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Table of Contents1 So What is Inbound Marketing? Is it Just a Fad? Inbound marketing in a nutshell What inbound marketing can do for your business? But is inbound marketing right for your business? Inbound marketing is here to stay How Inbound Marketing Works: The Basics Step 1 Attract Your Ideal Client Step 2 Convert Visitors Into Leads Step 3 Close Them Step 4 Delight Them Starting your inbound marketing journey Ready, set, go!

Table of contents

is it just

a fad?

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It’s easy these days to change the channel. Skip the ad. Toss the postcard. Ignore the phone. It’s harder than ever to get – and keep – someone’s attention. The problem: Old marketing tactics don’t work like they used to. They lead to ineffective campaigns that don’t produce consistent results. You may be suffering from ineffective marketing if you have any of the following symptoms:

☐ You know online marketing is important, but you don’t know where to start ☐ You don’t have a structured marketing plan ☐ Your current marketing efforts aren’t yielding any results ☐ You’re spending too much money per lead

If you can tick any of those boxes, you have an opportunity to make a more effective and efficient marketing change of strategy. But what? It’s time for Inbound Marketing. So what is inbound marketing? Is it just a fad? Inbound Marketing is About Starting the Conversation – Not Interrupting It Imagine being at a party and walking up to two people deep in conversation and announcing, “I’m great! You should be friends with me!” Would you be surprised if they walked away? Now imagine that instead of interrupting those people, you drew them to you by telling interesting stories and providing useful information. Instead of walking away from you, they’d be eager to talk to you. That’s the idea behind inbound marketing. Inbound Marketing is About Getting Leads As opposed to outbound marketing ( perhaps the things you’re doing now, like cold calling, sending out direct mail pieces, or even advertising on TV or Radio), which is about sending your message out to the world to prospective clients, inbound marketing is all about the idea of bringing in prospective clients to you. And when done right, it’s extremely effective.

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It’s easy these days to change the channel. Skip the ad. Toss the postcard. Ignore the phone. It’s harder than ever to get – and keep – someone’s attention. The problem: Old marketing tactics don’t work like they used to. They lead to ineffective campaigns that don’t produce consistent results. You may be suffering from ineffective marketing if you have any of the following symptoms:

☐ You know online marketing is important, but you don’t know where to start ☐ You don’t have a structured marketing plan ☐ Your current marketing efforts aren’t yielding any results ☐ You’re spending too much money per lead

If you can tick any of those boxes, you have an opportunity to make a more effective and efficient marketing change of strategy. But what? It’s time for Inbound Marketing. So what is inbound marketing? Is it just a fad? Inbound Marketing is About Starting the Conversation – Not Interrupting It Imagine being at a party and walking up to two people deep in conversation and announcing, “I’m great! You should be friends with me!” Would you be surprised if they walked away? Now imagine that instead of interrupting those people, you drew them to you by telling interesting stories and providing useful information. Instead of walking away from you, they’d be eager to talk to you. That’s the idea behind inbound marketing. Inbound Marketing is About Getting Leads As opposed to outbound marketing ( perhaps the things you’re doing now, like cold calling, sending out direct mail pieces, or even advertising on TV or Radio), which is about sending your message out to the world to prospective clients, inbound marketing is all about the idea of bringing in prospective clients to you. And when done right, it’s extremely effective.

What is inbound marketing? Is it just a fad?

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Slide #17 from 100-Stats-Charts-and-Graphs

Inbound Marketing is About Building Relationships Success from inbound marketing doesn’t happen overnight. That’s because it’s a strategy interested in the long haul. Over time, you will build the know-like-trust factor with potential customers. By giving them something of value on a regular basis, they have a reason to continue a relationship with you. How do you give them something of value? Share what you know. It’s that easy. Show that you’re an expert in your field and that you can solve their problem. You can share your knowledge and expertise by giving away content in a variety of formats like:

Blog posts Email newsletters Ebooks Free reports White papers Case studies

Infographics Webinars Podcasts Audio recordings Videos And more

Just make sure each and every piece of content you give away is informative and useful. You can do the same by engaging with prospective clients on social media platforms. This is not the time for the hard sell. Don’t talk about yourself and why you’re so great. Stay focused on your prospective customer. Remember, you want to be a good conversation partner – that means not dominating the conversation with talk about yourself.

