Remaining Relevant with Inbound Marketing

Transcription

1 Remaining Relevant with Inbound Marketing Presented by Cam Mirisola-Bynum Communications Director, Grant Marketing

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6 Cartoon Recap The long game Know your customers Nurture brand loyalty Meet expectations Fill information gaps Address customer pain points Clear (and compliant!) messaging

7 WHAT IS INBOUND & WHY IT WORKS

8 Agenda What it Is; Why it Works; Why You Should Care Buyer s Journey Inbound Marketing Methodology Content Marketing Culture Questions

9 WHAT IS INBOUND MARKETING?

10 What Is Inbound Marketing? Data-driven approach that attracts people to your website and brand, then converts them into customers Content-driven: focus is on customer needs and pain points A methodology it can be implemented through various content offers, platforms, and campaigns simultaneously Not just marketing anymore an integration of sales and marketing Educating customers

11 What Is Inbound Marketing? Inbound marketing IS the new business model

12 WHY IT WORKS

13 Why it Works Customers and consumers have driven the change We give them what they want how and when they want it The essence of on-demand targeted content is precisely what keeps it relevant to the consumer

14 Why it Works When you use inbound marketing successfully, prospects SELF-INDENTIFY with your brand: products, services, company culture Customers organically come to you in the process of educating them You have HELPED them with a need and built trust

15 Why it Works INBOUND MARKETING METHODOLOGY BY ITS VERY NATURE KEEPS YOU RELEVANT

16 WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

17 The Future (Is Here) By 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationships without talking to a human (Gartner Research via Salesforce blog)

18 B2B Buyers Research Digitally 94% of B2B buyers report researching online before a purchase (Acuity Group) 71% of B2B researchers start their research with a generic search (Google, 2015)

19 B2C and B2B Buyers: Searching and Purchasing on the Move! 81% of shoppers conduct online research before making big purchases (Retailing Today, 2014) 51% of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting a search on their smartphone (Google, 2015) 78% of local-mobile searches result in offline purchases (Search Engine Land, 2014) Shoppers now make 51% of their purchases online (comscore, 2016)

20 BUYER S JOURNEY

21 THE BUYER S JOURNEY BEGINS It s a process Awareness Stage: experiencing pain points and symptoms Discovery Search: considering solutions and getting answers to problems Decision Time: chosen solution strategy includes vendor list

22 Connecting with the Customer According to Forrester, 59% of buyers prefer to do research online instead of interacting with a sales rep because the rep pushes a sales agenda rather than helps solve a problem A LinkedIn survey found that B2B buyers are 5x more likely to engage with a sales professional who provides new insights about their business or industry

23 Funnel Breakdown: 70% Research completed before contacting you: ID d and prioritized problems and new objectives Assessed impact on organization Created alternatives to status quo ID d features of new solution ID d potential solution providers

24 Funnel Breakdown: 30% All they need now: Connect with you and competitors Evaluate options and offers Choose you or a competitor

25 The Money s Pretty Much on the Table Already Did you engage early enough or are you leaving it there?

26 They Are Ready For You! Do they know that? Help them self-identify as YOUR customer More than half your work is DONE at that point!

27 Relevant Content Connects! It s Increasing in Influence, Reach and Sales 9 out of 10 buyers say content effects purchasing decisions 73% fed up with irrelevant content 80% business decision-makers prefer getting info from series of article vs. ads Millennials are looking for more engagements with financial advisors and banks via online tools: 61% want video meetings; 57% will change/choose advisors that offer that service Data from The Marketing Blender, 2016, Forbes 2013

28 Ranking Relevant Content Searchmetrics Ranking Factors for Finance U.S., 2017

29 Ranking Relevant Content Searchmetrics Tip: Even more so than other industries, keyword stuffing is a no-go for finance. Forget keyword optimization and start focusing on relevant content that holistically addresses the topic. Searchmetrics Ranking Factors for Finance U.S., 2017

30 Finance: Not Interesting Enough? Are you passionate about it? Are your customers? (Money? Of course they are!) What customer questions do you often hear? Does your company have a greater purpose beyond selling products and programs? Tell the stories! What industry expertise or hidden talents do your employees have? Tell the stories!

