Copyright © 2020, 2024 KK Diaz by A-Game Business.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of very brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This book is presented solely for information and educational purposes. The author and publisher are not offering it as business, legal, accounting, or other professional services advice. While best efforts have been used in preparing this book, the author and publisher make no representations or warranties of any kind and assume no liabilities of any kind with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness of use for a particular purpose. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be held liable or responsible to any person or entity with respect to any loss or incidental or consequential damages caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information or programs contained herein. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. Every company is different, and the advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should seek the services of a competent professional before beginning any improvement program. The story and its characters and entities are fictional. Any likeness to actual persons, either living or dead, is strictly coincidental.
This eBook is not intended to provide a comprehensive process for an organisation’s Inbound Marketing Strategy. Rather, it provides insights on how business leaders and executives can begin their journey towards implementing Inbound Marketing to meet the evolving demands of their industry and customers. It provides real-life examples of local and global enterprises that have successfully embraced digital transformation to reinvent themselves and their product and service offerings.
The methods and processes suggested herein are not linear. Some parts are to be attended to and implemented simultaneously, while others will require multiple steps.
To access this page in future, simply bookmark the page or use the link in the email we’ve just sent you. Enjoy 😉
As we all grapple with the mounting complexities of customer expectations, globalization and market competition, one thing is clear: the old ways of doing business are no longer sufficient. The future hinges on our ability to harness the power of digital technology, particularly in the realm of marketing. This book, “The Inbound Marketing Blueprint – How Companies can Attract, Engage and Delight Customers,” is designed to guide you on that journey.
Inbound marketing is a business methodology that uses relevant, educational and valuable content and experiences tailored to attract customers. While outbound marketers try to find customers, inbound marketers focus on using this valuable content to make it easy for customers to find them.
Marketing automation is the linchpin of this new era, acting as a powerful enabler to digital and inbound marketing. It refers to the use of software platforms and technologies to automate repetitive marketing tasks, processes and workflows. This includes automating processes such as:
– lead generation,
– lead nurturing,
– customer segmentation,
– sales conversion, and
– campaign management.
In Essence:
– Inbound Marketing is essentially about attracting customers by creating valuable educational content and experiences tailored to customers.
– Marketing Automation ensures that these educational content and tailored experiences are delivered efficiently and effectively, allowing your inbound campaigns to reach their ultimate destination – the customer.
Digital marketing is an umbrella term that encompasses all marketing efforts that use an electronic device or the internet. It involves leveraging digital channels such as search engines, social media, email, and other websites to connect with current and prospective customers. Online marketing, a subset of digital marketing, focuses specifically on outreach, visibility, and engagement via the internet.
For the purpose of simplifying matters, when we refer to digital marketing, we actually refer to online marketing – marketing that essentially happens online.
As you venture into the chapters that follow, you’ll gain comprehensive insights into various aspects of inbound marketing and marketing automation – from understanding the basics and developing a strong buyer persona, to creating compelling content and optimizing your website for lead generation.
You’ll also discover how to:
– set up inbound marketing funnels using the 8-Step Inbound Marketing Method,
– optimize landing pages,
– use email marketing for lead generation and customer nurturing,
– integrate marketing automation to boost effectiveness and efficiency,
– leverage SEO and social media to 10X traffic to your landing pages and websites,
– measure and analyze your results, and finally,
– learn from your findings and take your inbound marketing game to the next level.
This book is a tool designed to equip you for the journey ahead. It’s an exciting journey, one filled with potential and promise. I am thrilled to be your guide. 😊
Next, let’s explore a set of important terms we’ll use throughout the book to help you better understand how the various aspects of digital marketing, inbound and marketing automation work together, or not!
These terms represent essential concepts for understanding and applying the principles of inbound marketing, digital marketing, and customer engagement effectively.
• Online Marketing: The promotion of products or services over the internet using digital channels such as websites, email, and social media to reach and engage customers.
• Digital Marketing: A broader term encompassing all marketing efforts that use an electronic device or the internet, including online marketing, SEO, SEM, and more.
• Inbound Marketing: A strategy focused on attracting customers through relevant and helpful content, rather than interruptive ads, to guide them through the buying process.
• Customer Success: A business approach that ensures customers achieve their desired outcomes while using a company’s product or service, often through proactive support and guidance.
• Marketing Automation: The use of software platforms and technologies to automate repetitive marketing tasks such as email marketing, social media posting, and lead nurturing.