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Inbound Marketing Can Grow Your Business Here’s what you can do for your business with an effective inbound marketing strategy:

Get quality leads. Not only will you attract leads that are the right audience for your products or services, you’ll also spend less per lead. HubSpot, a leader in inbound marketing, reports that in businesses of between 51-200 employees, the cost per lead via traditional marketing channels was $220; the cost via inbound was just $70.2

Convert leads to customers. Nurture your leads through inbound marketing until they are ready to do business with you. With inbound marketing, you don’t need the hard sell. You’re just letting your prospective customers know you’re there when they need you.

Retain current customers. The relationship doesn’t end as soon as a prospect becomes a customer. Continue to offer value, and they’ll stick around for more.


[And/or]


2 State of Inbound 2014 marketing pdf statistics, p. 52; $220 vs $70/lead for biz. 51-200 employees

Inbound marketing can grow your business

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Slide #19 from 100-Stats-Charts-and-Graphs Inbound Marketing is Here to Stay People these days are savvy. They know when they’re being sold to and they know they don’t have to put up with it. It’s so easy to delete that sales email, toss that direct mail postcard, change that channel. If you want their attention, you need to give them a reason to give it to you. So it’s back to the know-like-trust factor. They want to know you: who you are and what you do. They’d like to like you: what you say and how you say it. And they need to trust you: that you know what you’re talking about. Smart marketers and business owners have been using inbound marketing for several years now, eager to increase the know-like-trust factor and to ultimately convert leads into loyal customers. In fact, over half of marketers surveyed by HubSpot said they were already using inbound strategies.

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Slide #19 from 100-Stats-Charts-and-Graphs Inbound Marketing is Here to Stay People these days are savvy. They know when they’re being sold to and they know they don’t have to put up with it. It’s so easy to delete that sales email, toss that direct mail postcard, change that channel. If you want their attention, you need to give them a reason to give it to you. So it’s back to the know-like-trust factor. They want to know you: who you are and what you do. They’d like to like you: what you say and how you say it. And they need to trust you: that you know what you’re talking about. Smart marketers and business owners have been using inbound marketing for several years now, eager to increase the know-like-trust factor and to ultimately convert leads into loyal customers. In fact, over half of marketers surveyed by HubSpot said they were already using inbound strategies.

Inbound marketing is here to stay

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The reason smart marketers use these methods is because they work. When done in a smart and strategic way, inbound marketing is simply more efficient and more effective, dollar for dollar, than outbound marketing. Are you already using inbound strategies? Are your competitors? If they aren’t, you’re in a great position to get ahead and start talking to prospective customers. If they are, that’s even more of a reason to do it. If all of this is new to you and you’re concerned that you didn’t jump on inbound marketing last year, don’t worry – you haven’t missed the boat. It’s never too late to get started. And the sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll see results! “Is Inbound Marketing Right For My Business?” Inbound marketing is effective for businesses of all sizes, from fewer than 10 employees to 1,000 and more, with revenue of less than $250,000 to $1 billion and beyond.3 It’s effective for B2B, B2C and nonprofits. It’s effective for both online-only businesses and for brick-and-mortar stores in a wide variety of industries. Does your business fit one of those categories? Then inbound marketing can work for you! 3 State of Inbound 2014 marketing pdf statistics, p. 5

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Is inbound marketing right for my business?

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Inbound Marketing Touches Nearly Every Major Industry

Slide #28 from 100-Stats-Charts-and-Graphs How Inbound Marketing Works: The Basics So how does it all work? Well, your goal is to develop a long-term relationship with current and prospective customers. You want them to grow to trust you and see you as the go-to expert in your field. This won’t happen if you inundate them with sales-y copy and a constant barrage of offers – even if the offers are great. Instead, you want to draw prospective customers to you by providing them with valuable content in a consistent and strategic way. You want to be so generous with your knowledge and resources that they happily become leads and then customers. And you want them to be so bowled over by what you provide that they remain loyal for years to come.

