Inbound Marketing: the Best Way to Drive Sales to New Levels

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Do you sometimes feel like your company is using social media and blogging but not getting the volume of leads you had hoped for? Are you stressing over the decision to invest more time, talent, and treasure into your marketing effort?

Or are you stuck in the old cold-calling paradigm? Heck, can a company survive this way in today's marketplace?

Jason Fried, writing for INC., articulates: “Existing companies always weigh the costs of new technology or talent against what it already has and usually sticks with what is familiar. Why? Because the marginal costs of using what you have are almost always lower than the full costs of investing in something new.”1

Established decisions makers don't think in terms of marginal costs. New companies don't base decisions like inbound marketing adoption on costs at all - rather they tend to pick what is best for the business. It's the key reason new businesses often displace established ones.  They have better tools.

Several of our clients had established outbound sales processes in place, lacked an email database to completely support a pure inbound marketing campaign, and needed a more rapid ramp up than an inbound marketing initiation would have generated. But, they had the vision to realize that a sales process based solely on cold calling was becoming dysfunctional.

One of them, the President of a manufacturing company, had been impressed with some of the content we had shared with them, from a LinkedIn group, and reached out to us. Yup- they called us!

We created a plan to blend the client's outbound culture with the inbound marketing process. One of the biggest misconceptions we see in interviewing potential clients is the "either/or" mentality many people have regarding these two disciplines. Outbound tactics are a great way to support a sales organization that is light on email contacts and doesn’t want to buy lists (and potentially risk being labeled a spammer. The solution we devised was to utilize Hubspot® as an internet environment to create warm calls where they might have only been cold ones before.

Inbound marketing is at its best when it supports a traditional sales effort, not merely trying to replace it. And this is never more evident than within an existing business trying to survive by using only an outbound marketing process.

We then created personas of the client’s target audience, asking and evaluating where they "play". We Identified ways to reach them with our blog, social media content, along with traditional marketing tactics. For example an architectural firm we work with found success with not only regularly posting new content on their website but also because we re-purposed the material into a great print article, e-book, or white paper and used it as a compelling direct mail piece. We made certain to add a unique URL to track results, designed a landing page specific to that audience (and message) and added a strong call to action.  Where we used to have daily quotas of phone calls, and frustrated sales people (and equally frustrated decision makers) we now have a process to drive more inbound leads plus we have the ability to measure the traffic and convert leads into prospects before the sales people even pick up the phone.

We are also using advertising using trade publications and other periodicals that fit the persona of the target audience industries. We have assigned sales people to trade shows and networking events and have armed them with unique business cards and/or brochures designed for that purpose, again all driving to specifically tailored landing pages.

And more often than not when the sales team acknowledges a response to a call to action and dials the phone the party on the other end is far more receptive to having a conversation. Our rate of new appointments has grown, and our close rates and new customer conversions will certainly follow. But that is on the sales manager… we are the outsourced marketing department, after all!

All of this has allowed the management team to consider eliminating sales territories all together and aligning salespeople into specific industries, creating expert solution providers not pitchy sales people. Imagine speaking with the sales person who has multiple success stories within your industry versus a guy who merely “handles your territory”!

Lastly, we could devote an entire article (perhaps we should) on the enhancements to organic search results as a byproduct of all of this new inbound traffic. A financial planning we enjoy working with previously invested around a thousand dollars monthly to improve their search engine results through SEO-generating activities.  With the use of good inbound marketing processes that company’s website ranking naturally improved, ultimately providing them with even more interested lead conversion opportunities.

Inbound marketing requires a good amount of time to generate momentum. Companies lacking a large existing email database to work with can see success with the adaptation of traditional marketing and sales methods to drive traffic and conversions is a great way to build the eventually conversion to an inbound only approach.

And it is far more efficient than cold calling on its own.

1- INC Magazine, October 2012 page 35

Inbound Marketing and History Lessons Can Work Together

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A favorite saying in business is “those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it". In today’s economy, this lesson can often be disputed. It is easy for a business owner to develop a rear window perspective and allow their business development to be determined by tactics based in the past- it's human nature to want to stay within our comfort zones and rely on past successes because new or misunderstood opportunities are intimidating or represent risk. There is nowhere this behavior is more prevalent than in the adoption of technology. It is viewed as costly, difficult to master, ever changing, and often confusing while at the same time it is possibly advancing the business of our competition,

But even though technology is advancing at a faster rate than ever before, there are still many proven best practices and techniques everyone should be advantaging if they want to be successful. When applied through technology, the business owner can gain access to a greater number or prospective customers and create measurable reports of their business at a more efficient rate. Service professionals from architects to accountants have shown success when that taking advantage of these tactics, plus the many new marketing techniques, but not in a way that makes you lose the personal touch with the people who keep your business standing.

