Directors Archives - Page 22 of 52 - Stevens & Tate Marketing

How To Assess Your Inbound Marketing Plan

September 21, 2021/in Articles, Attraction Marketing, Directors, Inbound Marketing /by Nicole Wagner

Inbound marketing has become one of the most efficient ways for marketers to sell online. It is based on developing high-quality content to relevant to the prospective buyers who you can turn into buyers. This kind of marketing allows the user to determine whether the inbound marketing plan is productive or not. Marketing metrics is a part of attraction marketing and your inbound marketing plan is a part of marketing metrics.

For most business firms actual and quantifiable results are more beneficial for better business decision. By using real-time metrics it is easy to identify the best content and customize the conversion tactics for more sales. The following are factors to be considered when measuring the effectiveness of your inbound marketing plan.

The Desired Goals And Objectives

One way to measure the performance of your campaign is listing the organizational goals. Assessing available opportunities as compared to the current number of customers, allows you to ensure both marketing and sales efforts are productive. Some of the real-time metrics that can be used for this step include; the number of conversion produced, where your prospects are in your sales funnel and lastly the number of buyers in your marketing niche. By stacking the results from such a test against the organizational goals will help you know the results of your marketing campaign.

Read More: 5 Examples Of Goals For Business Development.

Competitive Benchmarking

At times comparing your inbound marketing techniques to your competitors will allow you to identify the best strategies. By selecting the tactics that your competitors are succeeding at and eliminating those that fail your competitors will help you stay ahead. The first people to use inbound marketing in their industry have the chance to create a benchmark for their competitors. For better access to the progress of your competition, online tools like Google analytics or website grader will give you more information. Some platforms like Hubspot allow the user to see traffic density and the domains linked to your site. Such data will allow you to select the best inbound campaigns.

Social Media

Social media offer a way to get maximum attention to your website. Researching carefully about the target market allows you to know what social media platform get to the best of your customers and prospects. After deciding the best social media platform, you should approach it strategically. You can start by developing a plan on how to release some posts or discussing some topics depending on the content calendar. The idea is to compare the number of conversions each post brings. If one type of content brings more conversions then you should focus on it and eliminate the ones with fewer reads. The concept behind this is to drive conversions to the website from social media community.

Financial Spending

For any inbound marketing campaign, there must be a budget that comes with it. The budget should be based on the organizational goals to be achieved and the time frame. This provides a chance to compare between the marketing campaigns that are currently running. If you have a part of the campaign that has more expenses with fewer leads yet there are other options that are more productive, it will be better to switch and focus on the productive ones. For those campaigns that use more money like free advertising and free samples, you can re-strategize and utilize inbound marketing that has more measurable ROI features.

Develop Your Nurturing Process

Though for most buyers if your products are amazing they will buy immediately but for some a relationship is important. Lead nurturing allows you to focus on the target market and depending on the buyer’s journey it is easy to make your sales funnel a metric. By carefully designing the sales funnel to provide the prospect with motivation to buy and include clear calls to action, this will provide a position of measurement and comparison. If there are certain goals to be achieved linking conversion rates with the number of new customers will give you a clear picture of the growth curve.

Conclusion

Every company has a unique business structure, meaning they have different inbound marketing approaches. The success of a marketing campaign will depend on the contributions of the company sales team, this means you should clearly state your inbound marketing plan and goals to be achieved for better measurements.

Drip Email Marketing vs. Lead Nurturing Campaigns; When To Use Each

August 31, 2021/in Articles, Attraction Marketing, Direct Marketing, Directors, Lead Nuturing /by Dan Gartlan

Many marketing tools seem similar and are often mistaken for one another. Two tactics that are often confused are drip email marketing and lead nurturing campaign. It’s true that there are similarities in the way they work. However, they are two distinct tactics that serve different purposes. You should have both in your marketer’s toolbox to use when appropriate, especially with attraction marketing. Let’s learn a bit about each tactic and when they should be used.

