A Tae Kwon Do expert realizes how to properly break a board and always splits it with the grain.  These individuals understand that it is difficult, if not impossible, to break a board against the grain.  An inbound marketing strategy is like breaking a board with the grain and is the easiest path to success.  Those who understand how to perform this type of marketing correctly are able to bring in tons of leads.  Since inbound marketing allows a business owner to convince potential customers to come to them instead of having to search them out, individuals who initiate contact are already interested in the offer being presented.  Here we will go over certain techniques required in order to capitalize on an inbound marketing strategy.

Inbound Marketing Is More Efficient Than Aggressive Marketing Tactics

The reason that an inbound marketing strategy has become so popular over the years is due to the results that it provides.  Typical marketing strategies involve outbound marketing efforts, like direct mail, email marketing, and other intrusive advertising strategies.  Inbound marketing takes a different approach to finding leads and expanding a customer base.  The idea behind inbound marketing at its base is to allow potential customers to come directly to a business.  While this seems to good to be true for those who are struggling to find leads, those who are able to expose their business are able to capitalize on these advertising techniques with ease.  In this new age of marketing, standing out from the crowd is everything, as clients already know what they want.

Blog, Blog, Blog And Promote

The heart and soul of inbound marketing is a blog writing and promotion program.  This seemingly small concept can produce huge results for those who utilize it properly.  Business owners who plan to spend years promoting their blog should be able to capitalize on the results.  While a blog is not likely to bring a large number of potential customers immediately, or even in the first year, the results of a blog writing program have the potential to snowball and can reel in an exponential number of leads within due time.  Those who have a business plan that focuses on 5 years or 10 years into the future can benefit greatly from a blog writing program, if they have the gumption to stick with this pursuit.

Business owners who want to capitalize on their blog writing efforts should first make sure that the articles published provide useful content that will be read and shared by others.  Some business owners choose to hire a professional to write their blog posts, while others put in the effort themselves.  Those who have a firm understanding of the business niche they are associated with should put in the effort required to share valuable information with their readers and write their own personal blog posts.  Aim to write two or three blog posts every week in order to give readers plenty of content.  Realize however, that the promotion of blog post is what results in increased traffic over time and ultimately, sales.

Those who are continually adding blog posts to their website in order to give search engines something they can spider should end up generating new traffic, while showing readers that they are actively engaged in their business.  Potential clients who go to a website will generally notice the date of the last blog post.  Businesses that haven’t written a blog post in months are generally regarded as aloof, at best.  Those who are posting blog posts on a weekly basis should be able to generate trust, as they are actively involved in their business.

Connections Are Everything

Make sure that blog posts are well connected and linked to a variety of sources.  Of course, a link directly to the meat of one’s website is crucial in order to convert readers into potential customers.  Those who are able to convince readers to click on links that direct them to the heart of a website should find that they are able to turn warm leads into sales.  Also, consider linking to other high-quality sources within the same subject matter.  Those who link to other websites that offer quality information show their readers that they are valued and show the business owners of these websites that they are respected.  While most blog owners appear to be allergic to outbound links, the point of an article is functionality, and therefore, should provide the proper sources and give credit where credit is due.  Another benefit of outbound links to other websites in the same niche is based on the idea of networking.  These business owners will be more likely to give reciprocal links and increase one’s overall website traffic accordingly.

While many business owners have the feeling that contacting the competition in their niche is like siding with the enemy, the new age of marketing requires one to be well connected.  Even those business owners who are in the same business niche can be friends and discuss concepts together.  Most people are willing to share ideas, even if they happen to have competing businesses.  Business owners who reach out to other businesses and offer to help them out any way they can will likely benefit from the positive karma of such action, if nothing else.

Do I Still Need To Do SEO?

Those who are looking to capitalize on an inbound marketing strategy are often bombarded by the concept of SEO.  SEO has received a great deal of exposure over the last 10 years, as those who are listed on the first page of the big search result giants, including Google, are able obtain a significant amount of business through their premium placement.  While SEO is incredibly important, business owners shouldn’t focus entirely on their SEO program for traffic purposes.   Marketing experts who focus on their blog writing program will eventually obtain the search engine placement they are looking for and receive plenty of visits from their blog exclusively.   However, business owners should have a firm understanding of on page SEO and off page SEO tactics, like generating backlinks in order to capitalize on a significant amount of web traffic.

