get known pros inbound book · inbound marketing: very broadly, inbound marketing describes...

UltimateInboundMarketingSuccess:UnderstandingtheProvenMethods

GetKnownPros:DigitalMarketingProfessionals

Writtenby:

WillCartwright

Founder&CEO,@Will_Cartwright

WillisthefounderandCEOofGetKnownPros,anagencyheformedin2014tohelpindividualsandtheirbusinessessucceedbyshiftingtheirmindsetaboutthewaytheymarketthemselvesontheweb.GetKnownProsisacertifiedHubspotPartner,GooglePartnerandatrustedinboundmarketingagency.

@Copyright2017

Allrightsreserved.Youdonothavepermissiontorepublishanymaterialfromthisbookwithoutpermissionfromthepublisher.PleasecontactusatGetKnownPros.comwithanyquestions.

TableofContents

ContentsTableofContents.........................................................................................................................................3

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................4

WhyDidWeWriteThisBook?.....................................................................................................................5

HowInboundMarketingCanGenerateLeadsforYourCompany...............................................................7

YourBusinessWebsiteandtheCustomerExperience.................................................................................9

YourCompanyBlog....................................................................................................................................11

YourValuableInboundMarketingContent...............................................................................................13

YourSocialMediaPlaybook.......................................................................................................................15

NurturingYourLeads.................................................................................................................................18

MarketBetterandMoreEfficientlywithAutomation...............................................................................19

MeasuringYourResultswithAnalytics......................................................................................................20

DefiningMarketingCampaigns..................................................................................................................22

InConclusion..............................................................................................................................................23

AboutGetKnownPros...............................................................................................................................24

Introduction

Today,yourwebsiteismoreimportantthaneverbefore.Itactsasadigitalstorefrontforyourbusiness.

Similartoatraditionalstorefront,theonlyfocusistoattractvisitorstoyoursiteandmotivatethemtochooseyourproductorservice.

However,justhavingawebsiteisnotenoughtocreateafullsalespipeline

Tobeabletosucceedinthehighestdegree,alldecisionsmustbebasedonquantifiabledata.Yourwebsitemustbeabletodeliverameasurablereturnoninvestment(ROI).

Howisthatdone?

Speakingfrommyexperience,majorityofbusinessesarecompletelycluelessabouttheupmostimportanceofthis.Theiruncertaintyinfluencesdecision-makingduringwebsiteredesignandironicallybecomesthecatalysttotheirownfailure.

Firstyouneedtostartwithapurpose,andensuremeasurableresults.Everythingcomestogetherafter.

Thelosers’purposeis“Iwanttoredesignmywebsitebecausemycompetitorslooksogood!”

Thewinnerspurposeis“Iwanttoattractandconvertmoreof[insertbuyerpersonahere]becausethosepeopleareourbestcustomers.”

Withthewinners’mindset,youcanrevealwhatmustbedonetocreateawebsiteandbrandexperiencethatisin-linewithyourmarketinggoals.

Changecanbeintimating,right?Weunderstand.That’sexactlywhywecreatedthisguide.

Wewanttohelpyouunderstandallelementsofyourwebsiteredesign,andwalkyouthroughbestpractices.

Sincerely,

Will Cartwright Founder&CEO–GetKnownPros

WhyDidWeWriteThisBook?

Asadigitalmarketingagency,thefolkshereatGetKnownProsconsiderourselvesstudentsofconsumerbehavior.Wehavestudiedthewaysthatbuyersmakepurchasedecisionsandhowthatprocesshaschangedovertheyears.Onethingwehopetomakeclearisthattheprocessbuyersusetomakeconsumerdecisionshaschangeddramaticallywithinthelastdecadeorso.

Whenyoulearnhowmodernbuyersresearchandselectproductsandservices,youcanalsolearntoenjoyincreasedrevenues,profits,andgrowthforyourcompany.Mostofall,yougettocommunicatewithconsumerswhohavecometoyou–andyouwon’thavetospendallyourtimeseekingthemout.Ifyouaretiredofcoldcalls,staleleads,andineffectiveadvertising,inboundmarketingisforyou!

Inboundvs.InterruptionMarketing

Notsolongago,advertisingattemptedtoreachasmanyconsumersaspossibleandthentellthemwhattodo.Unsurprisingly,thiswascalledinterruptionmarketingbecauseadvertisementsinterruptedwhateveractivitiestheconsumersweredoingatthetime,suchaswatchingafootballgame,readinganewsarticle,andsoon.Advertiserstriedtocastawidenetandhopedtoreelinafewcustomers.

Inboundmarketing,ontheotherhand,worksbyengagingconsumerswhomightalreadyhaveaninterestinatopic,product,orservice.Insteadofinterruptingpeople,thiskindofmarketingworkstosatisfytheirsearchforinformationandsolutionstoproblems.Certainly,inboundmarketingexistedbeforetheinternetbecamesopervasive;however,theinternetofferedtheperfectmediumtodeliverinboundmarketinginawaythatprint,radio,andTVcannot.

Wewilldiscussexactlywhythistypeofconsumer-focusedmarketingworkssowellinthenextsection.Themainpointofthissectionistoletyouknowthatwecomposedthisbookbecausewewanttoexplainhowinboundmarketinganditsassociatedtoolscandeliverreliable,repeatable,andscalableresults.

InboundMarketing:Verybroadly,inboundmarketingdescribestechniquesfordrawingcustomerstoacompanybyusingcontent,socialmedia,reviews,searchengines,andpeople’sowninterest.

Thissectionofferedyouabriefoverviewofthebenefitsanddefinitionofinboundmarketing.Next,giveusamomenttoexplainexactlywhyinboundmarketingworkssowell.

WhyInboundMarketingWorks

It’scertainlypossibletofindexamplesofinboundmarketingthatexistedbeforetheinternet.Expertswrotebooksorairedinfomercialswiththeintentionofinformingconsumersandhopefully,convincingthemthattheauthororpublisherwassomebodytheywantedtodobusinesswith.

