How to Create an Inbound Marketing Strategy

Have you heard about the latest sensation sweeping the nation? Ok, well maybe inbound marketing isn’t exactly “sweeping the nation” but it is definitely the best new approach to handling your marketing strategy. Inbound marketing focuses on creating relevant and helpful content instead of interrupted content. Think about the difference between a free whitepaper download and a flashing pop-up ad.

Remind Me Again – What is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing is customer-oriented and customer-driven. Historically, customers had to rely on businesses to provide all the information they needed. Now, thanks to the internet, customers can easily search for businesses online and do their own research. Inbound marketing aims to capture people in their journey and gently guide them toward becoming customers. It focuses on attracting strangers to your site with snappy content (such as blogs, social media or online ads), converting those strangers into leads by offering them more unique content (such as a downloadable), then closing the sale by putting them into a workflow for follow-up and then delighting them after they become customers with content relevant to them.

How Do I Get Started with Inbound Marketing?

Follow these steps to create an inbound marketing strategy:

1. Plan + build your automation + nurturing flows. Your campaign doesn’t end when leads convert on your landing page. Plan and build your follow up campaigns to nurture leads down your funnel.
2. Write a blog post. Your campaign is awesome – don’t hide it from the world. Use your blog post as an opportunity to introduce readers to the valuable content they’ll find in your offer.
3. Share it on social media. Promote your blog post and offer through social media to drive traffic into the top of your funnel.
4. Add in long tail keywords. Make sure your campaign is SEO friendly – that way, interested prospects will find your campaign long after you stop actively promoting it.
5. Consider paid search and other channels. Other channels can be a part of your inbound campaign, too – just be sure that you are measuring the effectiveness of these channels.
6. Track your URLs. Where is your traffic coming from, and how are visitors finding you? Tracking URLs can help.
7. Report on Your Results. Hard work shouldn’t go unmeasured. You set goals at the very beginning; now it’s time to celebrate your success. Organize and show off your numbers at the end of the campaign.

Congratulations! You’ve now created your very first inbound marketing strategy. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back and wait for leads to come flowing in.

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Free Download: How to Run an Inbound Marketing Campaign

Are you dotting your T’s and crossing your eyes? Getting a marketing campaign off the ground is a frustrating mess of trying to pull together disconnected tools and channels. Instead of relying on notes scribbled on a thousand different notepads, use our Free Inbound Marketing Checklist to make sure you’ve covered all your bases. This download goes more in-depth into inbound marketing and everything you need to get going.

Need a new digital marketing or web design plan? We are a Minneapolis SEO, digital marketing, social media marketing, web design and HubSpot inbound marketing agency. We’re located just outside of Minneapolis. Stop on by and get started – and while you’re here, pick up a free honey stick (yes, we love our bee-related theme).