I've enjoyed the Washington Post's annual column on what's in and out for the upcoming year for a long time. With a nod to the Post, I've compiled my list on what's in and what's out for inbound marketing in 2014. Before I start the list, let's tackle the most obvious one.
IN: Inbound - Attracting qualified leads with inbound marketing is definitely in. Buyers complete 60% of their sales process before ever contacting a salesperson, according to the Corporate Executive Board. Attracting qualified buyers to your website with relevant content, converting prospects to leads and customers and being able to analyze all of your efforts is definitely in.
OUT: Outbound - Really? You're still expecting to hit growth targets with cold calls and spammy emails? How's that working for you? The truth is that busy buyers don't have the time or inclination to consider buying options unless it's on their timetable. Cold-calling randomly hoping to find someone who has completed their research (60% of the sales process) and is now ready to talk to a salesperson is a long shot. I suppose some sellers are hoping that the adage that even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut is true.
Now to the list.
Inbound Marketing: What's In And What's Out For 2014
1. Customer experience optimization versus search engine optimization
IN: Customer Experience Optimization - Websites for humans are in. Well-designed websites that are easy to navigate, have the information your audience wants and that load quickly will attract potential buyers and have them come back for more. Your website needs to be optimized for smartphones and tablets, too - a responsive website is a must-have for 2014. Lastly, you need to regularly add new and interesting content to your website, which will mostly be in the form of regular blog articles. Oddly enough, Google favors this approach too!
OUT: Search Engine Optimization - Websites for search engines are out. The old days of stuffing your stupid keywords in every other sentence of your copy are long gone. Not only will people bounce from your site when you write for search engines, your rankings on Google will be affected too. And not for the positive, either. One last thing - forget the spammy links to Indian SEO websites. Get links naturally by creating great content that people want to share.
2. Contextual marketing versus shotgun marketing
IN: Contextual Marketing - I've long been a proponent of niche-focused marketing. You should develop an ideal customer profile for your business that identifies the types of customers you want to pursue. This is particularly important for small and new companies that are breaking into the marketplace. Once you've identified your target niches, create content that appeals to your ideal customer.
Rather than produce content that helps a generic customer solve problems, create content that helps your niches solve problems. For example, professional services companies have unique characteristics and challenges as do manufacturers. Don't try to appeal to both! This can take the form of content created for a targeted industry or by segmenting your email marketing by industry, position level or other demographic that makes the content more personalized for the particular audience. Technology is available to help companies really take advantage of contextualization - check out HubSpot's inbound marketing software Smart CTAs.
OUT: Shotgun Marketing - Have you heard the phrase, "jack-of-all trades, master of none?" This is what an unfocused, shotgun marketing approach will create for you. Generic marketing content that requires several leaps for a potential buyer to understand how it will help her is becoming increasingly useless. The more your competition uses context, the less success your boring content will produce.
3. Social media for selling versus social media for engagement
IN: Social Media For Selling - Business owners and C-suite executives are focused on tangible results. They have no interest in cat pictures and family updates. They want to see achievements in metrics that translate to business results: social media reach and social media sales. Not to minimize social media as a means to promote your brand and help customer service, but the C-Suite is looking for return on their social media investment in 2014.
As an inbound marketing practitioner, be prepared to show how social media is driving the bottom line and which channels are working. As a sales manager, make sure your team knows social selling skills and incorporates them into their daily worklife. I would suggest that a salespeson spending 2 hours a day on LinkedIn prospecting and interacting in groups will do far better than a salesperson who spends 2 hours a day cold-calling.
OUT: Social Media For Engagement - I don't want to be too harsh on social engagement. It is important to develop and expand your brand on social media. But that and $3.50 will get you a latte at Starbucks. At least that's what the C-suite thinks. If you're not thinking of social media as a lead generation channel, you're missing the boat. Use social media as a lead generation and lead intelligence tool and you will be able to drive business results.
4. Communication versus content creation
IN: Communication - I used the word communication, because "storytelling" is becoming the most over-used cliche in inbound marketing. Nonetheless, inbound marketing content that targets the wants and needs of your ideal buyers is what drives success. This information needs to be presented so that it stands out from the mass of boring content that's being produced. Content should be succinct, conversational and yes, it should tell YOUR story. Savvy companies will take advantage of the most effective means of communications - videos, infographics and podcasts in addition to traditional written content.
OUT: Content Creation - Creating fact sheets, whitepapers and blog articles that reflect the values and wants of the writer rather than the reader is tres out. The problem is that everyone is creating the same content - you need to stand out from the crowd by targeting your content to your ideal buyers and present it to them the way the want it. Don't give them the same old s#@t, make it interesting!
Summary
2014 presents great opportunities for growth. The moribund economy of the past five years may be beginning to turn around and the American people are realizing that big government isn't the answer. This gives me confidence that conditions for SMB company growth will improve in 2014. Those companies that know who their ideal customers are and how they buy have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd. By matching their sales process to their ideal customer's buying process, they will outperform their competition. Want to learn how? Schedule a free online lead generation assessment.