Email Drip Marketing

Emails are a huge part of modern marketing. One email marketing option is email drip marketing. Named after drip coffee makers, this marketing tactic sends out emails at specific timed intervals. Time is the only factor used to indicate when an email is sent. Nothing else.

When should you use email drip marketing?

Educating prospects on all the products and services in your company’s portfolio.
Keeping your brand in front of your customers while they are contemplating a purchase.
Announcing new products or services for your business.
Showcasing best sellers in your portfolio.

A well-crafted drip email campaign can educate and inform your audience. However, done too frequently, or used only to pitch products or services, your audience may perceive these emails as spam.

[Read About Interactive Email Marketing Trends Here]

Lead Nurturing Campaigns

A lead nurturing campaign is not based on timed emails. It is based on the lead’s behavior. When a lead performs a specific behavior, it triggers an email with targeted information to be sent to your audience. These emails are designed to guide the lead through the buying process.

This type of campaign depends on gathered information about the lead’s behavior. Specific behaviors that can trigger an email include:

Which whitepapers grab the lead’s attention
How many times they visit a specific page on your website
Which webinar they attend
Which of blog post category they spend the most time in

The goal of the emails sent during a lead nurturing campaign is to deliver useful information at critical points in the sales cycle.

A marketing automation system is ideal for lead nurturing. You can build full campaigns within the system that automates almost everything in the process. The power of marketing automation systems is their ability to capture key data. This then triggers the specific emails that nurture leads.

They Complement Each Other Very Well

Drip email campaigns and lead nurturing campaigns, if well designed, will do their jobs well. They both help leads engage with your brand and give leads the information needed to make an informed decision about your products and services.

They are each powerful tools in the marketer’s toolbox on their own, but working together, they are even more powerful. Coordinated campaigns can help close deals faster and keep your brand ahead of the pack.

The Right Lead Nurturing Strategy Can Help You Stay Top of Mind

August 27, 2021/in Advertising Agency, Articles, Attraction Marketing, Directors, Lead Nuturing /by Nicole Wagner

Just as you put thoughtfully planned initiatives in place to help with new lead generation, you must also think about how you will then nurture these prospects through the sales cycle once you obtain the lead. Successful attraction marketing is having leads. A smart, strategic email and direct mail program can help you maintain a consistent connection with prospects and grow the relationships you have available to you—remaining ‘on their list’ and top of mind when they are ready to act.

Lead Nurturing Basics

It’s a proven fact: marketing needs to assist sales in order to achieve the most effective conversion results. So when you create a program that keeps prospects in touch with your thinking beyond just a salesperson’s outreach, you provide an opportunity to push the prospect through their journey faster. Utilize various outbound communications as key touch-points that complement the sales teams efforts, yet showcase your company’s thinking on a different level. Provide information contacts may be seeking out—not what you want to tell them—to build trust as they make their way to a purchase decision.

Key Considerations

The goal is to offer interesting, relevant and varied content that is not primarily self-serving in nature. Begin by creating a detailed plan for messaging and scheduling of communications. Think about common questions prospects may have, and how you can provide those answers while conveying your competitive advantages, promoting educational content you have to offer, and building trust in your abilities.

A study by DemandGen found that leads that are nurtured with targeted content produce an increase in sales opportunities of more than 20%. To ensure even greater success, target content to coincide with the behavior and mindset of your audiences at different points in their journey—naturally guiding them through the sales funnel by providing the right information at the right time in the buying process.

[Read About The Importance Of Lead Generation Content Marketing]

Fine Tuning

Set a solid foundation for your program by maintaining an up-to-date database with as much information on each prospect as possible. Determine the activity level, timing and quantity of communications that makes sense for each. Be organized, yet allow for adjustments as your program evolves. Track and score behavior and deliver content accordingly, allowing the sales team to receive better quality leads along the way to reach their goals. And remember: conversion is the ultimate objective. Always hold something back—never tell the whole story in your email—make them want to click through to your site or landing page to learn more.

