The Inbound Growth Blog

The Inbound Growth Blog covers all topics relating to an integrated marketing strategy. We write about inbound marketing, social media, integrated marketing strategies and the sales process.

What it Takes To Succeed At Inbound Marketing

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Posted by John Beveridge on Dec 30, 2014 8:19:00 AM

What it Takes to Succeed At Inbound MarketingRemember door-to-door sales? Even if you aren't old enough to have memories of some poor schmuck lugging a vacuum cleaner up and down your cul-de-sac, you are probably familiar with the idea. These days this type of sales seems antiquated and silly. Sales has come a long way since the traveling salesman. Buyers aren't sitting around waiting for the phone to ring; they're researching purchase options on the web and social media. Inbound marketing is so effective because you don't waste your time on prospects who aren't interested in your product or services. Don't know where to start? Here are some tips to succeed at inbound marketing. 


Think Like an Editor

As Forbes editor Randall Lane has suggested, the key to a successful content strategy is to think like an editor. According to Lane this means, “tell[ing] a relevant, targeted and transparent story". Thinking like an editor also means being a good storyteller and understanding how to choose the right platform for your content. Shift your focus from individual pieces of content to content platform strategy.

With your target audience in mind, think about how your content can be used and re-packaged in different forms. We know that buyers are looking for useful content and there are a few specific content types that meet this need. For example, embedding SlideShare presentations in blog content makes for popular posts since users see this type of content as relevant. Re-purposing blog posts as infographics or videos is also another great way to connect with your audience. Of course whatever platform you choose, be sure to maintain a consistent schedule of content updates.


 


Download the Complete Professional Services Content Marketing Guide

 


Big Picture Analytics 

Regardless of how well you think you're doing, the right analytics can help you understand the "big picture" and identify areas for improvement. The first step to properly utilizing analytics is to set some goals for your business. If you aren't sure where to start here are some examples of analytics goals: 

  • Product purchases— track the sales cycle for your services, from lead conversion to sales opportunity to a won or lost opportunity.

  • Visitor engagement—track the time people spend on your website and the number of pages they view.

  • ROI on campaigns—use tracking urls and marketing automation to measure the performance of your marketing campaigns. 

  • Blog subscriptions—track the number of blog subscriptions on your site to validate the quality and relevancy of your content. 

  • Lead conversions—track the number, ratio and sources of your inbound lead conversions. 

Google Analytics and marketing automation software like HubSpot offer a treasure trove of analytics. After you get your comfortable with the big picture, you can really gain a more in-depth understanding of your data landscape. These initial goals with help you track conversion rates and get insights about what traffic sources convert best on your site, which landing pages have the most newsletter opt-ins, and what content is most engaging.


Practice Patience 

It's human nature to want to see instant results, but just like almost every other marketing initiative, inbound marketing takes some time to demonstrate results. Do yourself a favor and practice some patience. Creating organic traffic takes time. Most companies (85%) don't see significant growth until 7 months after implementing inbound marketing tactics. This may seem like a long time, but you should start seeing some small changes in the first few months.


Gain C-Suite Support 

Even if you can be patient and you are confident that you will see the results of your inbound marketing campaign, you may come across some resistant from C-level execs. This is fairly common, but a supportive and enthusiastic CEO can be the difference between a successful marketing campaign or a failed one. C-Suite support typically means more funding and resources allocated to your campaign which can help your cause immensely.  

In order to gain the support you need to have a successful campaign, you have to become an expert and an educator. Be prepared to sell your campaign to execs and answer questions in detail. Don't overpromise, but definitely commit to realistic goals. When executive start to see how impactful your strategy is, any hesitation will disappear. 


Will you take advantage of these techniques for inbound marketing success? Now is the time to start, because you can't afford to wait another year or even six months. Your competitors are most likely already utilizing inbound marketing. You have the keys to success. All you need to do is get started.

Download Rapidan Strategies Inbound Marketing Campaign Checklist

Topics: Inbound Marketing

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