I know we’re being inundated with messages of love all over the internet today. Nearly everyone I know on Facebook is posting memes about love… Advertisements all reference ‘love’ and songs on the radio are all about ‘love.’ Granted, love is the greatest force in the universe and ok, maybe I’m a little hypersensitive today, but how does this translate into something I can sink my teeth into on the job?
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!
When it comes to your website and your website marketing efforts, what’s not to love about Inbound marketing? If you’re a seasoned marketer, you surely agree, it’s a match made in virtual heaven. Now the tables have turned, and the one you seek is seeking you. No more interrupting your prospect and their train of thought; on the contrary, today, your prospects are seeking you out. Your mission is to make sure they can find you and you have the ability to engage with them in a meaningful and productive manner.
To be realistic, however, there’s no sense sugar coating this endeavor. Sometimes it feels like a love/hate relationship… You can bet it’s hard work, time consuming and even daunting at times. The virtual world is your oyster, yet, creating consistently compelling content, networking, lead nurturing and keeping your website optimized is no easy task. Staying on top of it all can cause one to feel like they’re wading through quick sand and sinking deeper with every step. But, rather than being sucked into a state of inertia and overwhelm, why not chunk it down into some luscious bite size pieces and fall in love with the adage, “one step at a time” and “slow and steady wins the race?”
“Believe it or not, your perseverance will pay off and before you know it, you’ll be joining the ranks of those that share the same sentiment: I LOVE INBOUND MARKETING! “
If you’re just getting started with your website marketing efforts, here is a list to get you started and thinking about your strategy. The following 5 pieces of the puzzle are the most basic, organic and simple things you can do to set a strong foundation and set your course in the right direction:
Keywords and SEO. Determine the most relevant keywords and long-tail keywords for your business. The more specific you get in choosing the most realistic “phrases” used for finding what you offer, i.e., long-tail keywords, the more targeted your audience will be. Simply put, each page of your website should be optimized for a relevant and specific keyword or keyword phrase for the products and/or services you offer. This is done in various places such as your page title, meta tags and descriptions, headings and images.
Blogging. The single most important thing you can do is begin blogging on a consistent basis… Every blog post you create is another page for Google to index for your keywords. The more pages you have, the greater your chance is of being found. It’s that simple and it’s that important…
Networking: You have to leave home to meet folks and make new friends and it’s no different in the virtual world. Whether you’re sharing your product or service via social media, industry specific forums or making comments on other sites, if you don’t get out of your house i.e., your own website, and move out of your comfort zone, you’ll make little impact and the ripple effect will not reach anywhere near what possibilities exist.
Offers for Lead Capturing: This includes (compelling) CTAs (calls-to-action) pointing to specific content related offers such as ebooks, whitepapers, subscriptions or consultations, as well as the landing pages where the form and offer resides. Both should be eye-catching, enticing and compelling enough to cause your visitor to want to take action.
Lead Nurturing: After someone converts on an offer, ideally you’ll want to have an email campaign that will automatically begin and keep the engagement and conversation alive. Based upon what they gave you their contact information for, you will determine how you want to engage them further and what the next CTA should be. If you’re willing to put some thought into this and predict what their needs are throughout the process, you’ll be able to keep their interest sparked through each and every touch.
The Love Affair Begins
Hopefully, it’s clear that your foundation then, must be built around these activities so that when visitors come to your website (no matter how they found you), you have a clear plan to engage, capture and lead them through your sales funnel. Like a dance, you’ll have the ability to pace, lead, engage and fulfill them and because of this, you’ll have set the stage for a relationship that is not only mutually fulfilling, but stands the test of time. After all, isn’t that what love’s all about?
(Just in case you need a little assistance keeping track of it all, take advantage of our FREE marketing and editorial calendar. You’ll find everything you need to keep track of all your marketing efforts. From events to PR, promotions and all your inbound marketing efforts in-between, you’ll find this an invaluable tool to get and stay on track for your best year yet!)
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