5-Step Plan To Great Inbound Marketing Strategy

So you've decided inbound marketing is the way forward. You've read hundreds of blog posts like this one, explaining why Inbound > Outbound and you're ready to get started.

You've come to the right place. We're all about inbound and we like to think we know a thing or two about how to get it working for your business. Following the Hubspot mantra of "attract, convert, close, delight," here's a five-step plan to a great inbound strategy.

We're going to keep things punchy and hopefully leave you wanting more. That, after all, is the key to great inbound blogging (more on that later).

Step 1: Identify a revenue goal for your company

This is hugely important in setting out an inbound strategy. Stare down the numbers and set yourself a realistic revenue goal. Don't just pluck $1 million out of the air because it sounds good - dig in, think about what you want to achieve and come to educated numbers based on your performance right now and where you'd like to be.

Consulting with a strong inbound agency like Hüify will help you here. Inbound experts will be able to analyze your current performance and make projections on what's possible based on your level of investment.

Step 2: Partner with a proven inbound agency

Inbound marketing, done properly, can be a serious drain on your resources. The most steamlined and cost-effective approach is to hire an agency to run your inbound strategy.

The great thing about inbound marketing is all results are measurable. Closed-loop reporting provides a transparent look at what's working and you'll be able to see very quickly if you're getting a return on your investment.

Pick the right agency and you'll be seeing great results in a matter of days and weeks.

Step 3: Identify your buyer "personas"

To use inbound marketing effectively you need to understand who your potential customers are, as Charles E. Gaudet II explains in a great article for Forbes.

"The same principles that make a good fisherman also apply to marketing," writes Gaudet. "If you want to get the best return on your marketing dollars, you don’t want to rely on luck. Instead, you need to know exactly who your target customer is. In marketing, we call this your buyer persona."

Understanding your buyer persona(s) is key to developing the processes you'll use to "attract, convert, close and delight" them (you'll hear that phrase again and again here).

Step 4: Optimize your website

To play to Gaudet's analogy, having a website with broken links and no call-to-action buttons is like putting a rod in the ocean without a hook on it.

Optimizing your website is vital to make inbound marketing work for your company. You need call-to-action buttons in the right places, landing pages set up and forms in place to capture contact details.

Step 5: Put great content to work for you

So you've got everything in place. The next step is to produce content such as blog posts to attract visitors to your website. This content should be designed to answer questions your buyer personas are asking online, and should come equipped with plenty of calls to action.

Also in the content bucket are offerings such as free eBooks, which will serve as enticing offers to get your new visitors to click through and fill out contact forms.

And there you have it - a introductory 5-step strategy to get you started with inbound. Stay tuned to this blog for more on this theme.

Huify is a dynamic inbound marketing agency based in Wilmington NC. Contact josh@huify.com to learn more, or click the button above to book a consultation.