In today’s Web 2.0 universe a website is your best business-building tool. In order to compete in this arena and boost your online findability, you now must factor in strategy and tactics that actively promote your online presence.
Recent business trends identify this practice as Inbound Marketing. My favorite software-based marketing agency Hubspot defines the principal of Inbound Marketing as follows:
"Inbound Marketing is marketing focused on getting found by customers vs. traditional marketing by which (outbound marketing) companies focus on finding customers." Read more
(image: courtesy of Hubspot)
Inbound Marketing practices turn traditional marketing on its ears by deploying three main tactics:
1.) Creation of sharable content - create strategic content assets such as a blog, video, photo, or slide presentation that conveys information of value to your visitors and helps to showcase your brand.
2.) Sharing of assets across social media channels – using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr and You Tube, share your content assets to a broad community, which in turn, further builds your base of connections.
3.) Optimization of content for the social web – employ SEO tactics that drive more customers back to your website.
(image: courtesy of Hubspot)
In the world of Inbound Marketing Content Is King
Essentially, Inbound Marketing requires that you make an investment in your content. In practice, you must create something of value for your visitors that they will in turn share with their networks. Eventually the cycle comes full circle when their extended network of friends FINDS YOU. Ultimately, if you drive more traffic to your website you increase your chance of selling more of your offerings to more customers.
Does traditional marketing still play a role? Well yes, but Inbound Marketing practices are inexpensive by comparison only requiring your TIME (or a designated employee’s time) to generate great content that gets you noticed.
So what have you got to lose? Start by blogging today!