How Marketing Automation Can Help

According to ChadwickMartinBailey, 56% of U.S. email users unsubscribe from a business or nonprofit email subscription because of content that is no longer relevant. Automation makes it easier to schedule emails, segment contacts, manage your content, trigger responsive emails based on actions, and track the lifecycle of prospects in your marketing funnel. By addressing their specific needs, contacts stay engaged; yet you are ultimately in control because you set the parameters for informing, interacting with and nurturing each lead. It provides you the ability to better target your contacts in a personalized way—assisting the buying decision based on their behavior—and leading to increased conversion rates. Consider investing in one of many standard marketing automation software systems to simplify your Top of Mind program initiatives.

The Buyer’s Journey Explained Stage By Stage

August 16, 2021/in Directors, Inbound Marketing /by Nicole Wagner

As technology advances, the amount of research done prior to making a purchase increases. Because it is so convenient to search for questions and concerns on a smartphone, tablet, or computer, people are becoming more cautious in their purchase decisions and want to be absolutely sure that they make the right choice. That’s why it is a marketer’s job to help this consumer and lead them through the “Buyer’s Journey”.

The Buyer’s Journey is the 3 step process that someone goes through leading up to a purchase decision, comprised of an awareness stage, consideration stage, and decision stage. In simpler terms, the Buyer’s Journey is the consumer’s procedure before buying a product or service.

No matter what stage your audience is in, including perfect CTAs that lead to a relevant and beneficial content offering is essential. Also read 3 Helpful Tips To Improve Your CTAs.

Improve Your Marketing Strategy By Asking These 4 Questions

August 5, 2021/in Articles, Directors, Marketing Strategy /by Dan Gartlan

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Sun Tzu – The Art of War

Often in business, we feel like we’re on a good marketing strategy. But, as we move further away from when that strategy was defined, we’re really just going through the motions. Activities are being completed, but we lose sight of why we are doing them and what they are supposed to accomplish. In addition, there can be changes in the marketplace, competitor’s messaging, consumer concerns, and even the methods of communication.

8 Tips on Social Media Best Practices For Your Business

Most companies review their strategies at year-end, but the best businesses are updating and improving their strategy more often than annually. By more frequently updating your marketing strategies and refocusing your activities, you will stay on track, get through all of the noise and reach your audience.

How about a summer strategy tune up?

Make sure that you’re staying on track to achieve your goals. Ask yourself these four questions:

Does your media mix properly address the ever-changing ways your target audience consumes information?
Is your messaging strategy corresponding with your current competitive advantages?
Does your social media have a strong strategy that echoes your brand yet reaches beyond?
Are there measurements to track whether or not your tactics are executing your strategy?

Stevens & Tate is a full-service advertising agency specializing in strategic creative thinking. Contact our team to discuss your marketing strategy today.

How to create a buyer persona template for the homebuilder market

July 27, 2021/in Articles, Directors, Homebuilder Marketing, Inbound Marketing /by Mark Beebe

When it comes to marketing to your target audience, using basic demographics, such as age, married status, income, and geography is no longer enough. That kind of information, while helpful, is still too general. Your home building services are going to appeal to certain types of buyers, which means you’re going to need to pinpoint who those buyers are in order to market your brand effectively. To do this, you’ll want to develop a customer persona (also known as a buyer persona).

A customer persona is a representation of everything that makes up your ideal customer. This persona does include some of the information that businesses typically use, such as basic demographics. However, an effective customer persona needs to go beyond just age and geography. The following is a customer persona template to help you better identify who your target audience is:

1. Collect Customer Data

The best way to put together your customer personas is by turning to your actual customers for information. Speak with 5 to 10 of your previous and existing customers. Don’t just speak with customers for whom you built homes. Speak with customers who you may not have completed a deal with, but who you had a good relationship with despite that. In fact, it might be easier to just ask previous and existing customers if they would fill out a survey for you. This way, you can create a survey that asks questions that will provide you with the information you need. Some of the information you should ask these customers include:

How old they are
Why they are (or were) looking to build a new home
What kind of features they were looking for (such as an open floor plan or a garage) and why they needed those features
Whether they’ve owned homes in their past
What they do for a living
What income level they belong to
How often they use social media (and what platforms they typically use)
How they found out about your company (this allows you to identify what channels to target)

In addition to gathering information from your current and previous clients, you can also find a lot of helpful data through your social media channels by studying the behavior of your followers. What kind of questions are they asking? Who else are they following? What kind of content do they share?

