The state of on-line marketing has evolved dramatically over the last 6 years and we see no stopping. Having a website is not an option. Building and maintaining an internet presence is a requirement for every business for successful inbound marketing efforts.
Marketers who adapted early and captured on-line visitor activity have a rich source of data helping them direct their marketing efforts. Businesses who have been slower to embrace new marketing tools have a huge gap to close. The on-line savy competition continues to adapt and adjust their efforts to maintain web activity and are working hard to increase sales. The changing landscape of the internet - Google updates, increasing number of social platforms and the struggle of those platforms to dominate specific niche demographics makes it difficult to define and analyze inbound marketing.
Should you have a blog? Will your company benefit from pages on Linkedin, Facebook, Google + and elsewhere? There are 2 aspects to weigh when answering these questions. What can you afford to do on your marketing budget and what on-line platforms align best to your business structure. The on-line options have to be adapted into your business system and everything cannot be out-sourced.
Social marketing has evolved and providing more opportunity to engage with customers. But these platforms are evolving, too. Facebook has changed its programming reducing exposure of company pages to their fans in order to drive up Facebook's ad revenues. Which of these should your efforts focus on that will deliver bigger faster ROI?
Recognizing where your prospects are in the buying cycle is instrumental in nurturing these leads and developing marketing messages that resonate with them. Smart inbound marketing cuts through the cluttered internet to reach consumers at every stage of the buying cycle.
Good inbound marketing takes work, but how much more work will it take to tip the scale?
Many Americans begin their purchasing experience by doing online research to compare prices, quality, and the reviews of other shoppers. Even if they end up making their purchase in a store, they start their fact-finding and decision-making on the Internet. (PEW RESEARCH CENTER’S INTERNET & AMERICAN LIFE PROJECT SEPTEMBER 2010)
Ranking high on search engines is no longer optional, it’s critical. Do you know where you are ranked in search engines and how many visits you get to your website versus your competition? Successful businesses know these 2 critical facts and plan their marketing efforts to leverage their website. 70% of the links search engine users click on are organic.
Pertinent questions like these, and more, are answered in our latest study based on real results from HubSpot’s 7,000 customers.