In this post, I wanted to share with you the five most basic steps and link to other articles I’ve written in the past that go into more detail. I’ve also created this page, which gives you a high-level overview of the stages of inbound marketing, and what strategies you should implement in each stage.
If you don’t know who you’re trying to reach or attract to your site, then you’re not going to understand what content you should create. What are the questions that you need to answer? What kind of content do your subscribers want to see?
Check out these articles to learn more:
Once you know who you’re trying to target, what kind of content they like, where they go for information, and what questions they have about your industry, it’s time to start content production. It’s as simple as filling the gap. Take a question they have, and write the answer. Videos may be the best way to explain things, in which case you’re writing a script. You may need to talk to someone in development to answer a technical question, which could be a podcast interview with an accompanying transcript. Or, it could be a tried and tested blog post that generates both visits and SEO improvements.
Here are some articles about content marketing:
While social media can be a waste of time if we’re mindlessly scrolling, it’s still true that social media can be a powerful tool for reaching the right audience. Your buyer persona will inform which platforms are the right ones to use. Facebook may not be right for business-to-business, but it is still suitable for business-to-consumer. The reverse is true for Linkedin. Twitter can fall on either side; it’s about how you use it. The key with social media is not to just push out new blog posts and hope people engage; it’s about proactive engagement with those already using the platform. Share your latest press release and blog post, and have conversations related to your industry. Look for folks asking questions, and answer them.
Here are a couple of related posts:
Once you have someone in your database, it’s not time for the hard sell. Depending on where leads are in the buyer’s journey, they may only be in for new blog posts, not for what you’re selling. Instead, developing a drip campaign, workflow automation, and what-have-you will get them on the path towards becoming customers. Or, if they’re already a customer, then it’s about keeping them happy and invested, so they continue being a customer and refer you to their network.
These are some articles related to building email campaigns that will help generate new revenue:
Inbound marketing is not only about getting the answers to your customers' questions and establishing yourself as an expert but also about constant improvement. As the web evolves, customer purchasing habits change, and your business grows, you need to adapt your marketing to fit. This is where paying attention to the data and making changes come into play.
Here are the articles I’ve written that talks about just that:
I know this has been a blog post full of links, so bookmark this page and dive into what makes sense for you now. If you have questions about inbound or what I’ve written in the past, just get in touch.