Inbound marketing, also called online marketing, content marketing, or brand journalism, refers to creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract your target audience and turn them into customers. It’s not as simple as it sounds, but luckily there are ways to make the process more straightforward—and more effective—than ever before. Inbound marketing works well when you apply these ten tips from experienced inbound marketers who have had success using these techniques themselves.
SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a long-term strategy that can’t be fixed overnight. Customer expectations change over time, and SEO is no different. SEO isn’t just about higher search rankings anymore; to make an impact, your company’s site needs to display nicely on smartphones and tablets, too. Conversion rates also fall without an SEO plan in place—what you need to get more customers coming back are micro conversions throughout your website like the best usa real money online casinos (e.g., a tweetable quote on each page of your site), not one significant conversion at checkout.
Call-to-Action
Since landing pages are often your biggest conversion tool, it’s essential to ensure they’re effective. A call-to-action is a button or other element on a landing page meant to drive conversions, and call-to-action buttons must match up with their landing pages. If someone sees a green Buy Now button on one page, that same green button should appear on every other page on your website—otherwise, users will be confused about where exactly to click. The conversion rate of your homepage will likely influence those of different pages. If you see that people aren’t clicking through from another page or simply aren’t converting when they get there, try changing or clarifying your call-to-action copy.
The importance of content
When it comes to inbound marketing, content is king. And it’s about so much more than just blogging. Shareable, evergreen, and resourceful content on social media, such as videos, guides (like this one!), and webinars are a great way to attract new leads into your sales funnel, ultimately turning them into loyal customers down the road. Additionally, sharing other helpful content from respected sources will help establish you as a leader in your industry—and make you an authoritative source of information that can turn prospective buyers into clients. Please don’t underestimate how powerful adequately executed inbound marketing strategies can be; they’ve even been shown to reduce costs!
Relationships matter more than traffic.
Anyone can run advertising campaigns and increase their web traffic by percentage points. But what good is that? No matter how much free or paid traffic you get, your business will ultimately fail if you don’t have relationships with your customers. Learn from inbound marketing guru Brian Halligan: What matters most isn’t how many people visit your website; it’s about how many people come back for more. It doesn’t matter if 1 million people visit your website every day if none of them ever return—it’s an absolute waste of time and money. Your ROI might be initially positive but quickly turn hostile when you pay for each customer who visits but never returns.
Have goals before starting
When launching an inbound marketing campaign, don’t just do it blindly. Set goals and have a plan on how to achieve them. Reaching those goals will help provide direction for your future campaigns as well. Include short-term and long-term objectives, and monitor your progress along the way. Be flexible, too: if something isn’t working as well as you thought or things are going slower than anticipated, make adjustments to your plan according to the best ca online casino site.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) tips
Optimizing your conversion rate is a continuous process. But you can use these tips to get started. Include social proof in your landing page copy, such as testimonials and case studies that show how other people have benefited from using your product or service.
Use an attention-grabbing headline that immediately tells readers what they’ll learn from reading.
Create landing pages with clear calls to action that tell visitors exactly what they should do next (e.g., Download our free guide).
Make sure every piece of content on your website has a clear purpose and goal for users, whether to sell something or build trust with potential customers.
Don’t forget about mobile optimization—it’s not just about responsive design anymore!
The power of social media and email marketing
Social media and email marketing can be incredibly effective ways to grow your business. But only if you’re leveraging them properly. Otherwise, they’re wastes of time. Read on for inbound marketing tips to help you use social media effectively and run a successful email campaign.
The power of newsletters
If you’re not familiar with them, newsletters are a great way to keep your audience engaged. No, they don’t have to be boring or sales-y—and yes, they can help build community and customer loyalty. It’s vital that you remember how powerful they are—so powerful that 65% of consumers say that receiving a newsletter makes them feel closer to a brand.
How analytics can help you learn what works and what doesn’t
Don’t guess. Track it. Analytics help you understand how visitors interact with your site, where they’re coming from, how long they’re staying, and what they’re doing when they get there. Good analytics can also fine-tune content by comparing users who click on a call-to-action versus those who don’t.