My favorite part about post-apocalyptic narratives is that they’re not shy about acting as a microcosm of modern society. Hey, now that I think about it, they bear many similarities to the world of inbound marketing, too.
Okay, just stick with me. I promise this will start to make sense. Let me explain.
Once upon a time, outbound marketing was the one-and-only. Commercials interrupted our tv programs, salesmen called us at home or showed up at our doors, and junk mail kept the Postal Service busy.
But then suddenly, the world changed.
The answer to that apocalypse? Inbound marketing. Companies learned ways to replace direct mail and advertisements with SEO-optimized websites and business blogs that delivered customers the information they needed, and didn’t bother them with stuff they didn’t.
Sure, this analogy is a little far-fetched, but, hey, it’s almost Halloween, so let’s have some fun!
In honor of Halloween, I present to you 5 things the Zombie Apocalypse can teach us about inbound marketing.
Okay, picture this.
You’re in the Zombie apocalypse and find yourself surrounded by a hoard of zombies. You have 1 weapon and limited ammunition. What do you do? Do you close your eyes and fire into the hoard at random? No, you absolutely do not. You behave strategically and pick a target.
You do the exact same thing in inbound marketing.
One of the reasons why inbound marketing is so effective is because it’s a very targeted form of communication and engagement. Instead of chasing cold leads with direct mailers and cold calling based on very basic information, inbound marketing looks only for the most qualified prospects. This way, the sales team isn’t spinning its wheels over dead ends.
The way it works is this: The content team creates content targeting specific buyer personas. The sales team can then focus on building relationships with leads who have self-qualified by voluntarily interacting with their company’s content. Think of it this way: Imagine you’re in the Zombie Apocalypse and a stranger approaches your camp and asks to join your group. Are you going to let just anyone in? Probably not. You’ll check for bites and ask the 3 questions to ensure that you only accept the safest people into your group.
You’re toast if you try to wing it during the Zombie Apocalypse. Wear long sleeves, cover vulnerable body parts in leather, and gather enough rations for 90 days of survival.
You’ll be dead in the water in inbound marketing, too, if you don’t have a plan.
There’s a lot to think about when running an inbound marketing campaign. There’s SEO, content writing, social media, website design, etc. and everything’s happening at the same time. If you don’t have a plan for how to conquer it all, it’s easy to drown in the sea of to-do’s.
HubSpot has a great guide to creating a complete inbound marketing plan. It includes tasks like creating buyer personas, creating a list of SEO keywords, and outlining a content strategy. Follow this guide and you can be sure you’re using the most effective and efficient strategies and getting the best ROI.
Thanks to Zombieland for this next tip! (disclaimer: that link is probably not suitable for young ears) In the Zombie Apocalypse, you never know when you’ll be under attack, so get your bones and muscles stretched and warmed up and be ready for action at all times.
Inbound marketers may not be under attack by the undead, but they’re still racing against the quick changes that come with working in a digital space.
As I mentioned in #2, inbound marketers wear many hats. They’re UX/UI specialists, content experts, conversion rate superheroes, and everything else, all at the same time! It’s important for inbound marketers to keep their creative energies fluid and their headspace malleable.
This is especially important in a digital world. As HubSpot reminds us, “the inbound methodology continues to help businesses adapt to fast-changing needs – not just with marketing, but with the entire customer experience.” Technology moves fast, and inbound marketing, which relies heavily on the digital space, needs to move with it.
One of the major keys to surviving the Zombie Apocalypse is creative thinking. Using Zombie guts to disguise your human smell, turning a screwdriver into a brain-impaling weapon, removing two zombies’ teeth and keeping them as zombie-deterring pets — you see, these are all creative and effective ways to survive during the Zombie Apocalypse, as experienced in the Walking Dead.
You may not impale brains in the world of inbound marketing, but you can certainly blow readers’ minds with your incredible content.
In inbound marketing, content is king, but everyone’s doing it. In general, most readers online will read only 15 seconds of content before deciding to move on. You better grab their attention in the first few words or you can wave your readers goodbye. (Not that they’d notice because, heck, they’re long gone!)
Here’s an idea: Wrap your content in a seasonally appropriate Zombie Apocalypse!
Remember, society as we knew it may be dead in the barren landscape of the Zombie Apocalypse, but humans are still pack animals by nature. They need to work together to survive. Trust me. I’ve seen many zombie movies and played many zombie video games, so I’m obviously an expert. Every time someone tries to make it alone, he ends up a lonely pile of zombie food.
While it’s important to be careful about who you let into your group (see #1), humans are still stronger when they work together. Take the season 7 finale of The Walking Dead, for example. (That’s all I’ll say because I don’t do spoilers.)
Digital marketers also need to work together to provide each other with valuable backlinks.
Backlinks from trusted and reputable sites give your site authority. Sites with authority rank higher in Google searches. Backlinks (also known as inbound links) are hyperlinks like this that link the reader from one piece of content or website to another. The above example is a backlink because it links from our site to HubSpot’s.
If HubSpot linked to us, that would be a golden backlink, providing valuable SEO power to Stratus’ website from one of the most credible, well-respected companies in the world!
So there you have it, your guide to surviving the barren landscape of the Zombie Apocalypse and the quickly changing, complex, digital landscape of inbound marketing. Follow these 5 rules, and you’re guaranteed to survive.
Happy Halloween!