The 3 Pillars of Inbound Marketing Success

Inbound marketing may seem like a new buzz-word to you, but if you haven't figured it out already, it's the way of the future. There are components that make up this new way of attracting and engaging potential customers and you'll need to be familiar with them before you start planning out your marketing campaigns. If you're already familiar with the buyer's journey and how to market to your buyer personas, the next thing you need to know is how to make your plan successful. To make sure your inbound marketing succeeds, you'll need to incorporate these 3 important pillars.

1. Blogging

Content is king! That's right. Content will bring all the leads to the yard and help your potential customers solve their issues. You should always be producing useful, quality content whether it's website copy, downloads like eBooks or white papers, social media posts or blogs. Moreover, you don't want to just have attractive website copy and nothing else. That's where blogging comes in. Blogging on a regular basis is a great way to build trust and loyalty among your website visitors and ultimately, turn them into customers and brand evangelists. Speaking to the pain points of your potential customers will help you develop credibility and become a thought leader in your industry. Internet surfers will be attracted to your website because it is a hub of information they can use to solve their problems. According to HubSpot, marketers who have prioritized blogging are 13x more likely to enjoy positive ROI.

2. SEO

Once your content and blogs are produced, search engine optimization ensures that it can be found online. Since search engines are in charge of what content is shown to people who are looking online, it's important to use keywords that will show up there, as well as be geared towards what people are looking for. It would be silly of us not to connect the dots between our content and what web surfers are searching for. SEO also helps you obtain quality leads to your website, making it imperative for the ROI of your inbound marketing strategy. There's no point in spending a good chunk of precious time on researching and writing blogs or other content pieces if they can't be found once they're out in the internet world.

3. Social Media

Ok, so you want to be regularly posting, make sure your content can be found, and last, but not least, promote your content. Social media is effective because you can distribute your message, build a following of fans and customers, and engage in customer service online. It's a great way to monitor the habits of potential customers and quickly and efficiently respond to criticism and praise. In 2012, HubSpot reported that social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing. Taking advantage of social media tools will not only help your inbound marketing strategy succeed, it will also build you an audience who admires the work you create and curate. This following leads to trust, and trust leads to everlasting relationships that encourage and perpetuate buying.

Inbound marketing implementation and success are two different concepts. As exciting as creating content and starting your inbound strategy can be, you first need to be familiar with these 3 pillars of inbound marketing success. Knowing SEO, social media, and blogging give life to inbound will help you strengthen and perfect your marketing plan. Now get out there and put the puzzle pieces together and start attracting your following!