2. Create a Personality for Your Customer Persona

Once you’ve collected your customer data, you’ll want to organize it, merging the information you have into distinctive personalities. While you’re going to find that some information is similar (for example, you could find out that the income levels of your customers happen to be very similar), some of it will be different. Because of this, you’ll need to create multiple customer personas.

With multiple customer personas, you’ll be able to personalize your marketing to more effectively target the different parts of your audience. Each customer persona that you create in essence represents a different group of people. Because they’ll potentially have different backgrounds, different goals and different needs, you’ll need to adjust your marketing strategy for each one. Give your buyer personas names to help shape their personality, thereby making a stronger customer persona template.

Some customer persona templates also recommend going beyond demographics and personal background to develop a personality for each persona. For example, some homebuyers may carefully think over every decision they make, while others make more impulsive decisions.

Last, but not least, you should give each persona a name, an age range and a picture. This helps make it easier to figure out ways to reach this persona since it will make you feel like you’re trying to reach an actual individual and not just targeting demographics. This alone should allow you to be more effective at personalizing your marketing efforts.

How does one use buyer persona’s in senior living marketing? Click here!

3. Define the Goals and Needs of Your Customer Persona

As a homebuilder, one of your main priorities should be to position yourself to meet the specific goals and needs of your customers. The goals and needs of your customers are a big part of your customer persona template. Different buyers are going to have different needs. For example, some buyers may be looking to build a home to raise a family in, while others may be looking at the home building process as a short-term investment.

What’s important to understand about your audience is that goals and needs are going to vary depending on certain factors. These factors are often found in the demographics of each customer. For example, different generations tend to have different goals and needs. Someone in their mid-30s that’s just starting a family is likely looking for a house that they can raise their children in. Someone in their 60’s is likely to look for a home that they can age in place in, meaning that it’s designed for convenience and accessibility.

4. Identify the Challenges of Your Customers

Knowing what the challenges of your audience are will allow you to more effectively present your services as a solution. This means understanding what customers didn’t like about previous homes they lived in, what changes they want to make and what their personal preferences are. For example, maybe their last home had a yard that was too big for them to maintain, but they still want to be able to spend time outside on their property. Or maybe the challenge is financial — they have a limited budget to work with, but are expecting to expand their family in the future when their careers are further along. Realizing what these challenges are will make it easier for you to craft a clear and concise brand message to your audience

Understand that a customer persona template isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution — it’s meant to help you better understand who your customers are so that you can identify the homebuyers that would benefit most from the types of services you can provide as a homebuilder. Real estate marketing, after all, is about connecting the right customer to the right property.

How To Use Targeted CTAs To Increase Lead Conversion

July 9, 2021/in Articles, Attraction Marketing, Directors, Lead Nuturing /by Nicole Wagner

Lead conversion can prove a tricky mistress, but inbound software has changed the way marketers interact with their prospective clients. They now reach customers through clever virtual workflows and smart targeting. Specifically, targeted CTAs can help convert the visitors to leads 42% more often than standard CTAs. A good CTA is a part of attraction marketing. Let’s look at how to use targeted CTAs to increase lead conversion.

What is a “Smart” CTA?

Targeted or smart CTAs convert visitors to leads by tailoring the content to a specific user. They’re based on segmented lists and what stage of the customer lifecycle they’re in. Basically, based on the data your lead generation software is provided, a smart CTA changes dynamically enabling your pages and calls-to-action to be more effective and targeted.

Read More: 3 Helpful Tips To Improve Your CTAs To Generate More Leads

Slice Up Your Contacts: Use Segmented Lists

If you’re not already using segmented lists, you may as well be throwing darts at an indiscriminate and undefined dart board. In other words, if your contacts occupy one single list or a small handful, then you’re really not leveraging your lead conversion software to the max.

