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1-Page Summary of Inbound Marketing
A New Marketing Paradigm
“Stop wasting money on marketing that nobody cares about.” If you have the right know-how and expertise, it is possible to be as compelling online as big firms. Unlike traditional marketing, web-based promotions can provide valuable expert information that people actively seek. With inbound marketing, your customers will find you instead of vice versa.
Consumers are shying away from commercial messages because they’re getting tired of being bombarded with them. They use spam filters, DVRs and downloaded music to avoid commercials. Trade publications are also losing circulation due to freebie blogs.
It’s All Happening Online
In the past, advertising provided people with the information they need to make intelligent purchase decisions. Nowadays, however, people use Google and other search engines to find background data on items they want to buy. They also rely on social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook for that purpose.
Companies that are not savvy about the Internet often use traditional marketing strategies on their websites. They do this because they don’t understand how to use the Internet properly. To be successful, companies need to think of their website as a hub for people who share similar interests in order to create communities and connect with one another.
Become an Online Hub for Your Customers
In order to be a hub for your target market, you need to connect with other sites. You can do this by providing great content that people will want to subscribe to through RSS (a basic syndication). When you update your site, the subscribers’ feed readers alert them of new material. People can also subscribe via email.
Don’t spend all your money on the design of a website. You can get more visitors by creating blogs and other online content. Instead, put your money where it will have the biggest payoff: Put links to external sites in your blog posts, as well as links to high-authority sites like Google. Check how many people link to you from outside sources and manually add yourself to Google if need be.
One example of a hub website is 37Signals, which has a popular blog called “Signal vs. Noise.” It also has an online job board and information about products. To be successful online you have to offer outstanding content and tools that draw visitors in. Two strategies for doing this are:
To become a competitive choice, you have to be unique. For example, the iPod was different from other MP3 players because it was easy to download and listen to music on it.
Be the best at your craft. You can do that by being imaginative and focusing on a niche market. For example, if you’re a manufacturer of monkey wrenches, focus on left-handed plumbers who need them.
Content Rules
To be successful online, you need high-quality content and many visitors. Also, get as many comments on your site as possible. The more links to your site that are out there on the Internet, the higher Google’s PageRank of your page will be. This gives it more exposure online and attracts even more people to view it. Typical content includes:
“Blog articles” – They can be about a specific area of your niche.
“White papers” are five- to seven-page reports that discuss trends in the industry. They don’t report on your own products or services. * “Videos” are two- to three-minute pieces focusing on industry topics or your products. * “Webinars” are PowerPoint presentations about your industry. *
Stand Out in the Blogosphere
Blogs are a great way to get noticed by people. Use them to showcase your expertise in your field and write about things that interest you. You can use an RSS reader (like Google Reader) to search for relevant content related to your industry, such as articles or blogs on the subject of interest. Comment on these articles online and encourage other authors/bloggers to visit your blog. Keep individual blog posts short (one page). Include videos, ask experts for guest posts, and post new content at least once a week. Make sure each post has good titles so they’ll be found when someone searches for terms relating to what you’re writing about within your industry. Include keywords in both the title of the article itself and its content that match up with those searched-for phrases from people within that industry:
