How Hard Is It To Implement Inbound Marketing?

The Ultimate Roadmap Towards An Inbound Marketing Strategy

By now, I’m sure you are aware of the many benefits inbound marketing provides. For instance, you probably know that it involves creating and sharing content, not interrupting potential customers with spammy ads, and if executed properly, can be used as an ideal stepping stone to building strong relationships with your customers.

All of this aside, what you may not know, is that inbound marketing is not easy or quick fix. It requires a long-term investment of time, consistency and tactics; not something that is done within a month. A good strategy takes time to implement, which requires good time management and consistency that many organizations just don’t have the bandwidth to adhere to.. It’s more than just posting a few blogs here and there, all of your marketing efforts must be perfectly aligned.. However, when a business is successful with an inbound marketing strategy, that extra effort is worth its weight in gold.

If you struggle with consistently publishing blog articles or are unsure how many leads you are getting from a gated white paper that meets your target persona’s challenges head-on, then you have come to the right place. Let’s break down a true inbound marketing implementation process.

Here are 8 factors needed to ensure inbound marketing implementation success:

1. Content strategy: Take note - this is the most vital component for inbound marketing success! The main reason you need a content strategy is to make sure that all the content you produce across your organization is working as hard as it can for you. You want your content to tell a consistent and compelling story with information that is meaningful and engaging. When you craft this story, you want to be able to connect the dots and have everything easily mapped out to provide a valuable experience to the reader. Also, be sure you know what your marketing strategy focuses on.
2. Design: The design of your strategy is in reference to all of your inbound marketing templates, like your landing page, email and blogs. Ideally, you want to format what your writing into a professional-looking document that people will want to download and read, while also matching your brand's personality.
3. Deliverables/Offers/Copywriting: What this means is creating content for all three stages of the buyer’s journey: Awareness, Consideration, and Decision. Your deliverables should include 5 things:A nicely designed call-to-action button strategically placed throughout your website (positioning is based upon how your target persona’s are visiting your website based upon where they are in the buying decision)
   1. A landing page copy that is well written with attractable headlines and bullet points
   2. A form to collect data on your visitors so that you can continue to nurture them through the sales cycle
   3. A thank you page that delivers the offered content
   4. A follow up email to deliver the content for those visitors who aren’t into downloading content on their smartphones. 
4. Promotion: What action plan will you take to promote your deliverables? Every industry and audience is unique, so determining which inbound channel will be the most effective in promotion is extremely important. (Search engine optimization, blogging, social media, etc). We call these channels “inbound” because prospects “discover” our content as they search the Web or visit their favorite social networks. So plan out your strategy ahead of time to ensure a certain channel is the right choice for your business.
5. Blog content: You should aim to publish at least 2 blogs per week with content consistent to what your buyer personas find valuable. This will assist to move the needle in SEO and website visits that actually answer their challenges! Now, keeping up with 2 blog posts per week can seem overwhelming. Instead, consider creating a blog content calendar to get you organized, track keyword use, and make certain content is developed on time.
6. Email content: Your buyer journey should become second nature to you, and you should be able coin exactly where a person is in that journey before making contact. So, say goodbye to old-school standard newsletters! Deliver emails that continue to educate your contacts and provide value based upon where the person is in their buying decision.. The more targeted your lists are and relevant your message, the higher your conversion rates will be.
7. Social media content: Okay, not to sound like a broken record, but just as you mapped out your blog content and email content, the same falls true for social media. Plan what you will be posting ahead of time, ask questions that will encourage engagement and provide solutions to your buyer personas’ challenges.
8. Test and analyze: Last, but not least, test and analyze everything I just covered! Everything that was mentioned would be useless if you weren’t able to determine how well a blog was doing or what the open rates were from your last email. 

Phew! I’m done listing important factors, I promise. If you are feeling a tad anxious at just how much goes into implementing an inbound marketing strategy, it’s completely understandable! I wasn’t joking when I said it was a lot of work! I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say embarking on an inbound strategy is easy.

As challenging as it may seem, it doesn’t have to be intimidating! I will tell you one thing, making this transition provides so many more rewards and benefits that you could ever deem possible.

Consider partnering with an agency that knows the ins and outs of effective strategies and implementation to get your feet off the ground. This way, you will have someone there holding your hand and helping your business grow every step of the way! Feel free to reach out to us today for more information on implementing an inbound marketing strategy, or even if you just need a few pointers; we’d love to chat!