And despite popular belief, inbound marketing isn\u2019t just reserved for big business.<\/p>\n
Below we\u2019ll break down how you can get started with the help of our inbound marketing campaign templates you can swipe.<\/p>\n
Keep reading to learn:<\/p>\n
- \n
- What inbound marketing is<\/a><\/li>\n
- Why inbound marketing is so effective for small(er) businesses<\/a><\/li>\n
- Examples of inbound marketing<\/a><\/li>\n
- 5 key elements to an effective inbound marketing campaign<\/a><\/li>\n
- How to write an inbound marketing plan<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
What\u2019s inbound marketing?<\/h2>\n
Let\u2019s kick things off with an inbound marketing definition that we can work with.<\/p>\n
Inbound marketing represents advertising tactics that attract customers and build awareness for your business without having to conduct outreach yourself.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
In other words, customers come to you<\/i> and not vice versa. Here are some common inbound marketing strategies:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Educating clients and customers through blogging<\/li>\n
- Creating online courses<\/a> and webinars<\/li>\n
- Driving traffic to your website through search engine optimization (SEO)<\/li>\n
- Publishing content to social media<\/li>\n
- Sending out email newsletters and building an audience of subscribers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The opposite of inbound marketing is, you guessed it, outbound marketing.<\/p>\n
Outbound marketing<\/b>: Involves strategies where you reach out to prospects as opposed to them contacting you. Examples: cold-calling and pursuing prospects and leads via email outreach<\/div>\nAlthough there might be a time and place for these tactics to secure immediate customers, they\u2019re often demanding and time-consuming for small businesses. On the flip side, inbound marketing represents a long-term commitment that results in a steady stream of customers.
\n<\/a><\/p>\nWhy inbound marketing is so effective for small(er) businesses<\/h2>\n
So, why is inbound all the rage for smaller businesses hunting for more leads?<\/p>\n
For starters, inbound marketing is time efficient. Cold-calling and email campaigns can potentially fall flat and result in absolutely no sort of return on your time invested.<\/p>\n
But creating content for your target audience<\/a> has longevity. For example, blog posts that you write can attract leads via search engines for months (or even years) after it\u2019s published initially.<\/p>\n
Another benefit of inbound marketing is positioning. Producing resources (think: guides, eBooks, courses) for your audience signals that you\u2019re not only an expert in your field but someone who\u2019s looking to provide a helping hand to customers.<\/p>\n
Inbound marketing is also a repeatable process. Once you figure out which pieces of content attract customers, you can commit your time to create more of the same. Think of it as sort of a snowball effect: the more assets you create, the more customers you can attract over time.<\/p>\n
And if nothing else, inbound marketing isn\u2019t spammy or intrusive. After all, people who engage with your content found you and want<\/i> to hear from you. Inbound leads are valuable because they already see you as a trustworthy resource versus a cold contact from an unfamiliar business.<\/p>\n
\nPro-tip:<\/strong><\/div>\nLearn about the essential tools that make up a marketing stack<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
What are some examples of inbound marketing?<\/h2>\n
Now, let\u2019s look at some examples of inbound tactics in action.<\/p>\n
Blogs and search engine optimization<\/h3>\n
Blogging and SEO are staples of inbound marketing. Fact: small businesses are much more likely to close<\/a> inbound leads from blogging versus outbound leads.<\/p>\n
Blog content allows you to show off your expertise and attract leads through education. Answering questions and providing in-depth how-to guides is a proven way to build your audience and fill your pipeline with prospects.<\/p>\n
For example, the Emma blog<\/a> manages to create a variety of helpful email-centric content that targets relevant keywords. This results in an engaged readership and a consistent source of traffic from search engines:<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image4-116-1024x443.png\")
<\/p>\nEBooks and guides<\/h3>\n
Coupled with blogging or used on their own, eBooks and downloadable guides are likewise popular inbound promotions. You can think of an eBook as a sort of \u201csample\u201d or \u201ctaste\u201d of your product. For example, you could create an eBook on investing to attract leads who might be interested in your financial services.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a real-world example from our own team, promoting a guide that shows you how to start working remotely<\/a> in a few actionable steps:<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image1-169-1024x850.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nVideos, educational courses, and webinars<\/h3>\n
Videos, courses, and webinars<\/a> are also popular examples of inbound marketing. In fact, marketing through video produces more qualified leads<\/a> (meaning they\u2019re more likely to become customers) than any other type of content.<\/p>\n
Entertaining and easy to consume, anything from quick videos to full-blown courses are perfect for grabbing your audience\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n
For example, this webinar<\/a> is an invaluable source for our target audience<\/a> of business owners looking to learn the ropes of remote work. It\u2019s also the perfect vehicle for our product, which is designed to\u2014you guessed it\u2014help people work remotely:<\/p>\n
![\"Video](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image2-147-1024x512.png\")
<\/p>\nIn terms of what you should create, the choice is yours. Digital products? Physical products? Any industry or type of service is fair game for inbound marketing if you can get creative.