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Inbound Marketing Touches Nearly Every Major Industry

Slide #28 from 100-Stats-Charts-and-Graphs How Inbound Marketing Works: The Basics So how does it all work? Well, your goal is to develop a long-term relationship with current and prospective customers. You want them to grow to trust you and see you as the go-to expert in your field. This won’t happen if you inundate them with sales-y copy and a constant barrage of offers – even if the offers are great. Instead, you want to draw prospective customers to you by providing them with valuable content in a consistent and strategic way. You want to be so generous with your knowledge and resources that they happily become leads and then customers. And you want them to be so bowled over by what you provide that they remain loyal for years to come.

How inbound marketing works: the basics

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In short, you want to Attract, Convert, Close and Delight.

The Inbound Methodology

The best way to turn strangers into customers and promoters of your business


Step 1: Attract Your Ideal Client With Great Content & Compelling Conversation Start with great content You might have heard the phrase “content is king.” It means that if you don’t have great content, you’re not going to get far with inbound marketing. The better your content is, the better your inbound marketing ROI will be. Great content is whatever is interesting, valuable, educational, useful and entertaining for your ideal customer. Come up with a buyer persona of that ideal customer to help you develop content that would appeal to them. What do they want to know? What information are they missing? How can you help them solve their biggest problem? The answers to these questions form the basis for the content you can provide. Content can come in a variety of formats – ebooks, special reports, webinars, videos, podcasts, email newsletter articles, and so on – whatever formats you think will reach your ideal customer best.

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In short, you want to Attract, Convert, Close and Delight.

The Inbound Methodology

The best way to turn strangers into customers and promoters of your business


Step 1: Attract Your Ideal Client With Great Content & Compelling Conversation Start with great content You might have heard the phrase “content is king.” It means that if you don’t have great content, you’re not going to get far with inbound marketing. The better your content is, the better your inbound marketing ROI will be. Great content is whatever is interesting, valuable, educational, useful and entertaining for your ideal customer. Come up with a buyer persona of that ideal customer to help you develop content that would appeal to them. What do they want to know? What information are they missing? How can you help them solve their biggest problem? The answers to these questions form the basis for the content you can provide. Content can come in a variety of formats – ebooks, special reports, webinars, videos, podcasts, email newsletter articles, and so on – whatever formats you think will reach your ideal customer best.

The inbound marketing methology

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One of the most effective formats is blogging. Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13 times more likely to have positive ROI on inbound marketing.4 Blogs are not just a great way to share content consistently, but they help your website get found, too.

Slide #31 from 100-Stats-Charts-and-Graphs Then get that content out there to start the conversation Once you’ve got your content, it’s time to get it out there. You can do this via your email list, through your (optimized) website and on the social media platforms where your ideal customers are already spending time. Be strategic about how and when each piece is released so you have an effective marketing funnel. Now you have something to talk about. After you Attract prospects to you, you want to Convert them into leads. Step 2: Convert Visitors Into Leads If the content you’re providing at no charge is good enough, people who are “just looking” can easily become leads. Include a call to action for them to access the free report, checklist, audio file or other piece of content you want to share. All they have to do in exchange is provide contact information like their name and email address.5

4 State of Inbound 2014 marketing pdf statistics, p. 7

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One of the most effective formats is blogging. Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13 times more likely to have positive ROI on inbound marketing.4 Blogs are not just a great way to share content consistently, but they help your website get found, too.