However,theinternetisuniquelysuitedtoinboundmarketingbecausethetechnologyexpeditesrapidand2-waycommunication.Gettingfoundandestablishingaconnectionwithconsumersaresomeofthecorebenefitsofinboundmarketing.

InboundMarketingGivesConsumersWhatTheyWant

What’stheprimaryreasonthatinboundmarketingworkssowell?Doneright,themethodsbehindthiseffectivekindofmarketingcandeliversolutionstoproblemsthatconsumersalreadyseekanswersfor.Thisalltiesbackthewaythatbuyersmakepurchasingdecisionthesedays.Theyresearchonline.

ConsidersomestatisticsfromAdweekaboutwhatthemajorityofbuyersdobeforetheypurchase:

• Beforemakingapurchase,81percentofshopperswillresearchonline.• Beforemakingapurchase,61percentofshopperswillreadreviews.• Beforemakingapurchase,60percentofshoppersbeginresearchingbyusingasearchengine.

Insomecases,peoplemayalreadyknowwhattheywanttopurchaseanitemandjustwanttofindthebestbrandorprice.Inothercases,consumersmayhaveaproblemandarelookingforasolutionwithoutreallyknowingwheretoturn.Inthecaseofcertainproducts,consumersmaysimplybelookingforsomeentertainment.

Marketerslearnhowtheirowncustomersarelikelytofindthemandthenmakesurethattheygetfound.Sometacticsthatinboundmarketerscouldusetogetfoundmightinclude:

• SEO:Makesureinternetplatformshavebeenoptimizedtorankwellwhenuserssearch.Searchersmayusethemajorsearchengines,likeGoogle,buttheyalsosearchonvideosites,socialnetworks,andsoon.

• Internetmarketingplatform:Createanonlinemarketingplatform.Thisplatformmightincludeyourbusinesswebsite,localandindustryblogs,onlineforums,socialnetworkingwebsites,videosites,reviewsites,andotherinternetpropertiesthatarelikelytoattractyourpotentialcustomers.

• Content:Offercontentthatengagesonlinesearchersandsupportsyouroverallbusinessgoals.Youmightplacethiscontentonyourbusinessblog,socialnetworks,andsoon.

• Promotion:Inboundmarketingmaynoteliminatetheneedtoadvertise.Forinstance,youmightfindthatyoucanexpandyouraudienceifyoupromoteyourcontent.Insteadofadvertisingyourproductsandservices,youmightfinditusefultoadvertisethehelpfulinformationthatyourcompanywantstoofferconsumers.

Bynow,youshouldhaveahigh-levelunderstandingofinboundmarketingandwhyitworkssowell.Continuetolearnhowyoucanuseittogrowyourbusiness.

HowInboundMarketingCanGenerateLeadsforYourCompany

Beforeyousignupforyourfistsocialnetworkordecidetoredesignorbuildawebsite,youneedtocreateamarketingplan.Rightnow,youmightnothaveanyideahowtocreateaplanlikethis.Onceyoufinishthischapter,youshouldhaveagoodideawhatyouneed.

Youmayhireamarketingcompanytohelpyouwithyourplanandyourcampaigns.Evenso,thosemarketerswillbeabletohelpyoubetterifyoualreadyunderstandhowtheireffortscanhelpsupportyourbusiness.

Beforeyoucanestablishmarketinggoalsanddevelopamarketingplan,youshouldmakesureyouunderstandyourbusinessgoals.Thismightsoundtrite;however,accordingtoarecentstudybyStaples,80percentofsmallbusinessownersdidnottrackbusinessgoalsandalargepercentagereallydidn’thaveanysetgoalsatall.

InboundMarketingPlansShouldSupportBusinessGoals

Typicalbusinessgoalsincludeincreasingprofits,improvingbrandrecognition,enhancingcustomerserviceandcustomerretention,andevenhavingapositiveimpactonthecompany’scommunityorcountry.Inboundmarketingcampaignscanprovideyouwiththetoolstohelpachievethesegoalsandmanymore.

Onceyouhaveclearlydefinedyourgoals,everythingelsewillstarttofallintoplace;however,ifyoudon’tknowwhatyouhopetoachieve,youreallyhavenowaytomeasureyourresultsorevenknowifyouareheadingintherightdirection.

WhatShouldYouIncludeinYourInboundMarketingPlan?

Onceyouhaveyourcompany’sgoalsinmind,youcanbegintocompleteyourmarketingplanbyincludingthiskindofinformation:

• Buyerpersonas:Thesearesimplysemi-fictionaldescriptionsofyourideaofanidealcustomer.Youmightbasethesedescriptionsuponyourexperience,companysalesdata,orindustryresearch.Adescriptionmightlooselydescribesomethingaboutthatidealbuyer’sfamily,education,income,location,andevenhobbies.

• Tactics:Whatkindofcontentwillhelpyouachieveyourgoals.Forinstance,youmightwishtodevelopvideostopostonsocialmediasites,encouragereviewsonpopularreviewsites,orcreateawhitepapertogiveawayinexchangeforemailaddresses.Asyoudeveloptactics,youmightalsoexplorethedemographicsofdifferentsocialsitestoseewhicharelikelytoattractyouridealbuyers.

• Marketinggoals:Nowthatyou’veconsideredyourbusinessgoals,youmightconsiderthegoalsthatyouhaveforaninboundmarketingcampaign.Forinstance,youmighthopetogathermoreleadstohelpmovepeopleintoyoursalesfunnelandincreasesales.Ifyourcompanyisnew,youmayjusthopetoachievebetterrecognitionforyourbrand.

• Marketingbudget:YoumaychoosetoinvestinbetterSEOforyourbusinesssite,contenttopostonblogsorsocialnetworks,andsoon.Whileyoudeviseyourinboundmarketingplanyoushouldalsosetabudget.

• Metrics:Youneedtotrackcertainmetricstotuneandtestyourcampaignsandensurethatyourinvestmentispayingoff.Forinstance,youmighttrackclicks,conversionrates,andreach.Automationsoftwarecanhelpyoutrackandreportuponperformanceatallstagesofyourinboundmarketingplan.It’sagoodideatoincludethesemetricsinyourmarketingplan.

