Inbound Marketing Construction Project Reality Check

  

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Image from Brick Town Talk

There's a lot of talk both on and offline about inbound marketing or permission based marketing, whatever you call it the concept is straight forward, build it and they will come. Hmmm, build what and who will come? If your company is going to build a lasting and effective web presence (this is the answer to what) so that your information is viewed and engaged with by your target audience (...the answer to who) there are a lot of details to cover in the project. Our last few posts detailed steps to planning an inbound marketing campaign along with how to increase website traffic, online lead generation, lead nurturing and website analytics and if you read these posts, (please do and pass them on!) you might have begun to appreciate something we at Inbound Marketing Experts have been saying repeatedly...there is work involved! By the way, those posts weren't an exhaustive account of what is to be done, they were the beginning steps. So build it and they will come? Absolutely! Just make sure you've got the right construction crew and foreman to lead your project otherwise you might end up with a big white elephant. Time for a reality check.

What we're going to do today is try to scare you off an inbound marketing program for your company because, well to be very honest, if you and your company aren't prepared to commit, and we mean fully commit to a comprehensive inbound marketing program then please don't! We'd like to read about your successes not failures and anything short of a full commitment is likely to result in failure. You see, we know that inbound marketing works, we at Inbound Marketing Experts live on this diet ourselves, and there are now thousands of companies who have adopted inbound marketing and are generating powerful results, more website traffic, more internet generated leads and more new business at reduced cost of acquisition. This is all true. What is also true is that to get to those results meant that there was a lot of work that went on, months of work, and here's something else for your consideration, it doesn't stop! Why would you ever consider such an investment of resources? Here's a short list of some reasons:

10 Reasons to go ahead with a corporate inbound marketing program

1. Reduced cost of business growth;
2. Increased site traffic;
3. Better targeted traffic;
4. More internet generated leads;
5. Clear and increasingly automated process to nurture prospects;
6. Each inbound marketing action builds on itself;
7. Inbound marketing generates long term sustained results;
8. Increases staff morale through involvement;
9. Improved online customer interactions;
10. Accelerates Branding.

There are more but we're going to stop at 10. If these reasons aren't enough for you then for heavens sake do not undertake an inbound marketing project! Please don't! Now, the dark side...

8 Truths About Inbound Marketing

1. Traffic- You don't just put up a site, install a blog, write a few posts and add some 'stuff' and become an overnight 'wondersite'. Be prepared to implement a content development strategy, not a content production blitz event.
2. Leads- If you think everyone that visits your company's website is going to sign up for everything you offer...you're wrong! It can take months of testing and refining to see what is going to motivate your audience to engage, make no mistake about it!
3. Nurturing- Not all leads become new business! To think otherwise is pure folly. Again, you will invest hours in developing an effective lead nurturing process.
4. Social media- You will likely stumble and fall and be frustrated by lack of apparent results, you might even feel like it has been a total waste of time and effort at times.
5. Analysis- You're going to see a bunch of numbers, site visits, page visits, percent of conversions, reach analysis, keyword penetration, and on and on. If you don't know what these numbers indicate...you'll have to learn!
6. Repetition- Fasten your seat belt. Once you've figured it out...repeat, repeat, repeat!
7. ROI- Think you're gonna see an ROI in a few months? Think again. Of course there are some exceptions, not many. What makes you so special that you're going to be one? 
8. Nervous breakdown- OK, so we're just kidding, but be prepared to pull a few hairs out along the way.

"What's it gonna be boy...yes...or no?" This is a great line from Meatloaf's song "Paradise by the dashboard light" and it applies here to your decision. Inbound marketing is a modern marketing strategy that delivers outstanding results...over time. If you want to create a long term business development asset that works 24/7 with very high ROI, then "Make it so #1", to quote Captain Picard. What do we mean? If you think you're going to test the water, we can pretty much guarantee you won't swim, at least not long. If you want to be successful with this initiative, dive in, swim hard, train some more, and keep swimming hard. You want the rewards, be prepared. As Yoda said "Do, or do not. There is no try."

...and we mean it!

We're at the edge of the future!

OK, now you know a little more. Want to discuss what inbound marketing can do for your company? We're here to help, contact us today!