Making Marketing with Technology Personal

Most marketing tools today revolve around using technology to reach their customers. We are a technology-based marketing company and our people are always on the go- does this sound familiar? Our client companies are now using web pages, mobile media, and social networking to keep their message fresh and engaging in this fast-paced world. But these are just the tools that will help you reach more customers. In order to be successful, your company must combine this technology with quality marketing techniques along with good content creation. You want to reach more people, but only the kind of people that will be interested in your business, product, or service.

Making marketing (and especially advertising) feel personal is one of a series of immutable laws in marketing. You want your customers to feel like you know them and are listening to their needs, not sending them spam and constantly pitching them to make a purchase. Businesses can leverage message boards, online polls, and dozens of other technologically-based marketing techniques in tandem with direct mail to get firsthand information about what their customers are thinking. This allows for the design of effective promotions and adjustments to business offerings that maximize sales... and profits. With so much information available right at your fingertips, why should a business ever be out of touch with its users?

Improving Support for Small Businesses

People used to avoid small businesses because they felt they could get lower prices and comparable service at the large national chains. This is no longer the case. Online marketing tools do just as much to improve the sales of small businesses as they do the large corporations. Best of all, you do not have to be an expert on marketing or technology to succeed in the online world. There are companies (like Zen Marketing) that can set up a great marketing campaign for your company and provide the support necessary to keep your web pages running.

The best part about online marketing for the small or private business is that it is highly efficient. Instead of worrying about a middleman managing your affairs, marketing companies put you right in contact with your viewers and prospects. You can discover where they are coming from, what they are specifically looking at, and what parts of your web page are driving the sales process. This allows you to streamline all of your efforts in to one solid inbound marketing process that keeps customers coming back for more instead of wasting time and effort putting together campaigns that never get you anywhere.

Combining Quality Marketing with Technology

Technological advances do not change how you advertise, just where you advertise. If you want to create a quality inbound marketing process, you need to focus on creating quality information about your business, product or service. Create and share links to pages that tell people why your offering would benefit them. Fill your web pages with information on why your expertise and service is the best choice for them. The use of keywords in content is important to search engine optimization (SEO) but remember a lot of keywords without the proper context will impede your inbound marketing results- people will not want to stay on your page or follow through with your offer.

It is incredibly important to embrace new technology if you want to sustain the growth in your business, but you need to combine these tools with solid marketing techniques as well. In the past, the focus of an advertising campaign was to explain why your product or service was a good choice. This approach is still effective with internet marketing. You do not want to get so caught up in using the marketing techniques that you forget to embrace the basics of good marketing strategy. Use a marketing provider that will blend these two business practices, and you will find your company growing at an unprecedented rate.

There is Never a Penalty for Quality in Inbound Marketing.

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One of the questions Zen Marketing receive a lot relates to search engine optimization and website design.  Search engine optimization is really about driving the prominence of your website in a search, but seldom do you read about the website in its entirety. A good SEO plan should improve the search engine results plus the web visibility of each page contained within a website. Given that, is there a specific number of pages that a website should  to impact it's SEO? Can your website have too many pages?.

Since every business we work with is different, every business website we design and build is uniquely different as well. Obviously the size of a local automobile repair shop's website is going to be much smaller than an office products e-commerce website selling to customers on a national basis. So to answer the question from a design point of view, a business's website should have the number of pages that is right for them.

But how does this design-oriented approach relate to SEO?

It is important to keep a few things in mind. Today every major  search engine is motivated by the amount of new content. And while the search engines acknowledge (through their scoring) a website that is updated regularly they only truly reward websites that have lots of fresh, relevant, unique content. Thus, if you add pages just for the sake of affecting your SEO efforts the search engine spiders will actually rate you lower.

This is the very basis for the inbound marketing programs that we orchestrate for some of our clients. It impacts search results, improves lead conversion, and  drives additional revenue.

The key to good SEO is the same as good content creation-  keep your target audience in mind. If by creating one page that is nearly identical to another, and has similar information to another page, ruins the user experience then you must realize that it will also hurt you from an SEO perspective. The search engines will not know which page to rank for specific keywords, and in the end you will be simply competing with yourself. If the content is very similar it could even be considered duplicate content, which is also a negative to the search engines.