Thischapterprovidedabriefoverviewofthefirststepsthatyouwillneedtoaccomplishbeforeyoustartinboundmarketing.Tosummarize:

• Consideryouroverallbusinessgoals.• Createaplanthatdocumentstheactionsyoucantaketouseinboundmarketingtohelp

achievethosegoals.• Youmaydecidetoworkwithamarketingcompanytoworkoutandimplementthedetails,but

thatcompanycanserveyoubetterifyouunderstandandcommunicateyourgoals.

Continuetoconsiderthecentralpieceofyourinboundmarketingplatform–thatis,yourbusinesswebsite.

YourBusinessWebsiteandtheCustomerExperience

Yourbusinesswebsitesitsatthecenterofyourbusinessmarketingplatform.Thisiswhereyoucangatherleads,makesales,orurgepeopletopickupthephoneorvisityourlocalstore.

WebsitesMustDeliverUponthePromiseYouMade

Themostimportantthingthatyoursiteneedstodoisoffercustomer’sanexcellentexperience.Youmustdeliveronthepromisethatyouimplicitlymadewhenyouworkedtoattractinternetuserstoyoursiteinthefirstplace.

Thesearesomethingsthatyoushouldknowaboutconsumerbehavior:

• Googletellsusthatyourbusinesswebsitewillbe90percentofpeople’sfirstexperiencewithyourbusiness.

• Microsoftresearchfoundthatmostinternetuserswillspendanaverageofonly10secondsonapagebeforetheybackout.

• Averageshopperswillvisitatleastthreecompanywebsitesbeforetheymakeapurchase.

Here’sthegoodnews.Anattractive,functional,andhelpfulsitewillsatisfyvisitorsenoughtoconvincepeopletocompletealeadform,pickupthephone,oradditemsintotheironlineshoppingcart.Yourreviews,socialnetworkposts,orsearchenginelistingsbroughtpeopletoyoursite,andnowyoujustneedtodeliverwhatyoupromisedandclosethetransaction.

ResponsiveSiteDesign

Googlealsoreportsthatmosttoday’sinternetuserswillsearchforproductsandvisityoursiteonamobiledevice.Mobilehasgrownatastaggeringrateinthelastfewyears.Ifyoursiteusedtocapturealotofleadsandclosealotofsalesbutisn’tperformingwellanylonger,youmayhaveaproblemwithyourresponsivewebsitedesign.

Responsivesitesworkwellonalldevices.Peoplewhomakeittoyourbusinesswebsiteonadesktop,laptop,tablet,ormobiledeviceallneedtohaveagoodexperience.Yoursitemightworkfineonyourdesktopcomputeratwork,butifyouhaven’talsohadittestedoniPads,notebooks,andofcourse,mobilephones,youcan’tbesureyouarereachingmostpotentialcustomers.

CalltoAction

Goodsalespeoplesaythatyoumustalwaysaskforthesale.Ifyouwantpeopletoperformsomedesiredaction,youneedtomakethatactionobvious.

Considerthesethingsaboutyourwebsite:

• Makecontactinformationvisible:Certainly,youneedtomakeitveryeasyforyourvisitorstofigureouthowtocompleteyourleadform,findyourphonenumber,sendyouanemail,oradditemstotheshoppingcart.

• Includevisiblecallstoaction:Youmightincludeacalltoactioninmultipleplaceswithinyoursite’scontent.Forinstance,youcouldaskforthedesiredactionnearthetopofyourpageand

thenfurtherdownneartheend.Youmightalsoincludeoneinthesidebarofyoursite.Ifyoudon’tclearlytellpeoplewhatyouwouldlikethemtodo,theymightjustconsumeyourinformationandleave.

Personalization

PerHubspot,personalizingacalltoactioncanimproveconversionratiosbyasmuchas42percent.Thisdatacamefromreviewingalmost100,000differentcallstoactionovertheperiodofayear.Iftakingthisonestepcouldimproveyourconversionratiosbyalmosthalf,wouldn’tthatbeagoodinvestment?

Forinstance,youprobablyshoponAmazonsometimes.Youmayhavenoticedthattherecommendationsonthatsiteareverydifferentwhenyouareloggedinvs.whenyouhaven’tloggedinyet.Amazonworksveryhardtooffermillionsofproducts,butatthesametime,theypersonalizeeachuser’sexperiencebyusingtheirpriorshoppingandbrowsinghistory.

Also,don’tmakethemistakeofdevelopingcontentmarketingthatonlysendspeopletoyourmainpage.Forexample,youmightmarketlifeinsurance.Youmaywanttodevelopcontentforayoungmaninhisthirtiesthatisverydifferentthanthecontentyoudevelopforaretiredwomaninher60s.Youshouldhavesalespagesthatarealsotailoredtowardsthesedistinctbuyerpersonasandtrytosendyourvisitorsdirectlytotheirownpersonalizedcontent.

TellaStory

Shoppersmaydoresearchandcompareallsortsofprosandconsbeforetheymakeachoice.Intheend,buyerstendtobasetheirdecisiononemotionsandgutfeelings.AccordingtoastudyfromtheUniversityofTexas,theoverwhelmingmajorityofbuyersactuallyusetheirresearchtojustifydecisionsthataremostlymadeemotionally.

Onetestedwaytoestablishanemotionalconnectionwithvisitorsistotellastory.Infact,I’mgoingtotellyouastoryabouttheuniversity’sresearchtoconvinceyouofthisfact.Inonepartofthestudy,theresearchersshowedparticipantspicturesoftwochickens:

• Onechickenwasplump,healthyandattractive.• Theotherchickenwasscrawnyandratherugly.• Theresearcherstoldhalfthesubjectsthattheattractivechickenwasatypethatwashealthier

butdidn’ttasteasgood,andtheytoldtheotherhalfofthesubjectsexactlytheopposite.

