Everyone wants to be seen – you too (though you may try to deny it). In particular, we want to be...
Since you landed on our blog, we assume you have heard the term “inbound marketing”. In which case, you’re probably aware that there are many things to learn when it comes to this type of marketing, and it might seem a bit overwhelming.
In particular, many people are worried about producing large quantities of content they need to produce. But fear not, the first thing to understand is that like anything worth doing in life, inbound marketing takes time, but with patience the wait is most definitely worth it.
Each step in the journey, not matter how small will take you closer to your intended destination. So, if you don’t have the resources to produce 10 blog posts a month right now, start smaller.
Aim to blog once a week to get going. Also, you probably already have loads of content that can be repurposed - take an inventory of your current collateral and content from whitepapers to articles written about the company to product sheets you probably have sources of inspiration you can update or freshen up with a new twist.
But before you dive in and start writing, we’ve laid out 3 proven inbound marketing strategies to help you create relevant, interesting content readers will love and transform your company blog into a lead machine.
1. Define who you are writing for
If you start writing without a plan you will end up one of two ways: stuck after 1-2 lines, or writing information you want to share without any clue if this is something that would interest the audience you’re trying to reach.
Start by figuring out who you are writing for. Describe this person as thoroughly as if you were going to write a book about them. What do they do, what does their day look like, what are they worried about, how do they make their decisions?
When you sit down and write your content, you’ll have a clear image in your mind of who you are talking to and what will make them interested enough to keep reading.
2. Answer a question or solve a problem
If you have no idea where to start, talk to your salespeople or the support department to see what questions they get asked most often. These are great topics to write about.
Inbound marketing is all about being helpful. You are not just shouting about what you can offer, but guiding the contact to take the best possible decision for them, whether that is your company or not.
“What does x mean?” or “How to use x” are great places to start. People often use search engines to find answers to their questions and solutions to their problems.
Using the questions as titles for your blog posts will help you move towards the top of the search results making your business easier to find. It helps people understand that when they ask a question, your company has the answer they’re looking for.
Answering these questions will also help your company come across as honest, open and willing to help. This builds trust and can help move people towards making a purchase with you.
As your content library grows you can start combining related blog posts to e-books. These can be placed behind a landing page with a form, making the reader leave their email address in order to get access to the content. In this way, your blog can start collecting contact details for those interested in what you have to offer.
3. Meet the potential client where they are
This does not only relate to sharing content where the potential client is spending their time online (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and so on).
When searching for information online, people are on a sliding scale when it comes to readiness to buy. This is where the buyer’s journey come into play and something we call the “funnel”. The funnel is split into three stages, each describing a stage the buyer moves through towards a purchase.
Top of the funnel
Some might have begun to experience a problem and are only just starting to look for potential solutions, so It’s way too soon to approach these people with information pushing them to make a decision.
In inbound marketing we call this the top of the funnel, where people get help defining their problem in order to start their buyer’s journey. At this stage, blog posts about the industry, trends or “how to”-guides are helpful.
Middle of the funnel
Once the problem has been defined, it is time to start offering up solutions. This does not mean that you should immediately start bombarding the person with reasons why you are the one and only. In the middle of the funnel, your content should lay out all the options available and explain the benefits and drawbacks of each. This content aims to guide the reader to identify what they value the most and to start moving towards a decision.
Bottom of the funnel
Some people might already be in a position to make their decision. They have been researching for a while, and they have now arrived at what we call the bottom of funnel. This is where your content can be more promotional. You need to show the reader why your company is the right choice and how you can really help.
Inbound marketing can seem scary at first, but many of its elements are things you already should be doing when it comes to your digital marketing. Blogging is just one piece, but get started today and you will quickly be in a position where your content can start working for you bringing in leads.
