Launching your first inbound marketing campaign can be very exciting and quite the memorable moment. In this post, we will discuss crucial information that you should keep in mind while you assemble the pieces of the inbound marketing puzzle. If you keep these in mind, you will be ahead of the game and ready to rake in results.
The Knowledge That Results Take Time
Inbound marketing can be frustrating for many business owners, especially considering that all the hard work you put in at the beginning can take 6-12 months before showing you measurable results. Unfortunately, it takes time to build a targeted audience, create engaging content, optimize your website for SEO and gather enough data to improve your conversion rates. Perhaps more importantly, though, it is important to recognize that taking part of a discussion with your customers is an organic process that takes time as you establish rapport.
The results will come – but a little patience in the outset, combined with realistic expectations, will keep you from feeling frustrated during those initial months.
Can I Do Anything To See Results Faster?
If you absolutely can’t wait the 6-12 months that it typically takes, you will need to write as much remarkable content as you can on a regular basis. For example, if you can manage to write 15 blog posts a month instead of 10, you will likely generate more results. In the meantime, it is essential that you maintain perspective and composure when you are developing and planning your first campaign. With the right timing and patience, you will begin to see results; it all depends on how much effort you put into creating content that is directed towards the right people.
With that said, let’s look at the content pieces that you need to succeed:
The Offer
First, you need to create an offer that your ideal buyer persona would find valuable. Creating a gated content offer will help you attract visitors, generate leads, and, hopefully, close customers. Creating engaging and useful content will position you as an expert within your particular industry. The more people trust you and your knowledge, the more likely they will be to buy from you. Offers can take many forms, ranging from Comparison Charts, Buying Guides, and Free Quotes; regardless, they must offer something of value!
Blog Posts
Consider this: every new blog entry adds a new page to your website. If your blog is configured properly, each new blog page will have “internal links” to your site’s home page, category pages, testimonial pages and any other important pages that you’re trying to get ranked. These internal links pass your blog’s authority and PageRank to these important pages, increasing their importance in the eyes of Google (and, of course, sending your blog’s visitors to those pages as well).Your Conversion Path
Creating a stable conversion path can be tricky for many first time Inbound marketers. A conversion path consists of a landing page, a thank you (landing) page, and one or more call to action (CTA). It is essential that you label of all the components under the same campaign name, so that you can receive accurage reporting.- Landing Page: Your site’s landing pages are designed to generate leads, and they act as a gate to your offer. Once a site visitor fills out the form on your initial landing page, offering you their contact information, then they will be directed to your thank-you page, where you allow them to access the content.
- Thank You Page: The thank you page hosts the offer your contact has opted in for as well as provides next steps to move your contact through the funnel (typically a secondary offer).
- CTAs: A call to action button is clickable and leads the user to the landing page for your offer. Calls to action should be placed in appropriate locations (places where users usually look) around your site and relevant blog posts.
If you want to see how these pieces work together, click on our call-to-action below!