Subjectsoverwhelminglyselectedtheattractivechicken.Theybasedtheiranswersuponpreferringhealthovertasteortasteoverhealth–buttheserationalreasonsweremodifiedtofittheirsubjectivechoiceofthegood-lookingchicken.

Inanycase,yoursiteneedstobetheattractivechoicetobuyers.Onthemostbasiclevel,itshouldlookandfunctionwellonallsortsofcomputers.Youneedtodeliveronyourmarketingpromise,makeiteasyforpeopletofigureouthowtoperformyourdesiredactions,andofcourse,makeaconnectionbypersonalizingyoursiteasmuchaspossible.

YourCompanyBlog

Doesyourcompanywebsitehaveablogthatyoukeepregularlyupdatedwithnewcontent?Abusinessblogcanhelpenhanceyourbusinesswebsiteinmanyways,anditshouldprovetobeamajorkeytothesuccessofyourinboundmarketingplan.

WhyBlogRegularly?

Mostcompaniesreportsuccesswiththeirbusinessblog.Marketersfindthatblogcontenthelpstomakeaconnectionwithconsumersandbringinnewbusiness.

Thesearejustsomeofthebenefitsyoucanenjoywithagoodbusinessblog:

• Searchenginestendtovalueupdatedcontents,andhavingablogmakesiteasytokeepaddingcontent.

• Abusinessbloggivesyourcompanyavoiceandachancetomakeaconnectionwithconsumers.• Updatedblogcontentcaneasilybesharedonsocialnetworks.• Veryoften,blogpagesbecomethemostpopularpagesonacompanywebsite.

Onemajoradvantageofbloggingisthatitgivesyouaquickwaytotestoutnewcontenttoseewhatworksthebest.Youmighttryaddingarticles,videos,graphics,andotherkindsofcontenttodeterminewhichtypeswillappealtoyouraudienceandhelpclosesalesthebest.Youcanalsoexperimentwithdifferentsortsoftopics.

HowtoBlogEffectively

Certainly,somebusinessblogsworkbetterthanothersdo.Successfulbusinessbloggerswillsaythattheyenjoygoodresultsbecausetheyworkwithasystemthathasbeenproventoofferthemgreaterreachandconversions.Everycompany,industry,andsortofconsumermightbedifferent.However,it’sagoodideatokeepthesebestpracticesinmind:

• Includeacalltoactionineachpost,andinsomecases.Youmaywanttousetextandgraphicsforthis.Forlongercontent,includeacalltoactionnearthetopandatthebottom.Forinstance,youmightaddacalltoactioninyoursecondparagraphandyourlastparagraphofanarticle.

• Includekeywordsorkeyphrasesinyourposttoimproveyoursite’sSEO.Youdon’twanttooverdokeywords,butyoushouldincludetheminthetitle,inaheading,andinthetext.Youcanalsousesynonymsorrelatedphrases.Weavethesewordsandphrasesintoyourtextinanaturalway.

• Postsshouldincludetextandatleastonegraphic.Youcantagthegraphicwithyourkeywordsandphrasestoo.Ifyouplantopostvideos,it’sstillagoodideatoincludetexttodescribeorenhancethevideo.

• Linkkeywordsbacktootherrelevantpagesonyoursite.Forinstance,ifyoublogaboutgoodshoesforwalking,youmightlinkthattotheappropriatesalespageorrelatedblogpages.

• Havevisiblesocialsharinglinksoriconsonyourblogpages.Makeiteasyforvisitorstoshareyourcontentontheirsocialnetworks.

Nowyoushouldunderstandeffectivebloggingbasics.Bothforyourblogandotherpostings,youwillneedtoaddcontent.Inthenextsection,learnaboutthebasicsofeffectivecontent.

YourValuableInboundMarketingContent

ProvideValuetoConsumers

Hereissomethingthatistrueofbloggingandtrueofotherinboundmarketingcontent:

• Youshouldnotalwaystrytosell.• Youshouldalwaysprovidevaluetoyourvisitorsbyeducating,informing,orevenentertaining

them.• Withthatsaid,yourcontentstillshouldsupportyourmarketingplanandbusinessgoals.• Keepbuyerpersonasinmind.

Don’tAlwaysSell

Youcanstillusecontenttohelpgrowyourcompanyandincreaseprofitsevenifitisn’tdirectlyintendedtocloseasale.Manymarketerssaythatagoodmixforblogcontentorsocialnetworkingpostisonlyabout20percentsalesmaterialand80percentinformativeorothercontent.

Rememberthatconsumersareliabletobasesomeoftheirbuyingchoicesuponemotions.Yourcontentcanenhanceyourbrandimage,getattention,andextendyourreachwithoutdirectlysellingyourservicesorproducts.

Whatshouldyourcontentbeaboutifit’snotaboutyourcompany’sofferings?Ifyourcontentisn’tdirectlyselling,itcanstillhelpmakeanemotionalconnectionorhelpconsumersinsomeotherway.

Forinstance:

• Youmightblogaboutacommunityserviceeffortthatyourcompanyhelpedsponsor.Today’sconsumersliketosupportbusinessesthatworktomaketheircommunityabetterplace.

• Othercontentmighthelpimprovecustomerservice.Youcouldpostahelpfulvideoaboutsomeaspectofyourcustomerservicethatseemstogeneratealotofphonecallsoremails.

• Youcouldofferconsumersanarticleaboutwaystouseoneofyourproductstogetthemmoreexcitedabouttheideaofowningone.Ifyousellblenders,youcouldoffersomevideoswithappetizingrecipes.Certainly,thoserecipevideoscouldmentionthatyourblendersareonsalethisweekorhaveagreatguarantee,butthatdoesn’thavetobethemainmessage.

Therearecompaniesthatprovethemselvesexceptionstothisrule.Theseluckycompaniesoffersomethingthatissoexceptionalthattheirloyalcustomerseagerlyawaittheirnextsalespromotionoroffer.Youmighthavetoexperimenttofindtherightmixofcontentforyourownbusiness.Themostimportantthingtorememberistoalwaysproducecontentthatinternetuserswillfindhelpfulandvaluable.