However, having too few pages can also negatively affect your SEO results. Why do people go to your website in the first place? Usually it is because they desire to learn more about a particular product or service that you offer. A website (just as any face to face meeting) must address questions or concerns that a prospective customer or existing client may have. If it doesn’t, you will fail to make an emotional  connection which is an important goal for your  website. Since the search engines want to provide users with the best possible results it is probable your site will not be considered a good result because your website content is lacking in scope.

When approaching website design and SEO we like to apply the KISS principal- Keep It Simple, Stupid!

Approach both design and search with a common sense direction and add or create what makes sense and do not force things or try to game the search engine process. Do not merely add pages for the sake of adding pages, there is not magic number of pages, and always remember that like your products or services it is the  quality of your content that will ultimately determine your search results.

If you want more customers remember, there is never a penalty for quality.

Are You Getting The Most From Your Web Presence?

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Be advised that some providers may impoose fees, while some offer a free limited/introductory package (and they will frequently attempt to up-sell you to a "premium" package). Look over the terms of service and make certain the additional fees are absolutely necessary. At Zen Marketing we recommend opting for a basic (especially if it is free!) service for a set period of time before considering upgrading. Let the provider prove they are working for you before investing more capital.

We recommend you go to each search engine and internet directories web page, locate the instructions, and then complete a monthly refresh of your listing. And if you utilize a comprehensive marketing platform like Hubspot® you will be able to watch which of these engines and directories your leads come from. Understanding the entry point data of your leads is important to evaluating your internet marketing effectiveness.

Getting your business registered will have an immediate impact on your inbound marketing efforts, in addition to helping your organic search results.

Integration Efficiencies With The Right Inbound Marketing Platform

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The entire business world is undertaking extensive efforts to market in these uncertain times.  Typically, business goes about the routine, but the economic storm, which we are experiencing, has made each step a cautious one.

Combine the fact that budgets are tight, the future uncertain, and those traditional marketing methods are slowly becoming more and more ineffective, and it’s a marketer’s nightmare.  Inbound marketing, sometimes referred to content marketing,  internet marketing, social marketing and online marketing (confused yet?)... there is a lot to think about, let alone act on.

There is no getting around it, trying to keep up with the demands of digital marketing is a time consuming and often confusing process.  Using the right inbound marketing platform could make the difference in burning ten to twelve hours a day marketing your business properly down to a meaningful and streamlined two or three (or four if you are like me).  Here is some of what is involved:

• Social media platforms ( there are more than 300 and counting)
• Your blog
• Articles
• Content aggregators
• Google Keywords
• Analytics
• Email
• Auto-responders
• And oh so much more 

Then there is search engine optimization, long tail keyword strategies, traditional marketing tactics like direct mail, display ads, and public relations.  Let's not forget networking. What’s a business owner or marketing executive  to do?

There happens to be a great number of software solutions available to create integration efficiencies, combining some if not most of the daily activities to save time and redundant effort.  You can select from software services such as Infusionsoft®, Optify®, Unica®, Constant Contact®, Exact Target®, Eloqua® and many others.  There are specialty software solutions that include some or all of the tasks mentioned above, but when you want to concentrate your efforts, don’t you want to minimize the number of platforms with which to work?  I would think so.  Integrating the right inbound marketing platform is critical to achieve economies of scale and efficiency.

When making the choice from so much variety, it may seem somewhat daunting, but it doesn’t need to be.  The main considerations are:

• Usability
• Full Support
• Integration Capabilities with existing CRM  and ERP software
• Seamless integration and cohesion
• Availability of additional applications
• Affordability and Scalability
• Do It For Me Service Options

One of the features my clients appreciate the most is that even though they have elected to utilize a Software as a Service platform (SaaS), they can do what they feel confident in supporting, and deferring the lesser aspects of the overall marketing process to us.  It’s a shared responsibility, with regular meetings to review analytics, define strategy and tactical tweaking and continued training. This collaborative approach to the workflow, which we manage, has had substantial results in terms of results and reduced expenditures.

Integration software systems are an imperative for streamlining the entire process, as well as having the right inbound marketing platform.  As a Hubspot® Value Added Reseller, I am rather biased, naturally, but I do believe the industry leader is the right one to choose when considering making the move to cloud based solutions of inbound marketing platforms.  Hubspot® not only offers a great software platform, but an inbound marketing assessment plus ongoing support is our specialty as a VAR.