• Demand Generation: A data-driven marketing strategy designed to create awareness and interest in a company’s products or services, ultimately driving new business.
• Lead Generation: The process of identifying and attracting potential customers (leads) who have expressed interest in your product or service, often through content offers or forms.
• Lead Conversion: The process of turning a lead into a paying customer through tailored interactions, valuable offers, and strategic follow-ups.
• Buyer Persona: A detailed, semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.
• ICP (Ideal Customer Profile): A description of the type of company or customer that is the best fit for your product or service, helping to focus your sales and marketing efforts.
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization): The practice of optimizing your website and content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive organic traffic.
• SEM (Search Engine Marketing): A form of online marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages through paid advertising.
• Content Marketing: A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience.
• Call-to-Action (CTA): A prompt on a website, email, or landing page that encourages visitors to take a specific action, such as signing up, downloading, or purchasing.
• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): The process of improving your website or landing page to increase the percentage of visitors who convert into leads or customers.
• Sales Funnel: The visual representation of a customer’s journey from awareness to purchase, often divided into stages such as awareness, interest, decision, and action.
• Customer Retention: The practice of engaging existing customers to continue purchasing from your business, often through loyalty programs, follow-up campaigns, and personalized communication.
Many businesspeople, marketers, and salespeople ask themselves the following questions:
How do we get more clients?
How do we get our clients to willingly make bigger purchases from us?
How do we get our clients to buy more frequently from us?
According to a 2017 Bridge Group report, approximately 50% of sales reps do not regularly meet their sales quotas. The primary reason is that the nature of sales has changed, yet people still apply old thinking to new business problems. Too many businesses are still using old and outdated methods to market and sell their products and services. These methods have become outdated due to the overwhelming technological and lifestyle changes that have occurred over time.
These changes have, in turn, changed customer preferences, purchasing and consumption behaviours. If you want to be a successful marketer, in this new age, you have to learn, understand and apply the methods that take these changes into consideration.
In the past, it took very little to gain a customer’s confidence in you and to secure a sale. However, the changes mentioned above have resulted in what most companies offer becoming a commodity. In other words, due to globalization, technology and the internet, it has become progressively easier for your competition to have the same service or product features and benefits as you. This has not only resulted in competing businesses having the same offer, but it has also forced them to differentiate themselves in the way they market, sell and deliver on the promise made to their customers. It is this factor that has primarily led to the birth of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Inbound Marketing as we know it today.
HubSpot, has published some interesting statistics on how these changes have impacted businesses both positively and negatively:
94% of consumers have discontinued communications with a company because of irrelevant promotions or messages.
74% of people are likely to switch brands if they find the purchasing process too difficult.
51% of customers will never again do business with a company after one negative experience.
93% of customers are more likely to be repeat customers at companies which offer remarkable service.
These statistics mean that you can no longer disrupt your customers’ attention without their permission or without being relevant to them. Instead, you need to invest in engaging them in the most appropriate, relevant and meaningful way – or risk losing them forever.
Customer relationships lie at the heart of your business. The aim of this book is to help you to learn, understand and apply the three guiding principles of customer relationships:
Attraction
Conversion
Retention
Customers’ buying decisions are as emotional as they are rational – and much of this emotion resides in the human relationships that characterize the interaction. Your company must, therefore, do two things to respond effectively to your customers’ emotional needs.
Guarantee a positive and respectful human interaction at every point of the interaction – even and perhaps, especially, in times of conflict.
Deliver a differentiated and treasured value proposition that connects with the customers’ most valued emotional and technical needs. This delivery should be the result of an intentional, consistently-executed company process.
Most of the emotional connection between you and customers resides in your value proposition. You need to review this part of your business frequently and critically. For, if you do not attract and connect with prospective customers, you will not be able to convince enough of them to buy from you, nor will existing customers feel compelled to buy again.
To enjoy the many bottom-line benefits of thriving customer relationships, you must first grow and retain a set of valuable customers. If you do not nurture these relationships, before and after a purchase, you could easily lose up to 90% of them.
Given that 81% of sales happen after seven or more contacts with prospective customers, the implications of the above are enormous. Simply put, nurturing existing relationships increases the number of quality contacts between you and the client, thereby increasing the likelihood of ongoing sales.
My advice is threefold:
Use Inbound Marketing as the foundational strategy to attract your ICP (Ideal Customer Persona),
Do an outstanding job in delivering the product or service; and
Use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system with built-in Marketing Automation to nurture your relationships, and to maximize your Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).