YourCalltoAction

Whatexactlyisacalltoaction?Thisisthepartofyourcontentthataskssitevisitorstoperformsomeintendedaction.Youmightaskforthesale,butyoumightalsoaskpeopletofilloutaleadform,subscribetoanewsletter,orevenpickupthephonetocall.Youmighttryacombinationofagraphicandatextcalltoaction.

Thesearesomeverysimpleexamples:

• Ourfreewebsiteanalysiscanhelpyourwebsiterankbetterinsearches.Contactustodaybyphoneoremail.

• Enteryouremailaddressforafreewhitepaperthatwillexplainhowtoattract20,000subscriberstoyouremaillistin20days.

• Youhaveuntilmidnighttousethis20-percent-offcouponforourmostpopularblender.

Typically,acalltoactionmightbelongerthanthesebriefexamples.Itshouldclarifythebenefitsoftakingadvantageofyourofferandthentellconsumershowtotakethenextstep.

YourOffer

Youknowyouneedacalltoaction.Obviously,itmustbeassociatedwithsomeoffer.Exactly,whatshouldyouoffer?Really,youroffermightdependuponwhatyouwanttosell,yourbuyer,andwhatstageaconsumerisintheirbuyer’sjourney.Somepeoplemaystillbeseekingmoreinformation,butothersmightbereadytoaddaproducttotheirshoppingcartandmakeapurchase.

Inanycase,thesearethreetypesofofferstoconsider:

• Norisk:Ano-riskoffermightbeafreewhitepaper,video,orsomeotherkindofinformativecontent.Youmayofferthisinexchangeforanemailaddress.Thesearegoodoffersforpeoplewhoarejuststartingtoengagewithyourcompanyandsimplywantmoreinformation.Theycanbenefityoubyhelpingtobuildupyourlistofnewslettersubscribers.

• Lowrisk:Isthebuyeralreadysomewhatengagedwithyourcompany,orareyoucertainthatyourbusinessalreadyhasgoodbrandrecognition?Inthiscase,youmightaskconsumerstotakeaslightrisk.Forinstance,youmayofferthemafreeorlow-pricedtrial.Ifyourofferisfree,youmightwantmoreinformationthanjustanemailaddress.Perhapsyouwillaskforaphonenumberoraddressoraconnectiononsocialmedia.

• Purchase:Eventually,youmustaskforthesale.Thisiswhenyouaskbuyerstofilltheirshoppingcart,pickupthephone,orvisityourstore.Makesureyouemphasizethebenefitsandtrytoreducethefeelingthatconsumersaretakingariskasmuchaspossible.Forinstance,youmightofferadiscountormoney-backguaranteeatthispoint.

Sofar,ourdiscussionhascenteredonpeoplewhohavealreadyarrivedonyourcompanywebsite.However,mostbusinessesneedtodoquiteabitofmarketingbeforetheybringpeopletothispoint.Socialmediaisoneofthemostpopulartoolstoengageanaudienceandincreasereach.Continuetolearnabouteffectivesocialmediastrategies.

YourSocialMediaPlaybook

Oversevenbillionpeoplesharetheplanetwithus.AccordingtoBrandwatch,justabouthalfofallofthesepeopleusetheinternet,and2.3billionactivelyusesocialmedia.Infact,theaverageinternetuserhasatleastfivedifferentsocialmediaaccounts,thoughit’sfairtoassumethattheymightonlybeactiveononeortwoofthem.

ChoosingSocialMediaPlatforms

Yourideabuyersprobablyusetheinternetandlogintotheirsocialmediaaccountsonaregularbasis.Ontheotherhand,somesocialmediasitestendtoattractdifferentdemographicsthanothersdo.Inaddition,managingsocialmediacantaketime.Ifyou’renewtoinboundmarketingandsocialmedia,youmightwanttofocusononeortwoplatformsandthenexpandyourreachlater.Manycompaniesdoverywellononeortwoplatformsandneverbotherwithothers.

Whichsocialmediaplatformsattractyouridealbuyers?Certainly,alltypesofpeopleusealltypesofsocialsites.However,youmighttakethetimetolearnwhereyoucurrentcustomerstendtospendmoretime.Thesocialsitewiththelargestoverallaudiencemightnotbethebestplacetofindyouridealbuyers.

WhichSocialSitesShouldYouChoose?

ConsidersomestatisticsthatweregatheredfromBrandwatch.Forinstance,Facebookhasalmosttwobillionregisteredmembers.Certainly,manycompaniesturntoFacebookfirstbecauseofitssize.Twitteronlyhasabout300millionmembers,andLinkedInhasabout450million.Thesesocialnetworksarelargerthanmostcountries.

It’salsointerestingtonotethatTwitterhasfewermembersthanFacebook;butmanymoreFortune500companiesregularlyinteractwithcustomersonTwitterthantheydoonFacebook.

Considersomegeneralobservationsbeforechoosingsocialnetworkstobeginwith:

• B2BcompaniesmightdobetteronLinkedInbecauseitisaB2Bsocialsite.• Meanwhile,companieswhohopetoattractyoung,educated,urbanconsumersmayfindthat

TwitterworksbetterthanFacebook.• AverageusersonFacebookmaybesomewhatolderthanthoseonTwitter,sothatmightbea

goodplacetofindbabyboomersandretirees.

Ofcourse,therearedozensofpopularandgrowingsocialnetworkingsitesontheinternet.Some,likePinterest,maybebetterforgraphics,forexample.Thissectionisn’tmeanttoconvinceyoutochooseonesocialsiteoveranother.It’sonlymeanttoillustratethatyoumightwanttobeginyoureffortsbytargetingahandfulofsocialnetworkingsites.Inaddition,youmightbasethatdecisionuponlearningwherethepeoplewhofityourbuyerpersonastendtoconnectonline.