Consider the advantages of moving some or all of your marketing efforts to a digital platform. Or contact us and let us walk you through a detailed description of the process.

Inbound Marketing Levels the Playing Field

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Large or small, multi-national or local, family-owned, companies today have as much of a chance at winning business for one very big reason; the internet.  Yes, it’s true, the internet greatly impacts how business is won today, compared to just a few short years ago.  The onset of inbound marketing is just now taking firm hold, as the traditional methods of marketing are slowly heading for the dugout. 

Inbound marketing levels the playing field, so that everyone can compete with the same set of tools. 

• Web Site with Analytics
• Blogging, Webinars, Audio Playback
• Content Creation and Curation
• Public Relations
• Social Media Sharing
• Event Marketing
• Mobile Marketing
• Video Marketing
• Email Marketing

Yes, there can be a discussion about big business having a larger budget than everyone else does, but the fact of the matter is, every business needs all of the above to flourish.  An accounting firm or CPA that serves the local or regional market should be using the same tool kit that behemoth firms like JP Morgan Chase, and do an obviously better job creating profit.  Not to be harsh, but the truth lies in the use of the tools, not the size of the budget in all cases.  Smaller firms must be more nimble, forward thinking and less concerned about the paychecks of the corporate big-wigs, and more concerned with driving business in the doors. The size of the marketing department at JPMC is not driving enough revenues regardless of the tools they’re using.  Someone needs to check out what really is going on there. 

A great example of how inbound marketing levels the playing field is a case study from a client from 2009.  As a marketing agency, I am proud of how this project turned out.  Here is the summary of the case where a local architectural firm started using Hubspot software to drive leads through their inbound marketing strategy.  The results were astounding, creating a 600% increase in traffic and leads.

Here is a brief synopsis of their success.

Client: Modative Architectural Firm – Los Angeles, Ca. Founded 2006, focus on contemporary residential and commercial projects.  Note: No IT staff, no previous with Internet anything.  3 principal partners.

Challenge:  Switch from word of mouth advertising and marketing to driving leads through the Internet and their web site. “We did have a web site but we weren’t bringing really much traffic to that web site,” quotes Derek Levitt, partner.  Blogging didn’t work, and they invested in Google ads and Yahoo ads, with little to no improvement.  Only     15 % of incoming traffic in May was due to advertising (compared to 80% in the past- prior to the housing bubble).

Solution:  Signed on to the Hubspot platform, transferring Modative’s marketing from pay per click to organic traffic.  May ’09 traffic was 85% organic.  Hubspot’s search engine optimization tools, analytics, keyword analytics, and added a resource page to their web site offering free engaging content pieces such as eBooks, White Papers and informational articles and optimized their online portfolio of project photos, generating an additional 18% of traffic to the site. Working on lead capture methodology, as well as targeted social media strategic tactics, traffic increased exponentially.  Prior to inbound marketing, traffic was non-existent and now has reached 711 unique visitors a month.

Results:  Results have been dramatic, as indicated by the following illustrations:

(Image Above: monthly Google search referrals, Jan - June 2009)

Modative has increased its traffic from 639 visitors in January to 3,670 in June.

(Image Above: monthly traffic and leads, Jan - June 2009)

The company blog’s traffic has grown sizably, gaining 1,063 viewers in less than 30 days. It has 45 blog subscribers who engage with one another and leave comments. In optimizing his blog content, Derek uses social media site like Twitter, StumpleUpon and LinkedIn. "People will find an article that we blogged on and then, they will promote it," said Derek Levitt.

"I really can't say enough good things about what it has done for us in the short-term and, more importantly, in the long term," said Derek. The Hubspot product pieces have helped Modative successfully optimize search results and generate qualified leads. "We get to do all of that ourselves, which is really empowering," he said. "Things are being done the way you want them to be done."

Regardless of the fact that the client already had a web site, it wasn’t doing them any good.  It may as well have been a sign in the desert; unless someone stumbles by, it would never be seen.  Inbound marketing makes the difference.  Every type of business can benefit from inbound marketing.  It starts with an evaluation, goal setting, understanding the target audience and competitors, and developing and instituting a marketing plan.  Whether an accounting firm, architect, bakery or retail outlet, inbound marketing is the new marketing model.  The customer is now in control, like never before.  They have tuned out traditional marketing messages, and are actively searching online for those companies with whom they intend to do business.

What ROI is your present marketing creating? And if it is not meeting your expectation, what are you planning to do to improve it?

