Inbound Marketing Methodology

Is Inbound Marketing Right For Your Business? [Free Assessment]

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Though the term is relatively new, the practice  of inbound marketing for lead generation is now widespread globally and growing rapidly.  Some will argue it is nothing new, saying it used to be called content marketing or omni-channel marketing

Traditional Outbound Marketing

 

Others will point out that it has actually been part and parcel of advertising since at least the late 1800s and is just a part of traditional outbound marketing practices, but with a new spin.  Still, as a business owner, you need to use your limited funds to uncover limited numbers of opportunities, at scale.

So first, a quick review of what Inbound Marketing is, as depicted in the diagram below.

 

Inbound Marketing

The Inbound Marketing Methodology

 

This is really a complex way of saying  that you must communicate with your prospects and customers. That's where the content marketing part of the Inbound Marketing Methodology comes into play.  Just what is Content Marketing?

 

 

Content Marketing Defined

Content marketing is a crucial aspect of the Inbound Marketing Methodology. It involves creating valuable content that attracts, engages, and retains a target audience. This content can take various forms, including blog posts, videos, infographics, podcasts, and interactive content marketing.

 

Power of Interactive Content Marketing

 

Interactive content marketing is a type of content that requires active participation from the audience, such as quizzes, surveys, polls, and contests. Interactive content marketing is becoming increasingly popular because it provides a more engaging and personalized experience for the audience. It also helps businesses gather valuable insights about their audience, which can inform their marketing strategies. By incorporating content marketing into their inbound marketing approach, businesses can establish themselves as thought leaders and build trust with their audience, ultimately leading to increased conversions and revenue.  Ultimately, you're using content to communicate with your audience, i.e., talking to them.

 

That Sounds Simple Enough, Just Talk, Right?

 

Unfortunately, your customers, whether you’re a B2B or B2C or B2B2C type of business, have a lot of people who want to ‘communicate with them’. 

Your customers have also changed the way they buy, having a nearly infinite supply of largely free information about almost any product or service they might have a need for, written by best-in-class content marketers

 

Critical Role of Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an essential component of any successful inbound marketing strategy. With the vast amount of information available online, it's crucial to ensure that your content is easily discoverable by potential customers. The critical role of SEO is to help your prospects find your content by optimizing your website and content for relevant keywords and phrases.

 

Increased Online Visibility

 

By doing so, you can increase your visibility on search engines like Google, which can translate into more website traffic and ultimately more leads and sales. Without SEO, your content may go unnoticed, even if it's high-quality and valuable. Therefore, it's important to prioritize SEO as part of your overall inbound marketing efforts to ensure that your content reaches the right audience.

 

Mobile Friendly - Google Indexes Mobile First

 

You may not have noticed, but just go to any shopping mall, see how many people are walking around glued to their mobile phone.  Never quite sure what they are doing, but must be pretty interesting...

 

In today's world, it's not just about having a website, it's about having a mobile-friendly website. For many people, their mobile phone is their only way of accessing the internet, and if your website isn't optimized for mobile, you're missing out on potential customers. This is particularly important for businesses that rely on local customers, as more and more people are using their phones to search for nearby businesses. Google even indexes mobile websites first, which means if your website isn't mobile-friendly, it could hurt your search engine rankings. With the rise of mobile usage, it's crucial for businesses to prioritize mobile optimization in order to stay competitive and reach their target audience.

 

Diagnose Your Fit for Inbound Marketing 

 

Your customers also all have unlimited wants with limited means, or so it is said.  So how do you diagnose whether your type of business is a good ‘fit’ for Inbound Marketing?

 

Here are the characteristics we believe determine whether your business is a good fit for Inbound Marketing:

 

That is a pretty short list, isn’t it?  Let’s expand those out a bit so you can perform your own fit-gap analysis.

 

You Provide a Unique Service

 

There are many types of business’ that provide a unique service, such as SAP Partners.  

 

Unique Delivery Capability or Add-on Solution

 

What must be unique is either your delivery capability or your add-on solutions.

For example, if you have unique knowledge of a particular industry, are considered a thought leader (or can become one), and in particular, you know how your target customer truly makes their profit and you know how to improve it, then you're a good fit for demand generation using Inbound Marketing. 

 

Social Media Networking

 

You, of course, must be highly networked, and understand that you are now not only able to reach customers via a multitude of social media channels but they can and will reach out to you via those channels, as well as check you out, 24x7x365.