\n<\/a><\/p>\n5 must-haves for an effective inbound marketing campaign template<\/h2>\n
There\u2019s no denying that any given inbound marketing campaign has a lot of moving pieces.<\/p>\n
And so figuring out where to start can be pretty daunting.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t sweat it, though! Below is a breakdown of the five key elements to consider before creating your own inbound marketing campaign templates and getting started yourself.<\/p>\n
1. Be prepared to talk to these new leads and track your campaigns<\/h3>\n
Once a campaign is live, it\u2019s crucial to watch your results and see how your content is performing against your goals.<\/p>\n
Reporting templates<\/a> can help you keep track of your KPIs (key performance indicators) such as traffic, new leads, and sales. Additionally, spreadsheets allow you to log your budget and expenses as your campaigns continue to progress:<\/p>\n
![\"Marketing](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image5-93-1024x427.png\")
<\/p>\nDon\u2019t forget about having tools in place to communicate with your new leads coming from these inbound marketing campaigns.<\/p>\n
Do you have an email nurture campaign set up so that you can send more engaging and useful content to leads who downloaded your ebook\u2014but aren\u2019t necessarily ready to buy yet?<\/p>\n
Are you and your team equipped for a flood of questions or prospect meetings? Are you ready to adjust to a higher volume of customer care? At the very least, you probably need some kind of a contact center<\/a> solution to handle these inbound calls<\/a>, emails, and messages.<\/p>\n
You might also need a more general communication tool<\/a> or platform. For example, RingCentral<\/a> can come in handy if you need to make chats, phone calls, and video meetings\u2014all in the same app:<\/p>\n
![\"RingCentral](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image7-63-1024x659.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe platform allows you to monitor your communication metrics and analytics as a result of your inbound marketing campaigns.<\/p>\n
2. Understand your target audience<\/h3>\n
Given the commitment required to create any piece of inbound marketing content, it\u2019s crucial to confirm that there\u2019s actually an audience for your campaign.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s say you run a financial business and you\u2019re seeing a lot of customers asking about real estate recently.<\/p>\n
Is this something worth blogging about? Making a full-blown course for?<\/p>\n
Before getting into the nitty-gritty, you need to figure out if your campaigns make sense for your audience. You don\u2019t want to put the cart before the horse. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to reflect on your audience and what sort of campaigns are going to interest them.<\/p>\n
Consider the challenges and struggles that your audience faces. What sorts of questions are they asking? What are their biggest struggles and what specific problems are they looking to solve?<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s an example of a user persona template<\/a> that can help highlight the answers to all of the above. Assigning your campaigns to a persona empowers you to focus on specific struggles relevant to the customers you\u2019re looking to attract (think: first-time real estate investors versus long-time investors):<\/p>\n
![\"User](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image3-124.png\")
<\/p>\n3. Agree on your marketing goals<\/h3>\n
Although inbound marketing is proven to be effective for small businesses, you shouldn\u2019t run inbound campaigns \u201cjust because.\u201d<\/p>\n
We recommend marketing objectives<\/a> based on the SMART framework. In short, goals should be s<\/b>pecific, m<\/b>easurable, a<\/b>chievable, r<\/b>elevant, and t<\/b>ime-sensitive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will increase our organic search traffic by 25% and inbound leads by 10% in six months by publishing and promoting a new blog post every week.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s higher-quality leads, more search traffic, or straight-up sales, there is no single goal to have in mind. That said, you should have specific outcomes specified to guide your campaigns and likewise hold yourself accountable for your time and investment.<\/p>\n
4. Come up with a content creation strategy<\/h3>\n
Arguably the most important piece of your inbound campaign is actually creating the content necessary to attract leads.<\/p>\n
Based on the examples we noted earlier, you have plenty of freedom in terms of what you want to create (think: blog posts, eBooks, videos).<\/p>\n
However, this does require you to take into consideration the creative assets you need. You also need to consider who\u2019s going to create them.<\/p>\n
For example, do you have resources to produce content in house or are you going to need to hire help? Consider the following professionals who can do the heavy lifting that you might not be able to do yourself:<\/p>\n