CPA's Must Seize Innovation in Internet or Inbound Marketing

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It isn’t a question IF accounting firms, CPA’s and financial planners convert to internet marketing, it is more of a question of when.  The traditional marketing model is broken, as people shy away from traditional marketing efforts like telemarketing, direct mail, television and radio advertising and other “old school” methods of customer acquisition.

When was the last time you hosted a dinner event promising  no-obligation value-packed workshop? What was the real cost-benefit you derived from this tactic?

Accounting, CPA's, and financial planning firms that embrace innovation, creativity and non-traditional marketing moves experience better brand awareness, increased lead generation and lead to customer cycles that are measurably shorter than in years past.  Customers and potential customers are searching out firms to do business with that are easily found on the internet, because the yellow pages don’t work anymore.  And efficacy rates for advertising are not where they used to be either.

Innovation in marketing is a mindset that embraces brand differentiation, the use of engaging content that is readily for download from interactive web sites and a general attitude of making people's lives better through the use of a company’s products or services.  The status quo is no longer a viable solution for customer growth.

The real innovation is actually making the move from offline (traditional marketing) to online (inbound marketing), of informing the public about information that helps people become informed in a general fashion, to create an ongoing relationship with a potential consumer, and not trying to sell them all the time.  People are sick and tired of being sold. That model is broken, and will not be getting fixed anytime in the near or distant future.

Through the implementation of engaging content, compelling website design, internet marketing (aka inbound marketing) techniques such as SEO, blogging, calls to action (known as CTA’s), landing pages and embedded video, today’s CPA firm can lead the industry in innovation, growing customer rosters, and boosting top line revenues. 

Supplying free, quality content in the form of special reports, white papers, eBooks, blog articles and unexpected extras, today’s accounting firms and financial service providers can surpass their competitors, as this niche has yet to fully embrace the marketing niche. The firms following these practices report enormous gains in their business development.

Pay per click is another form of internet marketing, but is not for the meek.  Costs vary from one search engine to another, and success should not be pinned solely to this form of advertising.  The digital landscape has plenty of less expensive, more successful means by which to fill the lead funnel. Unless, of course, you have a very large budget and don't flinch at a $15.00 cost when someone clicks on your banner ad.

If you presently have a website on the internet, you may consider having it updated, as internet marketing has evolved dramatically in the past couple of years.  Should your site not change often, it is considered static, and therefore, to the unknowing consumer, it may appear that nobody is home.  By offering interactive links to landing pages offering specific free content offers, the site and its keywords can be kept up to date.  Google and other search engines (Google leads the way) update the most searched keywords monthly, and Google Adwords provides that listing for easy consumption.  Your webmaster can run an audit from time to time to keep your site fresh and at the top of the rankings.  Again, if your site is static, it is no wonder your site is ranked low in the standings.  Fresh content with strategic keyword placement assure higher rankings.

Accounting, CPA's, and financial planning firms are always in the market for new customers, as more and more their services are needed all year round. It pays to have a high quality, interactive site that performs for the reasons for which they were meant.  Inbound marketing is the way business is done in this new century, and the concept is under constant evolution. It pays to take the plunge sooner, rather than later. 

After all, new customer acquisition is the cornerstone of business.

Why Blogging Is a Good Investment for CPA & Financial Planning Firms

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Many of those in the accounting world assume that blogging is a platform mainly for those who are involved with Internet marketing as their main business. The truth is, many major companies have blogs, even those that are not directly involved in the technological field. Blogging can be a huge contributor to inbound marketing and new client development, even for those in the financial arena.

ROI

There are definite concerns regarding the return on investment, as with any marketing ploy. This is particularly true in the case of blogging, as the main resource needed is time, and we all know time is money. It can feel frustrating maintaining a blog without seeing any immediate financial payoffs. However, especially within the accounting community, it should be easy to understand that the initial time put in will pay off in the long run, even if the benefits are not immediately apparent.

Annuity

Every blog post can generate long-term revenue. Unlike a print ad that’s run for a few months and then discontinued, blogs are indexed by search engines long into the future, assisting new client development months and even years after the original post. Think of every blog post as the start of a cash flow that will continue for the lifetime of the site. Though the return will not show up in dollars right away, it will show up in increased traffic. The more traffic you receive, the higher number of likely conversions from those who read your blog to those who become customers.

Internet Marketing

The key to promoting your accounting business online is by understanding the strategy behind inbound marketing. Outbound marketing is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Consumers are learning how to tune out advertisements that don’t appeal to them. Instead, the most successful Internet marketing campaigns rely on inbound marketing, which involves making sure that those who are online and searching for a niche financial service are finding your company in their search results.

