Why our prospects need an inbound marketing strategy

We speak to a number of business owners who are frustrated, having invested time, money and resources into their website, but without seeing the qualified leads and customers they had hoped for. Their inbound marketing strategy hasn't taken off, and they want answers.

Typically, we find they have implemented SEO or PPC campaigns in isolation - and that’s where they have gone wrong. A good inbound marketing strategy should take a holistic approach, using multiple channels and personalised workflows to generate leads and nurture sales.

We work with clients across a range of sectors, including High Net Worth, B2B, recruitment and technology. The primary goal for most of our prospects is an increase in website traffic, lead generation and customer acquisition. In a word, growth. This doesn't mean they can all use the same approach, however. As an inbound marketing agency, we help companies to develop and implement the right inbound marketing strategy for them.

The 4 stages of an inbound marketing strategy

There are four stages to an inbound marketing strategy as outlined by HubSpot, all personalised to a company's individual goals, challenges and target personas. We've taken a a quick look at each below, along with common roadblocks that we see.

1. Content Creation

First, you need to create engaging and relevant content which is targeted to your the wants and needs of your buyer persona. If you have more than one persona, you will need more than one campaign - after all, different types of leads will need different approaches. The one-size-fits-all just doesn't work when it comes to inbound.

You should then complement each piece of content with a relevant and engaging Call To Action (CTA) which offers something a prospect will happily exchange their contact details for. For instance, you could share a downloadable guide with prospects who are willing to give you their phone number and email address. It's a win-win situation - they gain your genuinely valuable offering, and you gain a lead.

Better yet, you know this lead is relevant to your business. Whether a prospect finds a blog post through organic search, social media or paid advertising, they chose to read it and follow your CTA due to a genuine interest in the topic being discussed - whether it's hiring an accountant, buying a lawnmower or building a pool.

2. Lifecycle Marketing

Next, you need to target customers at different stages in their buyer journey and then nurture them through the sales funnel. Consider the steps your leads take on the way to becoming a customer, and provide intuitive support to guide them on their way. Again, different personas will likely have different lifecycles. You also need to excercise patience - some leads will naturally have long lifecycles, and it's important to respect this. 

3. Personalisation

Ensure your content is personalised to your audience – create relevant material which they will want to engage with. After this, you can follow up with content that addresses their needs and really captures their attention. This requires careful attention - if you personalise messaging with inappropriate content, you risk really turning off your lead.

4. Integration

Ensure the right content is in the right place to maximise impact on campaigns.This can be done by utilising a range of different platforms such as social, email and biddable. Make sure you meet your leads' preferences when it comes to consuming information and interacting with brands. If your ideal customers are always on Google, but never on Facebook, consider how this might influence your inbound marketing strategy, on both paid and organic channels.

(HubSpot)

An inbound marketing strategy educates people to make informed

Traditionally marketing was very “me, me, me” - you know what I mean, big billboards and flashy advertising, all very in your face. In contrast, with inbound you are targeting individuals who are actually interested and engaged, instead of chasing every Tom, Dick and Harry hoping one of them will be interested.

In essence, the right inbound marketing strategy should help our clients and their prospects alike. As a result, marketing campaigns more focused, efficient and effective, with visibly increased ROI. 

Six & Flow is an inbound marketing agency based in Manchester, though we work with clients all aroiund the country. We're also a gold tier HubSpot partner, so we know our stuff when it comes to everything inbound.