Inbound Marketing: The Key to being Found

It’s hard to imagine that the world existed before the Internet. Back in the pre-dot com days, consumers actually had to go out into the world, walk inside of an actual store, and – *gasp* – talk to a sales person (IRL!) in order to learn more about a product or service that they were interested in.

Boy, have times changed!

At any given time, today’s consumers are just a Google search and a click away from the information they need. The only question is, who is supplying the answers to your prospective customers’ queries? Is it you or a competitor?

Inbound marketing is all about anticipating your customers’ needs and supplying valuable information that will pop up in response to their searches for “Dry Cleaner Denver Colorado” or “Best Family Restaurant in Los Angeles.” It’s about understanding what it takes to make sure that your solutions, information, and helpful bits of knowledge are the first things that your customers see when they need answers about your industry, and ensuring that the information you put out into the world is so awesome that your readers simply have to share it with others.

So, how do you pull it off? Here are a few slick tips for getting found in 2017:

Put Your Soul Into It

By now, you’ve probably heard that “content is king”. This is true to an extent, but we feel that the sentiment would be more accurate if it read, “remarkable content is king.” You can’t just type up any ol’ nonsense, post it to your blog, and expect it to get noticed. You’ve got to create content that comes from your heart and soul if you want to capture your audience’s interest and connect with your current and prospective customers. Share your expertise, knowledge, values, and ideas with passion… and reap the benefits.

Embrace the Power of Free

Everybody loves freebies, and offering something free to your users can be a great way to open the door to further possibilities. One awesome example of this tactic is Hubspot’s WebSiteGrader. The fast and free tool evaluates a user’s website and gives it a score from 1 to 100. Because every user wants to have the BEST website, they instantly feel compelled to learn what they can do to improve their site, and then look into buying Hubpot’s other services! In other words, the freebie acts as a “gateway drug” to the rest of what you have to offer. How will you hook your audience?

Expand Your Reach

Once you’re starting to gain some notice with people who are impressed with your content and your freebies, you’re ready to spread your wings and fly even further than ever before. The simplest way to do this is to make your content available on social media. First, establish your own social media accounts where you can share your blog posts, videos, and other media. Next, make all of your online content sharable so that your readers will be able to quickly share your stuff with their family and friends.

Establish Relationships with Influencers

Key influencers exist in just about every industry, and people trust these influencers implicitly. It’s in your best interest to figure out who your target audience is following and get friendly with those influential people. By having an influencer review your product, share your content, or even act as a guest blogger, you could go viral – fast.

Inbound marketing isn’t rock science, but it does take an investment in time and effort. Could your marketing team use a little boost to help your brand get found more frequently in 2017? Let the experts at Madison Taylor Marketing help. We’re just a phone call or email away!