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UltimateInboundMarketingSuccess:UnderstandingtheProvenMethods
GetKnownPros:DigitalMarketingProfessionals
Writtenby:
WillCartwright
Founder&CEO,@Will_Cartwright
WillisthefounderandCEOofGetKnownPros,anagencyheformedin2014tohelpindividualsandtheirbusinessessucceedbyshiftingtheirmindsetaboutthewaytheymarketthemselvesontheweb.GetKnownProsisacertifiedHubspotPartner,GooglePartnerandatrustedinboundmarketingagency.
@Copyright2017
Allrightsreserved.Youdonothavepermissiontorepublishanymaterialfromthisbookwithoutpermissionfromthepublisher.PleasecontactusatGetKnownPros.comwithanyquestions.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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• Metrics:Youneedtotrackcertainmetricstotuneandtestyourcampaignsandensurethatyourinvestmentispayingoff.Forinstance,youmighttrackclicks,conversionrates,andreach.Automationsoftwarecanhelpyoutrackandreportuponperformanceatallstagesofyourinboundmarketingplan.It’sagoodideatoincludethesemetricsinyourmarketingplan.
Thischapterprovidedabriefoverviewofthefirststepsthatyouwillneedtoaccomplishbeforeyoustartinboundmarketing.Tosummarize:
• Consideryouroverallbusinessgoals.• Createaplanthatdocumentstheactionsyoucantaketouseinboundmarketingtohelp
achievethosegoals.• Youmaydecidetoworkwithamarketingcompanytoworkoutandimplementthedetails,but
thatcompanycanserveyoubetterifyouunderstandandcommunicateyourgoals.
Continuetoconsiderthecentralpieceofyourinboundmarketingplatform–thatis,yourbusinesswebsite.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Nowyoushouldunderstandeffectivebloggingbasics.Bothforyourblogandotherpostings,youwillneedtoaddcontent.Inthenextsection,learnaboutthebasicsofeffectivecontent.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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
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finditcheaperandeasiertopromoteyourfreeandvaluableinformationthanasalespage,andyoucanstilldrawprospectsintoyourmarketingfunnelthisway.
ReviewYourAnalyticsRegularly
Finally,scheduleregularreviewsofyouranalytics.Dependinguponyourbusinessandcampaign,youmaywanttoreviewthesereportsdaily,weekly,ormonthly.Thesenumberswillcontaintheanswerstohelpyouimproveyourresults.However,ifyouneglectthem,you’llhavenowaytoimprove.
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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.
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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.
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AboutGetKnownPros
OurteamhereatGetKnownProsoffersafull-servicedigitalmarketingagency.Wewanttocollaboratewithyoutodevelopprofitablemarketingcampaignsthathelpyouincreaseprofitsandgrowyourbusiness.
Wecanworkwithyouonallaspectsofwebsitedesign,salesoptimization,analytics,andofcourse,inboundmarketing.OurinboundmarketingsolutionsincludeSEO,contentmarketing,email,localSEO,andpaidadvertising.Tolearnmoreaboutus,pleasetakesometimetoreviewcasestudiesthatdemonstratehowwehavehelpedothercompaniessucceedonline.
Doyouneedhelpwithyouronlinemarketingplan?We’dlovetodiscussyourbusinessandhelpyouimproveyourROI!
Scheduleano-obligationcalltoday.