Inbound marketing is an important strategy to grow your business in today’s world. Studies have shown that the ever-adapting strategy is able to target customers as they change the way they shop. Because this strategy is so important, there is a lot of information out there about the approach. Here are some of the top misconceptions that people have about inbound marketing tactics.
You Can’t Measure ROI
Many people believe that because inbound marketing is somewhat of an inexact science, you can’t measure the ROI. Fortunately, closed-loop analytics make it very easy to measure ROI. Content optimization tools like Hubspot make it easy to track, which clicks convert into customers. These tools make it easy to analyze data and strategize ways to improve ROI.
It Doesn’t Work for Everyone
Every business and every individual that is selling a product or service can benefit from inbound marketing. 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 truly the marketing strategy of the future and is valuable to businesses of all sizes across all industries.
SEO is Irrelevant
In recent years, Google has made changes to its algorithms for search. It’s improved its ability to answer the searcher’s question and has become better at finding relevant pages without exact keyword matches. These changes don’t mean that SEO is no longer relevant; it simply means that SEO has changed. SEO will always evolve in order to stay in line with search engine algorithms. The era of keyword stuffing is behind us, but the era of SEO is here to stay.
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.
It Only Focuses on Top-Of-The-Funnel Prospects
The great thing about inbound marketing is its ability to reach people on every stage of the buyer’s journey. During the Awareness and Consideration stages, your content will help educate the buyer on their challenges and how your product or service can solve their problem. Inbound marketing will help follow the customer into the Decision stage, nurturing the lead and personalizing content while creating offers that will convert the lead into a buyer. Inbound marketing is useful because it engages buyers in every stage of the process, rather than focusing on just one section of the funnel.
Your Industry Is Too Boring to Blog About
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.
You’ll See Results Overnight
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.
