The Worst Advice about Inbound Marketing Ever
There is a lot of varied and dynamic advice about inbound marketing. This is because the strategy encompasses a wide range of techniques, which can be daunting to someone who’s not used the technique before. To simplify things, the end goal is always to attract and retain customers.
The business world has become technology-dependent, and your business needs to keep up with the inbound marketing techniques to match. Techniques vary depending on the stage of the buyer’s cycle you are focusing on.
Inbound marketing techniques to attract new customers include:
- Social media
- Blogs
- Keywords
- Forms
- Calls to action
- Landing pages
Techniques for following up on leads include:
- Emails
- Triggers and workflows
And finally, techniques to retain customers include:
- Events
- Smart content
Taking Bad Advice about Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing has been the chosen method of marketing since 2006. It has almost completely replaced less reliable, outdated methods for many businesses. New businesses trying to navigate advice about inbound marketing may find it confusing. Which techniques should you employ? Should you try all the methods or just a few? Should you start small or take the plunge and go big?
The main goals that a new business seeking to employ inbound marketing should consider are to attract, convert, close and delight customers.
But what should you avoid?
When exploring inbound marketing methods, you will find that everyone claims to be an expert. Follow our guide below and clarify which advice will make you fail.
Directing Clients to Home Pages Only
Some marketing advisors will tell you that placing links to your home page from emails and social media is good marketing. Your potential customers will likely be attracted to a particular product or service. With this in mind, it’s important to consider that they are unlikely to want to browse your entire website.
Visitors looking for a particular product will likely become frustrated if they are directed to your home page and left to navigate your website—especially if they are pressed for time. They may well abandon their search altogether, losing you a potential customer.
It is essential to provide visitors with direct links to the products or services they want. This makes it easier for you to maintain their interest and easier for them to make a purchase.
Ignoring Aesthetics
Is your web page dull, clumsy and scattered with unrelated information?
Think about your own web-surfing experiences: you are far more likely to respond positively to a well-ordered, easy-to-navigate website that is simple to use. Similarly, if your website is not a pleasure to visit or navigate, your customers will unlikely stay long enough to buy.
Keep your website neat and concise. Make links and landing pages easy to reach and easy to use. Draw your visitors in further by greeting them with a user-friendly website that meets their needs.
Overwhelming Your Visitors with Offers
Of course, your potential customers will appreciate discounts and special offers. However, if you list too many, you risk your website looking tacky and like a spam trap. Instead, go simple. Entice your visitors with a newsletter sign-up and communicate your deals and offers via emails they’ve opted in to receive.
Too Much Information
Interested customers will happily provide personal information in exchange for something of value. However, asking for too much information might turn them away. Firstly, they may not be comfortable offering up too much information about themselves. Additionally, if your form is too lengthy, it can feel like a chore.
There’s no point in asking for tons of information in a form if it puts visitors off filling it out at all. Obtaining an email address should be your initial goal. At Flowbird, we’ve seen the highs and lows of inbound marketing as the technique has developed. We can offer reliable, trusted advice about inbound marketing, including which methods you should adopt and which you should leave out, depending on your business’s needs. Contact us today to find out more.