frntprch INBOUND MARKETING THE BLUEPRINT TO YOUR SUCCESS
Inbund Marketing: The Blueprint t Yur Success Building a slid, thughtful and well-planned inbund marketing campaign is crucial t grwing yur cmpany in the digital age. T define inbund marketing in basic terms, it is achieving gals and business grwth by using digital channels in a mindful and measurable way, with an end gal fr yur cnsumers in mind. Inbund marketing prmtes yur cmpany thrugh cntent marketing mediums, such as blgs, newsletters, whitepapers, scial media marketing, vide, pdcasts, ebks, SEO and mre, which aim t attract custmers thrugh the varius stages f purchasing decisins. Yur website serves as the hub f all inbund marketing activity, but many dn t knw the ther essential cmpnents driving its traffic and the campaign as a whle. Frm start t finish, Frnt Prch Slutins apprach is t strategize, design, implement and deply testing and maintenance t ensure yur website s inbund marketing success. As experienced cntent marketers and web develpers, Frnt Prch Slutins understands the prgressin f an inbund marketing campaign necessary fr success and hw these ten steps t a great campaign can be the blueprint t yur success, acrss any industry, audience r end gal yu are wrking twards. - Generating Traffic At its cre, inbund marketing is abut bringing the traffic t yu. And a gd inbund marketing strategy will bring the right traffic by reaching and attracting yur target audience specifically. - Cnverting leads Generate AND cnvert leads. The prven methdlgy fr inbund marketing fllws the natural prgressin f attracting, cnverting, clsing and delighting. (Cite: http:// www.hubspt.cm/inbund-marketing). By creating appealing cntent, yu cnvert leads thrugh landing pages and calls-t-actin, and then cntinue t attract them t yur business. - Successful call t actin Once yu ve reeled yur target audience in, ensure they take actin. Whether yu re lking fr brand awareness r making a sale, quality design and cntent will inspire viewers t take a step further than simply viewing yur site and initiate cntact. 2
Even if a majrity f yur target audience isn t currently in the market t buy, a strng marketing strategy shuld ensure yur brand resnates in their minds until they are. Nw that yu have a general understanding f what inbund marketing is, let s dive int hw yu use it. - Identify yur target audience Develping a persna can help yu every step f the way in cntent marketing. A persna is a representatin f yur target audience, created with research n actual custmers. It ges beynd demgraphics t give yu a deeper understanding f what wrks and what desn t when speaking t yur target audience as a whle. Persnas help frm yur messaging with a slid understanding f the cntent yu ll be crafting - Determine Gals With yur target audience in mind, define and set S.M.A.R.T. gals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. It s imprtant t define S.M.A.R.T. gals fr every inbund marketing campaign and, based n these five categries, t cnsider hw yu perfrmed in the past and where there s rm fr imprvement when setting new nes. - Define Yur Cntent The next step is t determine what kind f cntent yu will be marketing t yur persnas in rder t reach the gals yu ve established. Cntent marketing shuld add value and be memrable t yur persna, and materials are best left withut a direct sales pitch. It s helpful t prvide a range f cntent applicable t each stage f a buyer s purchase decisin awareness, cnsideratin and decisin. It s als imprtant t use yur scial mediums t yur advantage. Yur persna whever it may be can smell a sales pitch frm a mile away, and chances are, they re nt interested. By sharing relevant, helpful cntent, yu pull peple int whatever yu re selling in a nn-bvius way and get a ft in the dr s when they are lking t buy, it can be frm yu. 3
- Website Yur website will be as unique as yur brand is, but there are a few key features every effective cnversin path needs: Call-T-Actin A call-t-actin (CTA) is arguably the entire pint f yur inbund marketing campaign. What d yu want yur persna t d? Tie that persuasive CTA in with yur cntent, but make it stand ut. Landing Page A landing page shuld be visually appealing, brief and easily readable, and its value shuld be bvius t viewers. Thank Yu Once a user enters yur cnversin path, they are cnsidered t be a ptential lead. Let viewers get t knw mre abut yu, and give them an idea f what they shuld d next. Fllw-Up Present yurself t new leads utside f yur site. An easy way t d this is thrugh marketing autmatin, sending ut a simple Thank Yu email fr their interest r interactin with yur cntent (i.e., after they ve dwnladed a Whitepaper). Reiterating yur presence is necessary t capture leads, and wh desn t lve gd manners? Tying in with inbund marketing plans is a grwth-driven web design. Grwthdriven design (GDD) is building and ptimizing yur website t fcus n nt nly achieving, but exceeding yur gals. GDD is built arund analytics and buyer persnas, ptimizing yur website fr perfrmance and t find the best ways t cnnect with yur target audience(s). With an utdated, traditinal mdel f wrk fr website develpment and design, it s easy t fall behind n trends and miss pprtunities. Only having design updates every few years is high cst, bth financially and fr grwth ptential. Grwth-driven design is the future f nline brand develpment, and Frnt Prch Slutins wrks with this in mind fr ur clients. With ur grwth-driven mdel f wrk, small mnthly payments bring a cnstantly evlving design receiving regular feedback and updates. In return, cntinuus grwth is prjected fr yur website and business as a whle, as website design and develpment drive traffic and sales. 4
