These days, inbound is driving corporate marketing strategy. It is the most effective way to attract potential customers to your company; much more so than using traditional advertising methods. Content fuels the inbound marketing engine to capture prospects' attention, build brand recognition, and increase customer loyalty.
But there's more to inbound than just writing blog posts. With all the information out there about how to be a successful marketer, the question is, "Where do I start?" To get you into the game, here are four inbound marketing best practices you should implement today.
Use Content In Context
Content is a major component of inbound marketing. Produce quality content that salespeople can leverage during prospecting and follow-up to build credibility and engage prospects. One of the most important inbound marketing best practices is content creation. Because this method of marketing relies so heavily on content, such as eBooks, blog posts, and infographics, it's only natural that more and more people are spending their marketing time creating content. However, the ROI on value-rich, engaging content is so high in today's digital marketing world that modern day marketers simply can't ignore it.Utilize Social Media Marketing
Inbound marketers are also relying heavily on social media to spread their content. LinkedIn and Twitter continue to be the dominant social networks for B2B marketers, while Google+ and others are slowly gaining traction. The key to using social networking properly is to target the right audience in the right places. For example, LinkedIn is by far the top producing channel for reaching business professionals, while Facebook tends to include a variety of demographics, Pinterest is used more often by females, while Twitter is a great place to connect with influencers in your industry.Optimize for Mobile
Up until the last few years, Internet access and browsing abilities on mobile phones was unsteady and clumsy. Today, Internet access and browsing capabilities have evolved to the point where people are using mobile phones as their primary device to pull up the web. Tablets, smartphones, laptops, and more are being used to access the internet on the go, and this means that inbound marketers need to ensure that their content is responsive for easy access on all devices. Designers and programmers are working closely with marketers to achieve a scalable product that looks great and functions properly across a variety of mediums.
Leverage Local SEO
Because mobile devices are being used with great frequency to access the web, inbound marketing professionals have to make sure they are practicing correct local SEO tactics in order for their sites to be found. Many consumers now use their mobile devices to look for businesses while on the go, and local SEO practices can be the difference between one business being found over its competition in a specific city or region.
Implementing these inbound marketing best practices guarantees an uptick in web traffic, and builds online visibility, almost immediately.