Inbound marketing is an important part of any online marketing strategy and is a great way to generate new customers. Inbound marketing can help increase the visibility of your website across the web: not only on search engines, but on social media and other websites as well. Although inbound marketing is a long-term strategy that takes time to build, the work is worth it. Despite the benefits of inbound marketing, many businesses have misconceptions about the strategy and its ability to help grow their business. We have compiled a list of the top misconceptions about inbound marketing to help you understand its benefits across all industries.
1. Google Updates Make SEO Irrelevant
In recent years, Google has made changes to its algorithms for search. It has improved the search engine’s ability to answer a user’s question and is better able to find relevant pages without exact keyword matches. These changes don’t make SEO relevant, though. Instead, it just means that SEO has changed. Focusing on quality content, topic clusters, and careful organization with tools like pillar pages can all improve your site’s Google rank. Even though search engines have gotten smarter, that doesn’t mean SEO is dead, it just means it’s had to evolve.
2. You Can’t Measure ROI
Many people believe that because inbound marketing is an inexact science, involving trial and error and long-term results, you can’t measure ROI. Fortunately, closed-loop analytics make it very easy to measure ROI. Google Analytics allows websites to easily track their overall traffic as well as organic traffic, referral websites, and the time that users spend on your site. Additionally, content optimization tools like HubSpot allow for more specific tracking such as which clicks convert into customers and which pages generate the most leads. These tools make it easy to analyze data and strategize ways to improve ROI.
3. It Doesn’t Work for Everyone
Every business and every individual that is selling a product or service can benefit from inbound marketing. In fact, anyone with a website, even ones without sales intentions, can benefit. Some companies and industries have to work harder than others to build buzz around their company, but it’s possible for everyone. There is no uniform approach to inbound marketing; it involves trial and error. However, inbound marketing is one of the most important aspects of online marketing and is valuable to businesses of all sizes across all industries.
4. Your Industry is too Boring to Blog About
This misconception is related to the idea that inbound marketing can’t work for everyone. Many people in less flashy industries fear that they cannot benefit from inbound marketing because no one will want to read their blogs. It’s important to remember that you want potential customers reading your blogs, not people simply looking for entertainment. Focus your blogs on common questions that your customers might ask. Reinforce the idea that your product or service can solve your potential customer’s problem and she will find her way to your blog.
5. Quantity Trumps Quality
When developing an inbound marketing strategy, many companies believe that the most effective tactic is to pump out large quantities of content as fast as possible. This belief couldn’t be further from the truth. Quality content is important because it helps build trust in potential customers. Additionally, Google factors in the quality of your content in their rankings. Therefore, it’s much more important to have high quality content than a large quantity of content.
6. You’ll See Quick Results
It’s important to remember that inbound marketing is a slow process. It focuses on building traction over time through quality content creation. Over time, your content will help build trust among potential buyers and demonstrate your authority in your industry. You’re building a brand. The content creation itself and the increase in traffic will take time. Often times, it will take 2 to 3 months to move your site to the first page of Google’s search results. Do not let the time commitment discourage you, though. Inbound marketing is extremely effective and will grow your business exponentially in time.
ImageWorks, LLC | CT Inbound Marketing
Would Inbound Marketing help my business grow? When it comes to attracting, converting, analyzing, and integrating, there is nothing that is out of the reach of our capabilities. As a leading CT Inbound Marketing firm, ImageWorks LLC uses state of the art techniques and is focused on the success of your business. We work with you to improve your current marketing plan, overcome your challenges, achieve your goals, and meet deadlines. By creating content specifically designed to appeal to your dream customers, inbound attracts qualified prospects to your business and keeps them coming back for more.
