Despite our efforts of trying to keep up with continually advancing technology, it always seems like we’re playing catch up in order to make sure our marketing doesn’t fall flat as a pancake. Before the Internet, it was simpler to grab the attention of a television viewer with commercials and advertisements. While this kind of advertising does exist, the Internet has made it easier for consumers to ignore pop-up ads and auto-play videos altogether.
Because of this, these types of outbound marketing are dwindling just as quickly as the attention spans of our consumers. According to TheMinistryofTruth.com, Americans now hold their interest online at a rate slightly less than that of a goldfish. With streaming on-demand video, people have become much less tolerant of hard sales pitches, out-of-the blue advertising campaigns and other marketing tactics that disrupt their activities.
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The opposing inbound marketing is often associated with content marketing. One may define this strategy as “earning the attention of customers, making the company easy to be found and drawing customers to the website by producing interesting content.” This may seem complicated, but it may not be as daunting as it appears and many marketers are looking at things from a different perspective, inbound from within.
Are there secrets to inbound marketing strategies? Let’s take a look at building a successful platform to mold our inbound marketing culture from within our organization. Change starts from within, so here are five ways to improve our marketing from the inside out.
#1 – GET THEM EDUCATED: Regardless of their position within the company, encourage ALL of your employees to serve as professional advocates of your brand. Doing so will give you the competitive edge that can’t be replicated. Start by encouraging them to follow marketing-related blogs that showcase the latest news, tips and strategies within the industry. Have them share what they find and collaborate as a team to determine how you can use this collected data for your own brand’s strategy.
#2 – CLIMB ABOARD SOCIAL MEDIA: Word-of-mouth is still by far one of the best ways to build awareness around your brand. Once thought to be a distraction at the workplace, today employees can use their existing social accounts to promote a company organically and studies have shown that brand advocates are likely to be more trusted than influencers on social media. Have them repost blog and video content, share relevant news related to your brand, and post attention-grabbing images that your employees wouldn’t mind sharing within their own networks.
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#3 – GATHER FEEDBACK AND IDEAS: As already stated, inbound marketing is often closely associated with and is more successful with the production of interesting content. Each department in your company will have their own unique perspective into the customer’s interests and concerns — not just the marketing department! It never hurts to inquire about the views of your employees not involved in the content creation process. For example:
- Sales may encounter common questions that consumers are asking or see multiple examples where they need advice or guidance. These concerns can be the subjects for blogs or addressed in other content that will be found when the topic is entered into a search query.
- IT may recognize new technology or software that is beneficial to the business or industry as a whole. Marketing could showcase this helpful information in a video, webinar or slideshow gaining more exposure to your business showcasing your brand as a helpful advisor.
- Finance could be privy to new, effective fundraising strategies for businesses. You could produce a video or promote a webinar that highlights effective ways to get going in today’s tough economy. Consumers often remember when a brand has given them a helpful hand when times were hard.
#4 – HAVE A POSITIVE, FAMILY CULTURE: If departments have a “not my job” mentality, get them into a more positive attitude and promote a family culture within your corporation. Everyone needs a paycheck, but people also need to feel that their input is valued. Encourage camaraderie and give praise when it is due; you could even consider off site athletic activities to bring your employees closer together, more importantly, working together.
Once your interior foundation is firmly set in place, employees can be the successful pillars of our inbound marketing strategy.