline.
Sometimes, providing that type of quality content requires professional assistance as it takes time, organisation and a lot of creativity to grow a successful inbound marketing strategy. Fear not, we’ve made it work for us and our clients. Talk to us to see how we can make it work for you. If you’re having trouble planning, get in touch and we can discuss strategies that would suit your business.
“ It’s not about pushing your product or service on people... it's about making it easier to find when they need it ”
You could have the best product or service on the market, but your sales will definitely crash if you fail to implement a good #marketingstrategy. You must raise awareness for your business, you need to make sure that you stand out from your competition and your brand should always be riding the wave of big events taking place.
IF YOU NEED HELP WITH YOUR NEWSLETTER MARKETING PRETTY VICIOUS CAN BUILD AND MANAGE YOUR NEWSLETTERS, LISTS, EXECUTION, AND REPORTING
We'll carefully segment your database to send your subscribers content that they really want to read. If you'd like to discuss your current newsletter marketing, get in touch.
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Until next time...
