3 Tips for Mastering Inbound Marketing

So, you’re passionate about marketing, right? There are so many theories and strategies; it’s hard to stay focused, right? Wrong! Inbound marketing has just one focus, your relationship with your clients. Below are 3 Tips that will help you stay on your client’s mind.

Tip #1: Be Where Your Clients Are!

           When looking to go into business, you need to position yourself so that it is easy for clients to get to you. The “build and they will come” approach is extremely limited, especially online! It’s like setting up a hot-dog stand on a highway. Some people might see you, but there is so much traffic around them, that the odds of them pulling over to get a hot dog with ketchup and pickles are extremely low! (Even if they are really hungry!)

So, you need to know where your client will be when they are hungry, and NOT in their car. You need to set up in a busy pedestrian area from 11:00-1:00 and 4:00-7:00. You need to make it easy for them to get to you! Set up shop right in front of their place of work! To become easy to get to online is achievable! Post regular content online that your customers would want to read. Share content like blog articles on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. Your potential clients are there! Make sure to include a link back to your website on that content.  

Tip #2:  Know Who You are Trying to Reach

It is also imperative to build a client persona. Ask yourself, "What kind of person am I trying to reach?” If you are a skateboard company, why would you set up shop next to a retirement home? (Unless the rent is incredibly low). If you aren’t focused on who you are trying to reach, it’s like shooting at a target in the dark. It helps to create a list of personality traits of the type of person you are trying to reach. Hubspot has a series of great templates that guide you through what information you need to build a solid client persona. Giving current clients surveys are excellent ways to collect information that can help you build accurate, research-based personas. You don’t have to do any guess work! Haley Marketing also has a series of ebooks that can give you more information on reaching your newest clients!

Tip #3: Regular Contact Builds Long-Term Relationships

Those Chinese food menu ninjas sure are effective at short-term advertising! They find a parking lot full of cars just before the nine-to-fivers get out of work, and BOOM, 100 cars have menus under their wipers. Someone is bound to get a hankering for sesame chicken, hot and sour soup, and a spring roll on the side. 

The problem is that after the menus stop appearing, so does the traffic to the restaurant. This is one of the reasons why coupons are so effective. They appear regularly, and in places that people see all the time; mailings, newspapers, magazines, and social media. 

Learn to nurture your relationships with your potential, current, and former clients. The Three Pillars of Customer Delight are HUGE in nurturing current clients. Learning to innovate at the right times, communicate well and regularly, and educate your clients will help you stay “top-of-mind” as your clients search for solutions and products. Nurture marketing, through regular contact, is essential if you want to transition to or maintain your inbound marketing plan. Surround your clients with regular, non-intrusive reminders that you are the best solution to their needs!

 Whether you are starting off as a “young-grasshopper” or you’ve mastered the art of Inbound Marketing, knowing who you are trying to reach is essential! Remember to stay present in your clients’ circles with tools like social media platforms, stay on-target with client personas, and nurture your clients through regular, easy-to-digest contact.