On Page SEO

On page SEO should be common knowledge at this point in time, and those who want to obtain the most from each blog post should make sure that they are writing in a search engine friendly format.  Write each blog post around a certain keyword or set of keywords in order to capitalize on the benefits of a search engine’s ability to spider an article.  Make sure that these keywords are in the title, in the introduction, within the body of an article, and in the conclusion.  This will make it obvious what the article is about.  Each article should include a picture or a number of pictures, while using the specific keywords in the alt tag.  Ideally, make every article at least 500 words or preferably more.  Those who write articles that are a few thousand words will generally obtain a greater result for doing so.

Off Page SEO

Now that the on page SEO is agreeable with search engines, the off page SEO must be accounted for.  After an article has been published, ping the search engines and let them know there is new content on the website.  After this, focus on promoting an article and generate natural backlinks.  Those who share an article with other business owners in the same field have the potential to generate high-quality backlinks in this fashion.  The trick to generating backlinks is to make them as natural as possible and connected to websites that are in the same niche.  This will demonstrate to the search engines that a site has valuable content, as it has been linked to from another quality source.  The most important key to being on the first page of Google for any particular keyword is backlinks.  Those who are able to generate hundreds or thousands of high-quality backlinks will find that their particular article will end up ranking high.

Social Media Marketing (SMM)

The newest of all the inbound marketing strategies has become popular due to the rise of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media websites.  Over the last couple of years, the concept of Social Media Marketing (SMM) has grown exponentially, as business owners have developed a way to capitalize on the sheer amount of attention that these websites receive.  The push from aggressive marketing tactics to developing solid business relationships has been made possible through social media websites.  Business owners who have the time to share information with those who are connected to them can benefit accordingly.  Those who are able to generate a large number of contacts through social media websites should spend time reaching out to those who are interested in the information they have to offer.  Those who are able to generate a close rapport with connected individuals have the potential to secure a sale within due time.  However, the focus of SMM is not to push for sale immediately, but rather, develop respected relationships that have a chance to blossom.

The beauty of SMM is that often times, individuals connected on these social media platforms will perform the majority of the marketing for a business owner.  Encourage contacts to share information and find that the number of individuals reached on this medium can begin to spider web into exponential exposure.  Business owners who focus on generating solid relationships with those who are connected to them can also encourage these individuals to share blog posts by offering them some type of reward, like a commission, if they offer some type of affiliate program.

Develop Relationships With Customers

When capitalizing on inbound marketing strategies, expect that potential customers are going to ask questions before actually completing the sale.  In this day and age, it is normal to inquire for more information in order to make a good business choice.  Business owners who make it easy for potential clients to initiate contact, whether through email, phone, Skype, a website chat box, or social media websites should have plenty of messages to respond to.  Business owners who respond to these inquiries quickly and informatively will be able to capitalize on the number of sales that are bound to come their way.

Another tactic that many business owners use in order to capitalize on an inbound marketing strategy include utilizing Google AdWords.  While utilizing Google AdWords can be beneficial in the short-term, it doesn’t increase one’s organic search results.  It can also be quite pricey for those who are looking to obtain maximum exposure.  If utilizing Google AdWords is in a business owner’s budget and the results are promising, by all means, utilize this tactic.  However, those who are looking for long-term results should focus on blog writing, SEO, and SMM in order to generate leads.

Business owners who put all these inbound marketing strategies together and form a symbiotic relationship should be able to develop leads over time and earn the most with their business.  The old adage, if you build it, they will come, holds true, if a business owner promotes what they have built.  Those who spend more time promoting and less time developing should find that they receive a large amount of traffic through their blog.  Many of the people who visit a blog will choose to read more about a business and eventually translate into a sale.  Again, work with the grain when marketing instead of working against it.

Business owners who have the time and desire required to capitalize on an inbound marketing strategy should be able to secure plenty of leads as their business matures.  The only factor holding these individuals back is the sheer amount of work and time commitment it requires.  These individuals need to decide for themselves if they are willing to put everything they have into the pursuit in order to obtain success.