HowtoGainEngagementonSocialMedia

Certainly,youwillwanttoselectyoursocialsitesandcreateprofessionalprofilesonyourpages.Youmightjumpstartyourcountoffansorfollowersbyaskingyouremployeesandcurrentcustomerstoengagewithyou.Aswithanyoffer,youmightconsidergivingthemincentive.

Perhapsyoursocialmediapagewillbeaplacewhereyouwillpostspecialdealsoreducationalcontent,soyoucanenticefollowersbylettingthemknowaboutthevalueyouintendtoprovidethem.Youcanalsorunfan-onlycontentsthatofferprizes.Ittakessomeinvestmenttogainmomentumoncompetitivesocialmediasites,youwillfacecompetition,andyoumayneedtobecreative.

ContentforSocialMediaSites

Aswithblogging,youprobablywon’tenjoygreatsuccessifallyouevertalkaboutisselling.Onsocialmedia,youmayneedtoriseabovethefrayandmakeyourfirstconnection.Obviously,youneedtoprovideinterestingandengagingcontentthatcangainattentionquickly.

Thesearesometypesofcontentthatmayhelpyouengageyoursocialaudience:

• Shortanddirectvideos:Videosdoverywellonsocialsites.Mostexperiencedsocialmarketerswillsaytoreserveyourlongercontentforyourwebsiteanduseshortervideostoattractanaudience.

• Catchyarticlesandgraphics:Again,youneedtodevelopcontentthatyourpotentialbuyersarelikelytofindhelpful.Yourpostsshouldbecenteredaroundyouraudienceandnotaroundyourbusiness.Still,youcanusethesepiecestoattractpeopletowardsyoursiteoremaillistwheretheycanlearnmoreaboutyouroffers.

Inanycase,oneofthebestwaystolearnhowtodevelopengagingsocialmediacontentistotakesometimetoexplorewhatothersuccessfulcompanieshavedone.Youshouldcertainlycheckoutyourcompetitorstoseewhattheydowellandwhatyoucandobetter.Naturally,youshouldnotcopyacompetitor’scontent;however,youcanuseittolearnaboutheadlines,topics,andcontentthattendtoattractactivityonsocialmedia.

AboutDirectLeadsandSalesonSocialMedia

Mostofthisbookdiscussesamarketingplanthatusessocialmediatosendconsumerstoyourbusinesssite.Withthiskindofstrategy,youhopetoexpandyourreachandkeeppeopleengagedonsocialsites.Atthesametime,yourintentionwouldbetosendconsumerstoyoursitetocollectleadsormakesales.

However,youmayalsotakeadvantageoftheopportunitytodirectlysellorgathersubscriptionsandleadsonmanysocialsites.Forinstance,youcanembedleadformsinvideosforYouTubeorinTwitterCards.Fullyexploringthistopicmighttakeanotherbook,butit’sworthittomentionthatyoucanexperimentwiththisshortersalesfunnelifyoubelieveitisrightforyourmarketingstrategy.

YourCompany’sPublishingBusiness

Certainly,youarefamiliarwithmagazineandnewsletterpublishers.Totakefulladvantageofinboundmarketing,yourbusinessmayalsobecomeapublisher–evenifpublishingisn’tyourmainlineofbusiness.Sinceyouwillpublishonlineaspartofyourinboundmarketingstrategy,thisnewendeavorwon’tcreatealotofextraworkorrequirealargeinvestment.

HowCanYouPublishYourContent?

Yourbusinesscanpublishtoguaranteedeliveryofyourvaluablecontent.Forinstance,youremails,newsletter,andblogcanallbeconsideredpartsofyourpublishingeffort.Aswithanyotherpublisher,youwillwanttoinvestsomeeffortingrowingyoursubscriberbase.

Youcanincreaseyourchancesofgatheringsubscribersbyofferingsomethingvaluableinexchangeforanemailaddress.Forinstance,youmightofferaccesstoaninformationaleBookorasetofvideos.Insomecases,youmayofferdiscountstopurchaseyourproductsorotherperks.

ExpandYourAudienceandReach

Thepreviouschapterdiscussedwaystousesocialmediatoattractalargeraudience.Inboundmarketingcampaignsprobablyshouldn’tlimitthemselvestosocialmedia.Forinstance,youmightconsideraddingcontentto:

• Third-partyblogsandwebsites:Tomaximizedexposureandincreaseyourchancesofrankingwellonsearchengines,youwillprobablywanttocultivatelinksandcitationsfromthird-partywebsitesthatarerelevanttoyourfield.Youcanlookforlocalorindustrypublicationsthatyouthinkyourpotentialaudiencemightvisit.Youcanguestblogorsubmitarticlestotheseblogsandjournals.

• Reviewsites:Youmightencouragesatisfiedcustomerstoleavereviews.Really,thebestwaytoencouragereviewsistosimplyaskforthem.Mostconsumersdoreadreviewsbeforetheymakeimportantpurchases.Insomecases,thesereviewscanhelpincreaseyoursearchrankingstoo.

• Forumsandotherinternetsites:Youmightalsoestablishyourselfasahelpfulmemberonrelatedforums.Forinstance,manycompanieshavealotofsuccessbyestablishingapresenceontherightLinkedIngroups.Yourcompany’spresenceontheseforumscanhelpyoureachawideraudience,buildrelationships,andestablishyourcredibility.

RepresentYourCompanyWellonThird-PartySites

Naturally,youwillwanttopublishonthird-partysitesthatallowyoutopostalinkbacktoyourownblogorbusinesswebsite.Mostqualitysiteshaverulesabouthowmanylinksyoucanaddorwhereyoucanaddthem.Besuretoestablishyourselfasagood,onlinecitizenandfollowtherules.Thiswillhelptorepresentyourbrandinthebestpossiblelightandmakesurethatyourmessagegetsseen!

NurturingYourLeads

Somecompaniescanbenefitfromimpulsepurchasesandmayonlyneedtomakeoneortwocontactswithacustomerbeforetheycancloseasale.Itwouldbegreatofinternetuserswouldseeyourpostonsocialmedia,filloutaleadform,downloadyoureBook,andthencallyouuptocloseabigsale.