Slide #31 from 100-Stats-Charts-and-Graphs Then get that content out there to start the conversation Once you’ve got your content, it’s time to get it out there. You can do this via your email list, through your (optimized) website and on the social media platforms where your ideal customers are already spending time. Be strategic about how and when each piece is released so you have an effective marketing funnel. Now you have something to talk about. After you Attract prospects to you, you want to Convert them into leads. Step 2: Convert Visitors Into Leads If the content you’re providing at no charge is good enough, people who are “just looking” can easily become leads. Include a call to action for them to access the free report, checklist, audio file or other piece of content you want to share. All they have to do in exchange is provide contact information like their name and email address.5

4 State of Inbound 2014 marketing pdf statistics, p. 7

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Some things, like blog posts, don’t require contact information to see. You can still give visitors to your website the option to join your mailing list by promising to send out useful information. If they like what you have to say, they’ll be more likely to sign up. Step 3: Close Them By now, you’ve shown your leads that you know what you’re talking about. You’re an expert in your field. You know how to solve their problems. And you’re trustworthy, because you’ve been showing up consistently, always with something smart to say. Now make them a fantastic offer. You can do this on your website or directly through your email list. Some will buy right away; others won’t be ready. In fact, expect that three-quarters of your leads aren’t ready to buy yet.

Slide #87 from 100-Stats-Charts-and-Graphs For that 75%, you have a chance to nurture them and turn them into customers down the road. Continue to engage them by providing insightful, enjoyable content and conversation. Continue to show them what you’ve got and how you can help. There are two good reasons to put effort into nurturing leads: One, you’ll end up spending smarter. Two, nurtured leads spend more money.6

6 CAN ADD: INFO ON TRACKING & AUTOMATED EMAIL CAMPAIGNS

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Some things, like blog posts, don’t require contact information to see. You can still give visitors to your website the option to join your mailing list by promising to send out useful information. If they like what you have to say, they’ll be more likely to sign up. Step 3: Close Them By now, you’ve shown your leads that you know what you’re talking about. You’re an expert in your field. You know how to solve their problems. And you’re trustworthy, because you’ve been showing up consistently, always with something smart to say. Now make them a fantastic offer. You can do this on your website or directly through your email list. Some will buy right away; others won’t be ready. In fact, expect that three-quarters of your leads aren’t ready to buy yet.

Slide #87 from 100-Stats-Charts-and-Graphs For that 75%, you have a chance to nurture them and turn them into customers down the road. Continue to engage them by providing insightful, enjoyable content and conversation. Continue to show them what you’ve got and how you can help. There are two good reasons to put effort into nurturing leads: One, you’ll end up spending smarter. Two, nurtured leads spend more money.6

6 CAN ADD: INFO ON TRACKING & AUTOMATED EMAIL CAMPAIGNS

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The bottom line is, you want to keep communicating. Inbound marketing is a long-term strategy, giving you the opportunity to create long-term relationships with your customers. That takes time – but it’s worth the wait. The inbound marketing software platform HubSpot has as ROI calculator that shows how many leads, and how much revenue, a company could expect to gain with consistent inbound marketing after a year. Here’s an example of how a mid-sized B2B company might benefit from inbound marketing:

Business profile: Type: Mid-sized B2B Number of unique visitors to website each month: 1000 Number of leads converted each month: 20 Number of customers converted each month: 1 Amount average customer spends: $5,000 Potential revenue gained from inbound marketing after one year: $288,000

screen cap from the HubSpot ROI calculator using the stats above

Not bad. What could inbound marketing do for you? Try the calculator for yourself and see!

http://www.hubspot.com/roi-calculator

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Step 4: Delight Them It’s not enough just to make sales. To stand out, you have to deliver more than your customers were expecting. You have to delight them. This step is all about turning existing customers into repeat customers and repeat customers into raving fans. And those raving fans will become a great referral source for you when they tell other people why they love doing business with you. Listen to your customers. Give them opportunities to get in touch directly, through surveys, by email or with a form on your website. And pay attention to what they’re saying about you on social media so you can thank them when they sing your praises and make amends when they’re not wholly happy. Make it easy for them to spread the word about you.7 -- There you have it, the four steps in the inbound marketing cycle: Attract, Convert, Close and Delight. Ready to get started? Starting your inbound marketing journey Figure out your goals Maybe you want to add inbound marketing to your current outbound marketing efforts. Or maybe you want to take some money that had been earmarked for outbound and redirect it to get more bang for your buck. Either way, start with some goals in mind so you’re prepared to measure your success along the way. Here are some things to think about:

Attract – How many monthly visitors do you want to your site (or to a particular page on your site), and by when? Convert – How many monthly visitors do you want to turn into leads, and by when? Close – How many monthly leads do you want to become customers, and by when?