- \n
- A freelance writer to produce blog posts or eBooks<\/li>\n
- A videographer or animator to produce video<\/li>\n
- A narrator to record promotions and voice-overs<\/li>\n
- An SEO expert to optimize your content<\/li>\n
- A web designer to create landing pages related to your promotions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
There\u2019s also the question of your budget, which ultimately determines what you can produce (and how much). The good news is that you can hire help if necessary. Platforms such as Fiverr offer professional services for just about any piece of an inbound marketing campaign for any budget.<\/p>\n
![\"Fiverr](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image6-77.png\")
<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re running an inbound campaign for the first time, we recommend starting with some initial pieces of content before blowing out your budget. You can always scale up later, after all.<\/p>\n
5. Plan on a promotional strategy and schedule<\/h3>\n
Although inbound marketing centers around attracting leads, it\u2019s not totally set-it-and-forget.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s say you publish a blog post or a new video course. Now what?<\/p>\n
Basic promotion tactics such as posting your content to social media or sending it to your email list might seem like a no-brainer. Even so, you need to consider specifics such as how many marketing emails <\/a>you\u2019re going to send and when you\u2019re going to send them.<\/p>\n
Figuring out your timeline and cadence for promotion helps you stay organized<\/a> and drives traffic to your content in a timely manner rather than at random. Consider resources such as these email marketing templates<\/a> that highlight how you can build buzz around your latest piece of content.
\n<\/a><\/p>\nHow do you write an inbound marketing plan? Use this template<\/h2>\n
Anything you can do to organize your marketing campaigns before you dive in is a huge plus.<\/p>\n
For the sake of organizing the elements above, here\u2019s a customizable inbound marketing template that you can use to summarize your campaigns. You can also share this template with your colleagues to serve as your roadmap to success.<\/p>\n
\n\n
\n [Campaign Name]<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Goal(s):<\/i><\/b> [What\u2019s the purpose of this campaign? What\u2019s your SMART goal statement?]<\/i><\/p>\n People<\/i><\/b>: [Which teams and\/or people are involved with this campaign? In-house marketers, freelancers, etc.]<\/i><\/p>\n
Persona(s)<\/i><\/b>: [Who\u2019s the target audience of this campaign? Which of your user personas is this for?]<\/i><\/p>\n
Budget: <\/i><\/b>[What\u2019s the budget for this campaign? Does this campaign require a one-time cost or an ongoing investment?]<\/i><\/p>\n
KPI(s): <\/i><\/b>[What metrics will be used to track the campaign\u2019s success? How will you be tracking them?]<\/i><\/p>\n
Timeline:<\/i><\/b> [How long will this campaign last?]<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n Campaign Summary<\/b><\/p>\n
[A 2 to 3 sentence summary of what your campaign entails and how it will attract customers]<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n Campaign Assets<\/b><\/p>\n
[A summary of assets needed for the campaign]<\/i><\/p>\n
- \n
- # of emails<\/i><\/li>\n
- # images or illustrations<\/i><\/li>\n
- # of blog posts<\/i><\/li>\n
- Keyword research<\/i><\/li>\n
- Landing page(s)<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n Promotional Summary<\/b><\/p>\n
[A summary of promotional assets necessary for your campaign]<\/i><\/p>\n
- \n
- # of social posts\u00a0<\/i><\/li>\n
- # of emails (welcome, follow-up, outreach to partners, etc.)<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n Campaign Results<\/b><\/p>\n
[A summary of the results of your campaign, pending for when it\u2019s complete, including screenshots of analytics dashboards and whether or not your SMART goal was met]<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Ready to put your inbound marketing campaign template into action?<\/h2>\n
Inbound marketing represents an investment of your time that\u2019s totally worth it in the long run.<\/p>\n
By creating resources that attract leads and cement your authority within your industry, you can build a pipeline of eager leads that legitimately want to hear from you.<\/p>\n
That said, success with inbound marketing doesn\u2019t happen by accident. You need to have a plan, so make sure to snag our inbound marketing campaign templates to execute your ideas ASAP!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n - # of emails (welcome, follow-up, outreach to partners, etc.)<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
- # images or illustrations<\/i><\/li>\n
- # of emails<\/i><\/li>\n
- Why inbound marketing is so effective for small(er) businesses<\/a><\/li>\n