7 Factors That Will Make or Break Your Inbound Marketing Success

When you think of inbound marketing, it makes sense to think of it as a puzzle. It isn’t just one type of marketing, but multiple strategies and channels that come together to form your overarching marketing initiative. This can include content, email, blogging, SEO, social media, paid online ads, paid search, and more.

When talking about inbound marketing, you’ll want to make sure you’re following these seven tips to ensure success.

1. Content Is King

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times—content is king. There’s a reason people put so much emphasis on content—it’s one of the most important factors in any marketing initiative. This is your chance to reach your audience and provide them with the information you want them to know—it’s your connection to your users.

Including specific keywords in your content can help you rank for specific topics, reaching more customers in your target audience.

2. Research

Going into an inbound marketing initiative having done no research is a big mistake. First of all, you need to know your stuff. If your marketing efforts give the impression that you’re not an expert in your field, your audience will search elsewhere for answers.

Additionally, you need to research your target market and understand how to attract them. If you’re selling a trendy makeup product, you’re likely going to be targeting your ads towards females between the ages of 13 and 40. As such, you’ll want to communicate with them on their channels, in a style that they can relate to. Your targeted ads should also focus on this group. Understanding who your audience is and what prompts them to make purchases is how you’re going to effectively market your product through inbound marketing.

3. Your Website’s Homepage

Did you know 75 percent of people determine the credibility of a company based on its website? A cheap, poorly designed website can scare customers away from investing in your products or services. Your website is the hub of all your inbound campaigns. Make sure your design, navigation, and content are on point to appeal to your target audience.

4. Frequency

Once you’ve established a following with your inbound marketing efforts, frequency is important. You can’t post a status or send an email once a year and expect to see results. Based on your company’s goals and resources, determine the most reasonable frequency for your communications. Depending on the platform you’re using, whether it’s blogging, social media, or email, the frequency with which you share information with your audience may vary, but consistency is key.

5. CTAs

The whole purpose of inbound marketing is to attract users and convince them to take an action. Make sure the calls to action (CTAs) in your digital marketing efforts are clear and concise so you can get those conversions.

The more steps your CTA requires, the less likely your audience will follow through.

6. Budget

The best way to reach people is to put money behind your marketing efforts. While you may not want to invest your life savings in your inbound marketing initiatives, you have to spend money to make money. Putting money behind your targeted ads or paid search increases the chance of reaching your audience, allowing your marketing efforts to make a greater impact.

7. Google

If you’re not ranking in Google’s top spot, let alone the first page of Google, your website might be in trouble. The top spot on Google receives 33 percent of all search traffic. While the click-through rate on Google’s first page is 71 percent, once you get onto the second and third pages, this number drops dramatically to six percent. This is traffic and leads that you can’t afford to be missing. Learn to optimize your website to snag the top spot.