The Inbound Marketing Revolution

The old marketing playbook is broken.

86% of people skip TV ads
91% unsubscribe from emails
44% of direct mail is never opened
200 million people on the Do Not Call list

So how should marketers reach customers? Online.

86% of business to consumer purchases start with an online search. If your website has quality content that includes searchable key words on a responsive template, your website will be at the top of Google searches.

I recently attended a Digital Marketing Summit hosted by the KU Business School and the keynote speaker, Dan Tyre of Hubspot, explained the revolution of inbound marketing.

WHAT DOES INBOUND MEAN?

Inbound is a data driven, holistic approach that allows you to turn strangers into long-term customers. You create content that helps people solve their problems.

THE INBOUND METHODOLOGY – The best way to turn strangers into customers.

Attract – 86% of business to consumer purchases start with an online search, so your website has to be your best sales person. Publish content that can be searched in Google using key words. This will drive qualified traffic to your site. You want people putting in a specific search to be brought to your website. An easy way to do this is by blogging. Google’s inbound links are indicators of success.
Convert – Only 2-3% of people are ready to buy when they go to your website. The “contact us” button is ineffective. You need to build trust by providing offers that solve problems for people. In order to convert a stranger into a customer you need their name and email address.
Close
Delight – Use surveys and social monitoring to ensure your customers are satisfied with your offers. Based on the data you collect you can create smart content for future offers.

HOW DO YOU IMPLEMENT INBOUND MARKETING?

SEO & Responsive Design – Build a responsive website and devise a search engine optimization strategy. Updating your site content is important.
Blogging – Your blog content should be authentic and solve problems. You can generate more leads by posting blog content that people search for than you can cold calling. Feature multiple team members on your blog and pick a blog series to help organize your ideas. Include calls-to-action, links, and 5-10 keywords in each post.
Social Media Marketing and Monitoring – Develop a LinkedIn company page, Facebook page, Twitter, etc. Determine appropriate frequency for posting and monitor relevant conversations.
Email Marketing and Automation – Emails should be customized to the recipient and include offers that increase lead reengagement efforts. Send at least 2 emails per month and increase marketing automation efforts based on lead insights, web traffic, and social traffic. After the initial lead automated email, send a 5-day follow up enticing them back to your website.
Lead Capture Forms and Landing Pages – Your landing pages should cater to customers’ needs. Develop at least 3 offers per month that include a call-to-action, landing page, offer page, and follow up email.
Marketing Analytics – Define where your website traffic is coming from, understand where leads and customers are generated, and see which pages generate the most traffic and leads. Identify which social media channels and posts are benefiting your website most. Track these analytics weekly.