Live Long and Measure On

Some call it the proven method for the digital age, we call it’ The measurable’. All of us refer to it as, Inbound Marketing. So what is it? How does it differ from traditional marketing? Why is it so important?

All good questions my young Jedi (you can hope that is the only Star Wars reference, you will just have to read on to see – it is like a fun scavenger hunt…for us).

Inbound marketing is all about the content; this is a reoccurring theme within the 834 blog. You have heard the cliché saying, ‘content is king’ – well it is true.

Here are the major themes of inbound marketing, which also illustrates how it differs from traditional. Now, that isn’t to say that both can’t work together…more on that later.

1. Content creation – By publishing the right content in the right place at the right time, your marketing becomes relevant and helpful to your customers, not interruptive. Not all content you publish or push out has to be 100% original.
2. Lifecycle marketing – people evolve and so does their relationship with your company. Each stage of their relationship with you, requires a different marketing approach.
3. Personalize it – the more targeted your messaging and methods, the better success you will have. This is not rocket science people, it just takes work and a lot of time. By the way, this is one of the major reasons people choose to stick with traditional methods. One blanket message, multiple mediums. Seems easier right? And much more expensive and less effective.
4. Spread the love – inbound marketing is a multi-channel approach. Find out where your audience is and interact with them there. It is all about spreading the message (and the love).
5. Integrate – Your publishing and analytic’s tools need to work together like a well-oiled machine, allowing you to focus on publishing the right content in the right place at the right time.
6. Measure – What really sets inbound marketing apart is the ability to measure every single tool you utilize. If you can’t measure it, it isn’t inbound marketing.

So let’s get down to the tools that inbound marketing incorporates. Unless you have been living under a rock, you are aware of every single one.

1. Blogging
2. Social media
3. Email marketing
4. Landing pages
5. SEO (search engine optimization)
6. Forms
7. Keywords

Success of inbound marketing relies on 3 things (if you ask us, which you are):

1. Content – if it isn’t relevant, just stop doing it. You are wasting your time and your customer’s time and frankly, annoying us too.
2. The tools – whether it is a blog, Pinterest or email marketing; you need to find the right mix for your audience. Know where they hang out, what is important to them and then integrate it into your strategy. Yep, write a strategy – it will help you focus your methods.
3. Measurement – it is the only way to know what is working for you, your client and the universe. Check your analytics, insights and know the data, memorize the data, love the data…marry the data. #GoData

Inbound marketing is all about providing remarkable content to your customers, whether they are visitors, leads, or existing customers. Content is king – the right content, that is.

Live long and market on. (That was an obscure Star Trek reference…and you thought I would throw out Star Wars again).

Sources: Hubspot, Star Wars, Star Trek and the mind of 834