Starting an Inbound Marketing Campaign: 4 Essential Questions

Today, traditional marketing methods such as telemarketing and print ads are rapidly becoming antiquated; clinical is the word that describes these methods effectively. It’s a fact; there’s no going back. Today’s marketing environment is dynamic, and those who aim to have an engaging exchange and positive reception decide to shift to inbound marketing. 

If your firm has decided to adopt inbound marketing practices, you, the marketer, may already know the subject. One thing is sure, inbound marketing for your professional services firm will help to increase revenue by delighting your existing client base, captivating new clients, and growing your business. However, an inbound marketing program requires a long-term commitment and willingness to procure the resources necessary to guarantee its success.

Below are four essential questions to ask regarding your inbound marketing campaign to help safeguard a rewarding outcome.

1. What needs to be accomplished before utilizing inbound marketing successfully, one must possess clear goals for the program and what constitutes a successful outcome. Goals must be specific and quantifiable, preferably with a time component included. A prevalent folly is optimistic, vague statements. To "get more clients" is an adorable aim, and "increase leads from social media by 20 percent in the fourth quarter" is a more explicit and precise goal. The more specific you can be, the better you'll be able to focus your marketing, and the easier it will be to see results.
2. Who shall synthesize the content? Inbound marketing is a process that requires a range of skills, the time to make it work, and a commitment of resources from management. Successful inbound marketing for professional services firms requires the talents and abilities of writers and editors, project managers, social media specialists, graphic designers,s and coders. This range of skills rarely resides in one person, especially not a relatively recent graduate, so your inbound marketing program may require hiring several experienced employees or seasoned contractors.
3. What steps must I take to ensure my firm is ready to accept inbound marketing into its tactics? If inbound marketing is going to succeed for your firm, the firm must be ready to harness its entire potential. For example, your website should be optimized for the best results. This includes an appealing design, thorough SEO optimization, and processes for capturing leads' information or directing site visitors to other important pages. If you don't already have one, you may need to invest in a CRM system for recording, tracking, and managing your prospects and clients.
4. How can I sustain the dynamism of inbound marketing to ensure it becomes more than a mere experiment? After the initial phase and introduction, there is a chance that your firm will not see positive results immediately. Thus, it is highly suggested that metrics regarding the results from statistics such as page visits, new sessions vs. recurring visitors, channel-specific traffic, lead to close ratio, and projected ROI per lead be distilled into meaningful and simple information. As a result, clear, numerical goals can be kept in mind to strategize if any improvements are to be made. Gathering eclectic sources to discover and compose meaningful content shall prove beneficial, as your firm can gain countless perspectives to target the interests of more specific audiences.

Inbound marketing is rapidly becoming the new norm for many professional establishments, and those who decide to adopt it will reap the benefit of gaining greater reach in their respective field. However, commitment and open-mindedness are vital components, as a lack of those above will prove unsuccessful and even drive you away from the benefits of utilizing the method.

Contact Colosi Marketing today for more information on how to successfully use inbound marketing for professional services firms.