As a small business owner, expanding your company can seem like a daunting task. However, implementing an inbound marketing strategy can make a significant difference in the success of your business. In this guide, we will take you through the step-by-step process of creating an inbound marketing strategy, including setting goals, getting found, getting leads, and acquiring customers.
Step 1: Setting Goals
Defining your business goals is the first step in creating an inbound marketing strategy. Based on where you are and where you want to go, it’s important to create a roadmap of how to get there. To do this, you can define the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you measure the success of your inbound marketing campaign. Additionally, you can conduct a discovery session with your team to identify your ideal customers, discuss your key metrics, revenue goals, and sales process to produce the best customized strategy. It’s also important to create a buyer persona, which is a research-based representation of who your buyers are, what they want to accomplish, pain points that shape their behavior, and how they make buying decisions. Lastly, you should research your competitors and what other companies are doing in your industry to see where the holes are in your industry that could be filled.
Step 2: Getting Found
Once you have set your goals, the next step is to focus on getting found by potential customers. This involves conducting keyword research to understand how people are searching for your content. Through this research, you can target specific terms and phrases to attract the right visitors to your website. Onsite SEO is another important factor in getting found, which consists of all the factors on a website page that influence search engine ranking. Additionally, creating an editorial calendar, blogging frequently, and performing pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns can help you get more visitors to your website. Finally, sharing content on your social media accounts allows you to reach your audience on multiple channels, increasing the likelihood of potential prospects finding your website.
Step 3: Getting Leads
After you have attracted visitors to your website, the next step is to focus on converting them into leads. Premium content production is one of the best ways to do this, as it offers unique informational value to your target audience, incentivizing them to fill out a form with their contact information. Examples of premium content include eBooks, webinars, whitepapers, and case studies. To house your premium content, you should create landing pages that are designed to capture your potential clients’ information and create new leads for your sales team. Finally, creating call-to-actions (CTAs) can make or break your website’s lead acquisition rate. CTAs direct visitors to your premium content landing pages, and it’s important to design them professionally and exceptionally to compel your visitors to click.
Step 4: Acquiring Customers
The final step in the inbound marketing process is acquiring customers. One of the best ways to do this is by aligning your sales and marketing efforts through CRM integration. This allows you to provide your sales team with information that will make it easier for them to close deals. Additionally, it’s important to focus on customer retention through providing exceptional customer service and developing a strong brand identity.
In conclusion, implementing an inbound marketing strategy can be a game-changer for small business owners looking to expand their companies. By setting goals, getting found, getting leads, and acquiring customers, you can create a comprehensive strategy that drives success for your business. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or need additional support, consider partnering with an inbound marketing agency like John Potter Media to help guide you through the process.