Start by creating filters that help define your buyer personas. For example, you may want to create a filter to put “C” level managers with 100-300 employees in a 3-state area in a specific list or perhaps you want to simply create a list where follow-up emails can be generated. In either case, making your lists and your leads more specific will definitely increase the effectiveness of targeted CTAs.

Get Personal: Design and Copy

Finally, let’s talk about getting personal with your leads’ CTAs. Not in a weird way, but in a way that can actually close some sales! Smart CTAs have the ability to change the copy on a CTA button or change the design based on the end user.

If you’re selling chocolate candy bars to a potential customer, perhaps you want them to click the “Get a Free Sample Here” CTA at which point they become a lead and potentially a sale. On the other hand, however, your website may be entertaining an existing chocolate buyer who already loves your product. As a result, giving them a sample won’t necessarily get the job done nor further the value of your expertise as a chocolateer.

This is where smart CTAs show their beauty. Instead of offering a sample, a smart CTA would show your existing customer the “There’s S’more to Chocolate” CTA. Here, they can learn about how to use your product to their advantage. While the example may seem silly, the fact of the matter is that both the design and copy can be altered based on the input of your CRM.

How Facebook Advertising Helps You

June 30, 2021/in Articles, Directors, Social Media /by Nicole Wagner

Facebook has had its share of controversy over the past few years, yet it remains as popular as ever. As of this year, there are roughly 190 million Facebook users in the U.S. alone. Worldwide, the monthly user base is approaching three billion. As such, Facebook advertising continues to be an effective way to reach your target audience and to generate leads for your business. If you’re not using Facebook Ads as a part of your social media marketing strategy, then you should consider changing that, immediately.

The Benefits Of Using Facebook Ads

There are plenty of PPC (Pay-per-click) advertising options available across the Internet, including Google Ads. However, there are a number of reasons why you should use Facebook Ads in particular.

Reach Facebook users with greater success – There’s no guarantee that the content you post on your page is seen by your audience. Followers may not be online when you post and even if they are, there’s no guarantee your posts show up on their feed. Facebook Ads lets you target specific followers to whom your ads will be relevant so that they will be sure to see them.
Remarket to users who engaged with you previously – Facebook users who may have visited your Facebook page or website previously won’t always re-engage. Facebook Ads allows you to target such users to re-engage with them, thereby helping ensure that you don’t miss out on potentially high-quality leads.
Facebook Ads are very cost-effective – Like all PPC ads, you can set your bids per click and you will only pay for the actual clicks the ads get. This makes it much easier to control how much of your budget you spend on your ads — and also ensures that you’re only paying for results.
Generate new leads on Facebook – Besides being able to target specific users from your follower list, you can also use the “Lookalike Audiences” feature to find and target users that are similar to your followers, thereby allowing you to identify and reach new potential leads.
You can scale your Facebook Ads to build on any success – You can scale your ads. This means that if an ad is doing particularly well, you can put more money into it in order to build on its success. Once it’s no longer performing the way you want it to, you can simply stop them. You can also take an ad that’s been successful and duplicate it. This allows you to target a different audience with the same content.
Facebook Ads Manager offers in-depth analytics – The analytics tool makes it easy to track and compare ad performance, allowing you to make adjustments to your strategy on the fly.
Facebook Ads Manager makes ad creation easy – Facebook Ads Manager makes it incredibly easy to create content for your ads, tailor your ads to your needs, and target specific audiences.

Ready to read more about the benefits of Facebook Advertising ?

How To Use Facebook Ads Manager

Facebook Ads Manager is the feature that will let you create and run your Facebook Ad campaigns. Follow these easy steps to find Facebook Ads Manager:

Ad Center > All Ads > Ads Manager

Once you select Ads Manager, you’ll be directed to the Facebook Ads Accounts page. Here, you can add users to your account and choose roles for each user. These roles can be Ad account admin, advertiser, or analyst.