- Engage Leads with Prmtinal Emails Once yu have leads, fllw up with them in a way just as valuable as the cntent that reeled them in. Using the cntent a lead interacted with as a starting pint (i.e., a whitepaper they dwnladed), fllw up n their activity with an email relevant nt nly t the cntent, but t the specific persna and current stage f their buyer s jurney. Fr example, if smene dwnladed yur whitepaper n web design, yu may want t share a link t yur blg pst n grwth-driven design in yur fllw up. When sending a prmtinal email annuncing new cntent, it may be necessary t tailr multiple emails with language speaking t yur varius audience persnas. Dn t make it seem like an impersnal frm letter. - Define Keywrd Strategy When establishing an nline presence, be it fr yur general website, blg, etc., yu first need t define yur keywrds. T d s, cnsider what yur persnas may search fr n the internet, then figure ut if yur website and cntent align with thse keywrds. If they dn t, change it and make sure t wrk these keywrds int all aspects f yur nline presence t ensure yur search engine ptimizatin (SEO). - Blgging and Scial Media Marketing Ging back t defining yur brand s cntent, blg psts are a great way t regularly put ut relevant, useful and even educatinal cntent fr yur persna related t yur prduct r services. By wrking yur lng-tail keywrds int blg psts, yu increase yur relevant viewership, and by ending each pst with a clear CTA, yur chances f lead cnversin increases as well. Because blgs are usually prviding helpful tips and timely cntent, they re mre likely t be shared by viewers acrss different scial netwrks. The same idea is behind scial media marketing, which is an instant, interactive way t share yur cntent and cnnect with custmers. On scial media, it s easy t share and prmte yur blg psts, landing page and ther facets f yur inbund marketing campaign. It s als an easy way t build brand lyalty thrugh yur fllwers. Be sure yu re active n scial netwrks applicable t yur persnas and that yu re psting frequently enugh t nt be frgtten, but nt s ften yu re verwhelming yur fllwers. As with all cntent, be sure yu re sharing psts n a variety f tpics that add value (nt just a sales pitch!). 5
- Stay Relevant A great cntent marketer s jb is never dne. Yu ve reeled yur prspects in, but nw yu need t be sure they keep cming back fr mre. With yur well-planned strategy in the wrks, be sure t cnsistently put ut engaging, timely cntent. The Center fr Sales Strategy defines Inbund Marketing as the prcess f attracting the attentin f prspects, via cntent creatin, befre they are even ready t buy; it s ne f the best and mst cst-effective ways t cnvert strangers int custmers and prmters f yur business. (Cite: http://leadg2.thecenterfrsalesstrategy.cm/what-is-inbundmarketing) If yu re nt currently using an inbund marketing strategy, the nly questin left t ask is, Why nt? And if yu are, yu shuld be asking, Hw can ur inbund marketing strategy be strnger? Inbund marketing campaigns are an nging initiative in the same way as their ever-grwing results. Wherever yu are in yur campaign planning prcess, Frnt Prch Slutins can step in and prvide the guidance yu need. Frm establishing yur brand and start-up web develpment t mnthly reprts and analytics, Frnt Prch Slutins will guide yu in building yur cmpany s blueprint fr success, ptimizing every aspect f yur inbund marketing campaign and pprtunities fr grwth. Abut Frnt Prch Slutins: Frm Clumbus, Ohi, Frnt Prch Slutins prvides natinwide website design, web applicatin and e-cmmerce slutins, graphic and print design, SEO/SEM marketing, search engine ptimizatin and web hsting services. Our apprach is nt just the Frnt Prch Slutins prcess; it is a prcess we cmplete with yu and fr yu. Frm idea-strming t implementatin, we keep yu in the lk n ur prgress and ask fr yur feedback regularly. An effective nline slutin begins with a thughtful plan, and we emply a brad range f research tls and practices that are always custm-tailred t the prject at hand. Yu shuld be aware that ur services are smewhat habit-frming. Well ver half f ur clients have cme back t us fr a secnd (r third r furth r fifth) prject. T learn mre r t receive a free inbund marketing r web develpment cnsultatin, visit http://www.frntprchslutins.cm r call 614-602-4807. 6