 

Business Networking

LinkedIn is an excellent platform for business networking, allowing you to connect with professionals in your industry and beyond. To achieve thought leader status on LinkedIn, you need to consistently provide valuable content that showcases your expertise and insights. This can take the form of blog posts, articles, videos, and other types of content that resonate with your audience. By regularly sharing informative content and engaging with your connections, you can establish yourself as a trusted authority in your field. You will know you have reached thought leader status when your content is regularly shared and commented on by your connections, and when you are sought out for your expertise and insights. With its vast network of professionals and wealth of resources for building your personal brand, LinkedIn is a powerful tool for anyone looking to grow their business or career.

 

You Manufacture a Product.

 

On the other hand, you could manufacture a product of some sort. This, of course, covers a broad swath of the economy. 

 

For the largest manufacturers, say, aircraft or automobiles, sophisticated marketing strategies have been a part of the marketing mix for decades. 

 

What is a Marketing Mix?

A marketing mix refers to the combination of product, price, place, and promotion used by a company to market and sell its products or services. An example of a marketing mix used by an aircraft manufacturer like Boeing would be its pricing strategy, which involves offering different pricing options for its various models of aircraft, based on factors such as range, capacity, and features. Boeing also uses a diverse range of promotional activities, such as advertising, sponsorships, and trade shows, to promote its products to different target audiences, including airlines, governments, and private customers. Additionally, Boeing's products are sold through various channels, such as direct sales to customers, leasing companies, and distributors, which are strategically located in different regions around the world.

 

Reaching End Customers

 

However, in order to reach their end customer, which in some cases is an end consumer and in others, is actually a complex layer of leasing companies and operators but not the ultimate end user, i.e., passengers.   

 

Inbound Marketing strategies can be highly effective as they allow you to provide highly useful educational content in highly targeted segments across all communication channels, while being able to listen and respond to customers in real time.

 

For small to medium (SMB) size manufacturers, who may produce products that get consumed by end customers or may provide multitudes of small components that are part of larger end products, then Inbound Marketing can be an excellent fit, though it requires the capability and commitment to create a constant stream of content that explains the who, what, where, when, why and how of their product.

 

A classic example we use in classes we conduct while developing a sales  and marketing methodology for our customers, is the barbecue. 

 

These are typically sold at retail, with a few exceptions where they are sold by custom builders at a cost sometimes in the $10,000.00 range and up! 

You would be surprised how many different video ideas you can come up with that shows how to barbecue, recipes, maintenance, safety, cleaning, customizing ideas, and how many people are actually passionate about the grills….

 

There is one final qualifier you should ask yourself about whether Inbound Marketing is a good fit for you.  Do you have a CRM?

 

Do you have in-house capability to execute on the Inbound Marketing methodology on a sustained basis or do you have the budget to hire a company to be your Inbound Marketing arm for you?

 

That is really all you need to know to do a self-evaluation (Inbound Marketing Assessment) of whether your business is a good fit for inbound marketing. 

 

If you’re still not sure of whether you are a good fit, just click the button and we’ll get back to you to help you decide.

 

Get a FREE  Inbound Marketing Assessment

 

More reading:

Get What Is Inbound Marketing Used For By SAP Consultancies [eBook]

Get What Is Inbound Sales In A Unified Sales And Marketing System [Ebook]

What are 2 Primary Focus Areas for SAP Airline Customers?

How To Segment Your Customers using SAP BW and CRM

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Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP

About the Author: Lonnie Ayers is a Hubspot Certified Inbound Marketing consultant, with additional certifications in Hubspot Content Optimization, Hubspot Contextual Marketing, and is a Hubspot Certified Partner. Specialized in demand generation and sales execution, especially in the SAP, Oracle and Microsoft Partner space, he has unique insight into the tough challenges Service Providers face with generating leads and closing sales using the latest digital tools. With 15 years of SAP Program Management experience, and dozens of complex sales engagements under his belt, he helps partners develop and communicate their unique sales proposition. Frequently sought as a public speaker in various events, he is available for both inhouse engagements and remote coaching.
Balanced Scorecard Consultant

He also recently released a book "How to Dominate Any Market - Turbocharging Your Digital Marketing and Sales Results", which is available on Amazon.

View All Articles by Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP

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