Creating Ads In Facebook Ads Manager

Once you’re on the Ads Manager page, you shouldn’t have much trouble figuring out how to create ads. There’s a Create Ad button at the top right corner. Once you click on it, you’ll be provided with 15 different ad objectives to choose from. You’ll then be presented with a variety of options for customizing your ads. Options include choosing CTA buttons, images, and more. On top of that, you’ll be able to set the budget, the schedule, and your targeted audience, which can include:

Users who visited your page
Users who engaged with your content
Users who clicked on a CTA
Users who sent you a message
… and more

Once you create your ads and your campaign, you can edit your campaigns, ad sets, or ads. One at a time or in groups. For instance, you can:

Edit the campaign, ad set, or ad names
Edit your budget
Switch on and off
Edit the target audience
Edit the schedule
Edit the ad placement
Edit the individual elements of the ad

Leverage Facebook Advertising This Year

Facebook Ads are a great way to engage your followers as well as generate new leads. The customization options and reporting features provided by Facebook Ads Manager make advertising on Facebook a user-friendly experience. As such, be sure to implement the use of Facebook Ads into your social media marketing strategy if you haven’t done so already.

Integrating Social Media & SEO Efforts For Enhanced Search Engine Results

Your Brand Reputation and Public Relations

June 28, 2021/in Articles, Brand Development, Directors /by Nicole Wagner

Public relations (PR) traditionally consisted of press releases and news conferences, and very little else. However, these days, PR has taken on greater importance, especially when it comes to your marketing strategy. After all, you’re now able to engage directly with consumers across many different online channels. As such, digital public relations are essential for improving and maintaining your brand reputation.

What’s The Difference Between Digital PR And Digitial Marketing?

At first glance, it might appear that there is some overlap in terms of what can be defined as PR and what can be defined as inbound marketing. After all, content creation is a vital component of inbound marketing strategies. Yet, press releases are a form of content. Additionally, the content you create as part of your inbound strategy does impact your brand authority – and, therefore, its reputation. The main difference between digital PR and inbound marketing is in the goal. The goal of inbound marketing is to generate leads and eventually to close sales. This is not the goal of digital PR. Instead, the goal of digital PR is to improve the perception of your business. Although different, in achieving the goal of PR, you contribute to the success of your inbound marketing efforts.

The Benefits Of Digital Public Relations

The following are some of the reasons why digital PR can be beneficial to your brand:

Improve credibility – A good digital PR strategy can help you secure more media coverage. For instance, sending out press releases to various online media outlets. As a result, when consumers are doing research into your brand, they’ll discover a wealth of coverage from reputable sources, which will lend your business credibility. Such credibility helps boost brand trust and makes it easier to generate leads.
Generate more brand awareness – The more coverage you obtain from online media outlets, the more brand awareness you generate. On top of that, PR-related content that you publish online, whether on your website or on social media, can be shared. When such content is shared, it can boost awareness even further.
Increase organic traffic – First of all, any press releases or PR-related content that you write, you can optimize for SEO. This will help boost traffic to your website. Secondly, any media coverage you get can boost traffic as well. Not only can readers who were unaware of your business do a search based on press coverage, but many online media outlets will link their coverage of your brand to your site.
Maintain a positive reputation – Digital PR also involves addressing negative comments on review sites and on social media. Trying to resolve issues that customers had with their experience online (in view of the public) can actually boost your reputation. Ignoring negative comments will only hurt your reputation.

Learn More About Public Relations

Examples Of Digital Public Relations Strategies

There are many different things that you can do to improve your PR efforts online. The following are just a few examples of digital PR tactics that you could implement:

Press announcements on social issues – When you make changes within your company to improve corporate and social responsibility, you should announce them to the world. For instance, if you’re making a switch to a more sustainable manufacturing process to become more environmentally friendly. Even just announcing your support for a social movement or cause can help increase the reputation of your brand.
Video content of community involvement – Showcase how your business gets involved in your community by filming it. For instance, if you encourage employees to do community service, or if higher-level employees regularly participate in community-related events, then you should film it and post those videos online, whether on your website or on social media.
Social media engagement – Social media allows you to connect with your audience directly. As such, you can leverage social media to talk to your customers and show them that you’re present and that you care. Ask questions about their experience with your brand. You should also address negative comments in an attempt to turn negative customer experiences into positive ones. Not only can this help you from losing a customer, but it will also show the world that you care.
Company interviews – Set up interviews with experts within our company. For instance, let them speak to influencers within your industry for an interview published on a website, for a video, or for a podcast. Doing so helps to generate awareness of your brand and can boost your brand authority as well. Not to mention that putting a face on your brand will make your business more relatable to your audience.

