AC/CD Activity 1 – Attract
We all know how crowded and LOUD the internet has become. Social Media has done wonders to connect us to each other, but it has also congested our lives with so much information that slicing through the garbage can be quite difficult.
Not only are you competing with other businesses in the Basel area, but the internet has flattened the world giving your future customers options that reach far outside the region. This is your first hurdle. How can you use your online marketing channels to attract the right prospects to your site while rising above the noise of your competitors? This first step is really all about turning strangers into visitors.
As you have already learned in the introduction to this blog series, Inbound Marketing is THE online marketing method to attract more leads to your website and close more deals. And…
Each Inbound Marketing Activity relies completely on remarkable, relatable and valuable content for your future customers.
But what tools should you use to actually attract them to you website? Let’s dive in!
Blogging
We are not talking about creating content just for the sake of it, rather we are talking about creating strategically placed and written content that will attract people who are more likely to become future customers. This can be done through numerous ways, but the first and most important step is to build out your website with truly great content. More often than not, this means creating a blog on your company’s site to give visitors a main hub where they can access answers to their questions and where you can entertain them with information. At the end of the day, who understand what your customers need to knows better than you?
Site Optimization (SEO)
Today, your visitors most likely start their buyer’s journey online by typing their question into a search engine like Google or Yahoo. This means it is absolutely necessary that you are showing up when and where they search. This step can be a bit daunting. Optimizing your site for search engines includes analyzing and understanding what your visitors are searching for and then optimizing your site and content so Google shows your content as search results. Again, AHA Factory has this covered for you.
Sharing (Social Media)
So, now that you’ve crafted your site to be a lighthouse of helpful content to those weary, seafaring future customers. Next, it’s time to spread the word. Sharing your content on Social Media is an essential step toward attracting prospects. Not only does this put your message out for others to see, share and engage with, but it also adds that personal touch behind your brand. Knowing where and when your ideal customers spend their time online is essential in this step, because if a “share” happens and no one is there to engage with it, it may as well not have happened at all.
Pro Tip: Tools like Hubspot’s Social Inbox, TweetDeck, Followerwonk, Buffer and others can really help organize your actions!
That’s it for our first step. In Part 2 (Convert) as we continue our 4 part overview of how Inbound Marketing can help your business succeed.