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Step 4: Delight Them It’s not enough just to make sales. To stand out, you have to deliver more than your customers were expecting. You have to delight them. This step is all about turning existing customers into repeat customers and repeat customers into raving fans. And those raving fans will become a great referral source for you when they tell other people why they love doing business with you. Listen to your customers. Give them opportunities to get in touch directly, through surveys, by email or with a form on your website. And pay attention to what they’re saying about you on social media so you can thank them when they sing your praises and make amends when they’re not wholly happy. Make it easy for them to spread the word about you.7 -- There you have it, the four steps in the inbound marketing cycle: Attract, Convert, Close and Delight. Ready to get started? Starting your inbound marketing journey Figure out your goals Maybe you want to add inbound marketing to your current outbound marketing efforts. Or maybe you want to take some money that had been earmarked for outbound and redirect it to get more bang for your buck. Either way, start with some goals in mind so you’re prepared to measure your success along the way. Here are some things to think about:

Attract – How many monthly visitors do you want to your site (or to a particular page on your site), and by when? Convert – How many monthly visitors do you want to turn into leads, and by when? Close – How many monthly leads do you want to become customers, and by when?

Starting your inbound marketing journey

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Commit to it Remember, inbound marketing is not about overnight success; it takes time. Although if you are not doing inbound marketing now it is safe to say that you will see results immediately once the plan is implemented. Plan to commit to inbound marketing efforts for a minimum period of several months and watch your marketing efforts bear fruit. Also plan to keep track of your data so you can refine your strategy as you go. Integrate it into your current marketing Inbound and outbound marketing are not mutually exclusive. Make sure that no matter what marketing methods you use, you present a consistent brand so that customers know who you are, what you can do for them and what to expect from you. Get support There’s a lot to inbound marketing: coming up with a strategy, creating great content, distributing and tracking the content, analyzing results and making constant improvements. It can be overwhelming! But you don’t have to do it alone. Get support with your inbound marketing efforts and rely on experienced inbound marketers’ expertise to help grow your business. Ready, set, go! If you haven’t gotten on board the inbound marketing train, now’s the time. And if you want some help, Sweetgrass Marketing is here to guide you on your journey. We are an Internet marketing company specializing in inbound marketing and web development. To learn more, visit us online today.

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Commit to it Remember, inbound marketing is not about overnight success; it takes time. Although if you are not doing inbound marketing now it is safe to say that you will see results immediately once the plan is implemented. Plan to commit to inbound marketing efforts for a minimum period of several months and watch your marketing efforts bear fruit. Also plan to keep track of your data so you can refine your strategy as you go. Integrate it into your current marketing Inbound and outbound marketing are not mutually exclusive. Make sure that no matter what marketing methods you use, you present a consistent brand so that customers know who you are, what you can do for them and what to expect from you. Get support There’s a lot to inbound marketing: coming up with a strategy, creating great content, distributing and tracking the content, analyzing results and making constant improvements. It can be overwhelming! But you don’t have to do it alone. Get support with your inbound marketing efforts and rely on experienced inbound marketers’ expertise to help grow your business. Ready, set, go! If you haven’t gotten on board the inbound marketing train, now’s the time. And if you want some help, Sweetgrass Marketing is here to guide you on your journey. We are an Internet marketing company specializing in inbound marketing and web development. To learn more, visit us online today.

Ready, set go!

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About Us Sweetgrass Marketing is a Website Design and Inbound Marketing Agency located in Charleston, SC. We specialize in creating strategic inbound marketing campaigns that help Businesses reach their business goals. Click Here for a Free Inbound Marketing Consultation Sweetgrass Marketing 192 East Bay Street, Suite 210-D Charleston, SC 29401 Phone: 843-834-1884 [email protected] www.sweetgrassmarketing.net

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your business - sweetgrass marketing, llc...inbound marketing is about building relationships...

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