Implement A Digital PR Strategy Today

Public relations is critical to maintaining and improving the perception of your brand. The stronger your brand reputation is, the better your chances are of being able to successfully market your business. As such, it’s vital that you implement a digital PR strategy.

How To Develop A Solid Inbound Marketing Strategy

June 28, 2021/in Articles, Directors, Inbound Marketing, Marketing Strategy /by Nicole Wagner

Do you have a favorite sport? Maybe it’s something popular like football or hockey. Perhaps a more dignified pastime such as golf or horse racing better suits your style. Whatever your preference may be, do you ever wonder how your favorite athletes (hopefully!) win more than they lose? Most likely they are playing with a strategy. It may seem obvious, but strategy – even in a sport like racing – is essential to victory.

The same is true for your business website. Without a strategy, your website will fall behind the competition. Don’t let this happen! Many companies fall into the trap of creating a website for nothing more than an “online presence.” With inbound marketing, websites can do so much more than they could 20 years ago. With inbound marketing, businesses are seeing more online traffic that results in more customers and sales. But without a strategy, even inbound marketing has its limits.

Read More About The Benefits Of Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing benefits from a well-developed strategy. There are three aspects to creating a well-developed inbound marketing strategy.

1. Create website goals

What do you want your website to do for your customer? That’s the main question that should be asked before a website is developed. Without a clear goal, a website could be published without having any significant benefit to the owner or the visitor. If a website generates most of its sales after visitors view a product information page, the goal of the website should be to create more product information pages, increase traffic to these pages, and streamline the ability to go from product information to product purchase. Inbound marketing benefits from having a website with clearly defined goals. If you are wondering about your website, try having a friend or colleague take a look at it. Ask them if they felt your website had clearly defined goals. Once you’ve determined you have the right goals in mind, it’s time you ask yourself if you have the right person in mind.

2. Create a Persona

Creating a persona is a powerful way for a business to better understand its customers. Without a persona, businesses have an incomplete idea of who to market to. So what is a persona? A Persona is the ‘ideal’ customer that a business wants to reach out to. Personas are defined by many things – ethnicity, location, motivation – but what they all have in common is that they help shape the strategy used by a company to achieve its goal.

Read more on Why Buyer Personas Are So Important

By creating a strategy with a specific end-user in mind, we are better able to understand what their problems are and how we can help make their lives easier. Don’t get too attached to your persona though! You will likely find that you may need to update them as you gain more insights on your customers. You may even considering adding an additional persona. Once you have your persona or personas created, you can move on to the next step.

3. Get to know your persona

Now that you have a persona, ask yourself, how well do you know him or her? It may seem like knowing a pretend person’s upbringing and background is a little silly, but it can go a long way with customer satisfaction. By constructing your persona’s life story, you are better able to understand their motivation, needs, and desired outcome in life. If your persona is looking for a product that satisfies a long-term need but your business only sells products for immediate use, you’ve just gained valuable insight. You’ve recognized a need your typical customer has as well as an opportunity for your company to grow. By using information gathered from our personas, we can update and adapt our company strategy to best fit our customer needs.

Download A Free Template For Developing Personas

Just like in all sports, strategies continue to adapt as they encounter new problems and opportunities. You will likely find that a strategy created today might not work for you a year from now. That’s okay! Revisiting your goals, updating your persona’s attributes, changing their background and desired outcomes; these are all essential to a successful business. Just remember, inbound marketing benefits strongly from a well thought out strategy. How do you think your company’s online strategy is? If you’d like a free consultation, please check out the link below.