AccordingtoBusinessInsider,thiskindofquicksaleisprobablytheexceptionandnottherule.Itreallydependsuponyourofferingandtheconsumer.Hubspotreportsthataverageconsumersviewthreetofivepiecesofcontentbeforetheyengagewithsalesrepresentatives.

PlanningYourSalesProcess

Experiencedmarketersknowthattheymayneedtomakeseveralcontactswithconsumersbeforetheybecomecustomers.Somepeoplemayrequiremorefamiliaritywithyourcompanyorsimplynotfeelanacuteneedtopurchaseimmediately.Youmightnothavetotalcontroloverthespeedoftheprocess;however,youdohavecontrolabouthowwellyouremindinterestedconsumersaboutyourcompany.

Inotherwords,yourbusinessneedstoplanforinterestedconsumerswhodon’tpurchaserightaway.Youhavealreadyinvestedintheseleads,andtheconsumershaveexpressedsomesortofinterestinyourcompany’ssolutions.Overtime,yourconversionratiosforthisgroupofprospectsislikelytobemuchbetterthanforleadsthatyouhaven’tevengatheredyet.Thewaythatyounurturetheseleadscouldevenmakethedifferencebetweenprofitandlossforyourmarketingcampaign.

Thesearesometechniquesfornurturingleadswithinboundmarketing:

• Emailcampaigns:Ifyouhavecapturedemailaddresses,youcansendoutregularemailsthatprovidemoreinformationandremindyourprospectsofyoursolutions.It’simportanttoprovidevaluableinformationinyouremailstomakesurethatprospectsreadthem.Youcanoffermoreinformativecontentintheformofarticlesorvideos,andyoucanalsosendpromotionaloffers.

• Personalizedcampaigns:Asyoumoveprospectsthroughthesalesprocess,itwillhelpifyoucankeepgatheringmoreinformationaboutthem.Thisallowsyoutolearnaboutthepainpointsthatcreatedaninterestinyoursolution,anditmayalsoallowyoutolearnwhytheyhaven’tmakeapurchaseyet.

Thismightallsoundlikealotofwork,butitdoesn’thavetobe.Infact,manycompaniesrelyuponmarketingautomationsoftwaretopersonalizemarketingandprovidevaluableintelligenceaboutprospects.Continuetolearnmoreaboutmarketingautomation.

MarketBetterandMoreEfficientlywithAutomation

Yes,youcouldrunyourinboundmarketingcampaignswithoutusinganysoftware;however,thebestsoftwareoffersyousomanybenefitsthatIstronglyurgetoconsiderit.Youmightthinkyourcompanyistoosmallortoonewatinboundmarketingtoneedautomationsoftware.That’sexactlywhyyoushouldconsiderusingthebesttools.

BenefitsofMarketingAutomationSoftware

Thethreemainbenefitsofautomationsoftwareinclude:

• Education:Thissoftwarewillhelpyousetupyourcampaignsinthemostefficientwayandevenremindyouofsomedetailsthatyoumightotherwiseneglect.Forinstance,softwarecanremindyoutoincludetagsandkeywords.Somesoftwarecanevenpromptyouwhenyourbrandgetsmentioned,soyoucanquicklyfindyouraudienceandrespond.

• Analytics:Totestandmeasuretheeffectivenessofyourefforts,youaregoingtoneedtokeeptrackofclicks,conversionratios,andseveralothermetrics.Analyticssoftwarecankeeptrackofclicksandconversions,anditcanalsoofferyouproduceclearreportstohelpyoumakedecisions.

• Automation:Youwillbehappytohavetheluxuryofsubmittingblogandsocialpostswiththissoftwareandbeingabletoschedulethemdaysorevenweeksinadvance.Thiskindofsoftwarecanalsohelpyouautomaticallyfilterprospectsanddeliverpersonalizedmarketingmaterial.

Veryoften,onlinecommunitiesofmarketersalsogatherarounddifferentmarketingsoftwarebrands.Ifyouworkfororownaverysmallbusiness,thesupportofthesecommunitiescanbeinvaluablebecausetheywillhelpyoulearntouseyourtoolsbetterandkeepupwithbestpracticesforinboundmarketing.You’realsolikelytomakefriendsintheindustrythatcanserveasvaluablecontacts.

MeasuringYourResultswithAnalytics

Certainly,marketingrequiresameasureofartfulness.However,today’smarketersalsoknowthattheymustregardmarketingasascience.Tocreatetheconsistentandscalableresultsthatyoudesire,youwillneedtokeeptrackofcertainmeasuresofperformance.Thisistheonlywaythatyoucanlearnwhichofyoureffortssucceededandwhichcoulduseimprovement.

Inoneofthefirstchapters,wediscussedsettingmetricsaspartofyourmarketingplan.Thesearesomegeneralcategoriesofmetricsthatyoumaywanttotrack:

• Conversionrates• Traffic• Reachandengagement

EveniftheNewsIsn’tGood,it’sStillGoodtoKnow

Youwillneedtoknowtheimpactofapieceofcontentonyourtraffic,howwellcertainrankingtermsimprovedorganictraffic,andifanewofferincreasedyourconversionrates.Withtherightsoftware,youcanenjoyclearreportsthathelpyoumakegooddecisionsandimproveyourinboundmarketing’sperformanceovertime.

Considerasimplemarketingplan.Youmightpostonsocialmediaandguestblog.Yourintentionistodriveconsumerstoaleadformwheretheyfilloutaformtogetaccesstoavideo.Aftertheywatchthevideo,youofferadiscountandaskforthesale.Thereareseveralpiecestothiscampaign,everybodywon’tbuy,butyouneedtoknowwhichpartseffectivelymovedbuyersalongandwhichpartsdidnotperformaswellasyouhoped.