31 Educate & Inform Money isn t necessarily the barrier to purchase knowledge and learning more commonly are

32 How? Reach prospects when they begin their discovery, at the top of the funnel Speak to/with prospects through your relevant, helpful online content Give them the answers they are searching for Position you and your company as thought leaders, experts build trust Provide reliable solutions better yet BE THEIR SOLUTION

33 INBOUND MARKETING METHODOLOGY

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35 Creating Content Blog post - Can have varying kinds Video, podcasts, webinars, s Chat bots (dynamic, interactive dialogue ) Call-to-Action (CTA) - Takes prospect to landing page White paper, case study, ebook Checklist, guidelines, listicle, spec sheet, infographic, interactive tool

36 Blog Post Have authoritative and educational, helpful tone Vary in style/content format Speak directly to the targeted persona Solve a problem; give solutions Entice prospect to want more info to click on the CTA

37 Infographics

38 Call-to-Action (CTA) Button Provoke immediate response Eye-Catching Clear value proposition Aligned with sales cycle/funnel stage Take prospect to a landing page

39 Landing Page Succinct message Dedicated page with no distracting info Clear value prop about download; answers, What am I getting? All Efforts Focused On: Form to capture lead info

40 Landing Page

41 Landing Page

42 Types of CTA Offers Content Guidelines Spec Sheets Catalogs/Brochures Personal Touch-Points Assessments Engineering Consultation Quotes Let s chat Contact Us

43 Resources Page

44 Interactive Tools and Resources: Easy as 1-2-3! Webinars are interactive, too!

45 Interactive Tools and Resources BudgetSimple Home page animated video Addresses pain points Explains product and process Uses different personas Easy sign-up to get started Free and low-cost options

46 Interactive Tools and Resources F1F9 A 31-day course Landing page has high-quality video Clear copy explaining the needs, expectations, deliverables Program offers quick, daily lessons delivered by automation workflows Received over 10K sign-ups over two years Source of continuing leads

47 The Right Place and Time CATER TO CUSTOMER CONVENIENCE = IN-THE-MOMENT, ON-DEMAND RELEVANCE

48 CONTENT MARKETING CULTURE

49 The knowledge you possess is a HOT commodity! Cultivate that company-wide, and you have the collective resources to be a massive thought-leader and influencer.

50 Customer Expectations Have Changed People are searching because they have a Need Problem Query Curiosity Your website is available 24/7/365 to answer their questions when you aren t.

51 Google s Mission Google s goal is to give its customer (the searcher) the answers that are the: Best Most Specific Most Contemporary Most Relevant

52 Organic Search 50% of search queries are four words or longer. (WordStream, 2016) B2B researchers do 12 searches on average prior to engaging on a specific brand's site. (Google, 2014)

53 Keywords Focus on negative phrases The reality: people search for answers to problems this way Long-tail keyword the low-hanging fruit Examples: Retirement planning: short-tail Retirement planning for self employed: mid-tail Advantages of retirement planning for self employed: long-tail

54 Keywords Retirement planning (8,390,000 results) Retirement planning for self- employed (2,470,000 results) Advantages of retirement planning for self-employed (1,700,000 results)

55 Participation in Content Creation Is Critical for Success Everyone is a stakeholder You all have: Unique voice Talent Expert knowledge A finger on the pulse Your writing staff is as large as your employee pool!

56 Writing Say what needs to be said Blog word count: at least 500 Latest U.S. averages for blog length: 501-2,000 words Latest is to use long-form, webpage pillar content Focus on keywords and holistic subject matter

57 General Writing Tips Be Useful/educational Generous (give, give, give, give, ask) Engaging and entertaining (Oh, yes, you can!) Timely Human Promotional (sort of)

58 5 TAKEAWAYS

59 5 Key Takeaways 1. Inbound marketing is the way business is being done 2. Answer questions and provide solutions to pain points 3. Fill information gap and educate target audience 4. Write holistic, relevant content 5. Humans working with humans at their convenience