Veryoften,yourunderstandingofvariousmeasuresofperformancewillprovemorevaluablethanmeetingorexceedingyourgoals–especiallyatfirst.Ifyourfirstinboundmarketingcampaignprovesverysuccessful,butyouhavenoideawhy,youhavenoguaranteethatyoucanrepeattheperformance.Ontheotherhand,evenamediocrecampaigncanbeimprovedifyouknowhowtofindthepieceofyourplanthatdidnotproveeffective.

HowtoReacttoPerformanceIssues

Especiallyatfirst,youmayspendalotoftimetuningyourinboundmarketing.Thesearesomeexamplesofwaysthatyoumightreacttopoorperformance:

• Ifyourwebsitetrafficdeclines,youmightneedtoworkhardertoschedulesocialmediaorblogpostsmorefrequently.Youcanalsodiscoverwhichkindofcontentworkedwelltoattractvisitorsandinvestinsimilarcontentforthefuture.

• Ifyourvisitor-to-leadconversionratiodrops,youmightneedtosweetenthepottomakeyouroffermoreenticing.Inothercases,youmayneedtoimproveyourcalltoactionortheuserexperienceonyourleadpages.

• Ifyoudon’tmanagetogainmuchreachforyourcontent,youmayneedtoinvestinsomeadvertising.Inthiscase,youwillbeadvertisingyourcontentandnotyourproducts.Youshould

finditcheaperandeasiertopromoteyourfreeandvaluableinformationthanasalespage,andyoucanstilldrawprospectsintoyourmarketingfunnelthisway.

ReviewYourAnalyticsRegularly

Finally,scheduleregularreviewsofyouranalytics.Dependinguponyourbusinessandcampaign,youmaywanttoreviewthesereportsdaily,weekly,ormonthly.Thesenumberswillcontaintheanswerstohelpyouimproveyourresults.However,ifyouneglectthem,you’llhavenowaytoimprove.

DefiningMarketingCampaigns

Youmightthinkthatmanaginginboundmarketingwillbeaverycomplextask.Ifyoumanageitcorrectly,itreallydoesn’tneedtobe.Youcandefinedistinctmarketingcampaignstoachievevariousgoals.Thismakeseachcampaignandyouroverallmarketingstrategymucheasiertomanage.

Marketingcampaign:Thistermsimplydescribestheseriesofstepsthatyourcompanywilltaketoachieveyourgoals.Eachcampaignshouldhaveitsowngoalsandaspecifictimelimit.Ifyouhaveadjustedyourcampaigntoprovideyouwithgreatresults,youcancertainlykeeprenewingthecampaign.Thelengthofeachcampaigndependsuponyourtypicalsalescycle.Forinstance,itprobablytakeslongertosellcarsthanitdoestoselldonuts.

Asanexample,yourgoalmaybetoincreaserevenuesforaspecificproductorgroupofproducts.Aseriesofstepsthatmighthelpyoureachthisgoalcouldinclude:

1. Youmightstartwithsocialmediaandguestblogstodirectconsumerstoyourleadpage.2. Yourleadpagemayincludeanofferforaninformationalvideoinexchangeforanemail

address.3. Thevideomaycontainacalltoactionthatdirectsviewerstoyourshoppingcart.4. Youalsohaveanemailnewslettertohelpnurtureleadsthatweren’treadytobuyyetandto

encouragerepeatbusiness.It’sbestifyoucanpersonalizeyouremailcampaigns.

Youwillfocusthiscampaignuponthisveryspecificgoal.Ifyouhaveothergoals,youcancreatedistinctcampaignsforthemaswell.Whilethiscampaignfocusedoncapturingleadsandimprovingrevenue,anothercampaignmightfocusoncustomerserviceandretention.Thishelpsyoudevelopeffectivecontent,measureresults,andpersonalizethecustomerexperienceforeachoffer.Italsomakesyourinboundmarketingmucheasiertomanageandreportupon.

InConclusion

Considersomewaysthatproperinboundmarketinghashelpedimprovedlifeformarketers:

• Hubspotfoundthat90percentofmarketerssaidthey’veimprovedtheirbusinessthroughpostingonsocialmedia.

• Emailnotificationswhenshoppersabandononlinecartsgetopenedalmosthalfthetime.• MarketerswhocanuseanalyticstocalculatetheirROIareone-and-a-halftimesaslikelyto

receiveabiggerbudgetfortheirnextcampaign.

Atthesametime,manymarketerssaytheydon’treallyknowhowtomeasuretheirresultsandthatgeneratingleadsandwebsitetrafficpresentstheirgreatestchallenge.Ifyouhavedabbledwithinboundmarketingwithoutmuchsuccess,youmayjustneedtorevisityourmarketingplan.Perhapsyouaren’tsureofyourbusinessgoalsordon’thaveproperanalyticsinplace.

InboundMarketingWorks

It’sfairtosaythatinboundmarketingdoeswork,butitworksbetterifyouhaveaplanandfollowtheestablishedbestpractices.Ifyoudo,youcanexpecttogeneratemorerevenueforyourbusinessorpraisefromyourboss.

Thisisanexcitingtimetouseinboundmarketingtohelpachieveyourbusinessgoals.Thefieldhasmaturedenoughtohavedevelopedproventacticsandtoolstohelpensuresuccess.Atthesametime,theonlinemarketisstillgrowing.

Nowthatyouknowwhattodoandhowtodoitright,it’stimetobegin.

AboutGetKnownPros

OurteamhereatGetKnownProsoffersafull-servicedigitalmarketingagency.Wewanttocollaboratewithyoutodevelopprofitablemarketingcampaignsthathelpyouincreaseprofitsandgrowyourbusiness.

Wecanworkwithyouonallaspectsofwebsitedesign,salesoptimization,analytics,andofcourse,inboundmarketing.OurinboundmarketingsolutionsincludeSEO,contentmarketing,email,localSEO,andpaidadvertising.Tolearnmoreaboutus,pleasetakesometimetoreviewcasestudiesthatdemonstratehowwehavehelpedothercompaniessucceedonline.

Doyouneedhelpwithyouronlinemarketingplan?We’dlovetodiscussyourbusinessandhelpyouimproveyourROI!

Scheduleano-obligationcalltoday.

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