This means that most of the traffic through your site is from people who are already interested and shopping for financial services. If your blog post really captures what your readers have been looking for, those individuals will not only become customers, but will broadcast that choice to friends and family via social media and word of mouth, essentially taking care of your outbound marketing for you.

Networking vs. Experience

New companies just starting out may feel they’re at a loss in comparison to those who have been knocking around the accounting field for longer. Those who are most successful have been cultivating their contacts for years in order to build a deep and far-reaching business network. With Internet marketing, however, any fresh voice can become quickly recognized as an expert in their niche, and blogging is the perfect way to accomplish this. By writing a series of posts addressing a specific topic that may not have been addressed elsewhere in the financial world, very soon that blogger becomes the go-to source for that market.

Reputation

Financial blogging allows even newcomers to establish a solid reputation in a comparatively short amount of time. By focusing efforts on a niche market, you can carefully nurture new client development through your website analytics, determining which keywords are bringing in readers and continuing this strategy for optimum success in both business and blogging.

Understanding Inbound Marketing - How the Proper Marketing………...

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…………can help accountants, CPA’s, financial services firms and financial consultants “get found!”  Those accounting firms that have already embraced inbound marketing are experiencing significant growth in lead generation, lead capture, internet marketing “buzz” and have differentiated themselves from their competitors in new client development. 

Let’s face it, the traditional model of marketing and advertising is broken.  Prospective customers are sick of being “sold” and have switched to commercial free radio, use caller id, get their news online, DVR television programming to speed through commercials and have shunned traditional sales techniques.  Now they search for products or services online.  Those firms that embrace internet marketing are winning, leaving their out-dated competition in the dust.  Through the use of inbound marketing (sometimes referred to as content marketing) new client development has become a win-win strategy for customer and company alike.  Rather than being sold, consumers are seeking out companies that demonstrate they can make their lives better.

The use of internet marketing, or inbound marketing as it is better known, can help you in a number of ways, specifically:

¨      Gain an increased brand awareness

¨      Get found by those in need of your services or products

¨      Create competitive differentiation between you and  your competitors

¨      Capture leads and convert prospects to customers

¨      Gain measurable results and identify real return on investment

¨      Raise the rankings of your website in the search engines

How can this all happen by switching to inbound marketing?  Well, it cannot be summed up in a sentence or two. It takes a dialogue with your web master (outside agent or internal department) about additional advantages and action steps necessary to achieve higher results. 

CPA firms, accountants, financial firms and most consultant websites lack an interactive site.  Other than social media follow buttons, a quick scan of sites reflects a lack of blogs, calls to action for free information, surveys, offers or any other form of interaction by prospects with the business.  Today’s marketing concept is relationship oriented, and unless there is a dialogue with potentials, they just might remain nothing more than suspects.  Interactivity is key to converting visitors to a site to a lead. 

Even further effort remains to convert a lead to a customer, but that is why we all have web sites after all, isn’t it?  New client development is the crux of any business, and inbound marketing for accounting firms, financial services and consulting firms in the financial services field are in much need of a comprehensive internet marketing strategy.

If you are still unsure of what inbound marketing is and what it can do for your firm, consider these bullet items. An inbound marketing firm can assist you with:

¨      Setting up a blog and perform blog posting

¨      Aligning social media sites and your web site and blog interactively

¨      Build back links to bolster your website's awareness with major search engines

¨      Create Call to Action Campaigns

¨      Design Email Campaigns for lead nurturing

¨      Provide keyword building for web site and on-page optimization

¨      Produce pay per click campaigns

¨      Increase the number of leads generated

Inbound marketing grows new client development, and more leads means more clients. More clients mean greater ROI, and bringing top line revenues in affordably is key to success in the digital world we live in.  Inbound leads are more than 60% less expensive to generate than traditional advertising.

There are dozens of other tactical and analytical advantages to becoming involved with an inbound marketing agency.  The only decision that is pending is not if, but when, you will decide to get involved.

When is the Best Time to Make Sales Calls?

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One of the questions I am frequently asked is, "When is the best time to make sales calls?" I'm always hesitant to answer this question, simply because I despise cold calling and believe that anyone who tells you they enjoy cold calling is either a liar or a sales consultant.

Yes, I never want to give prospectors and new business development pros a reason not to make calls. There are times when following up a referral or a target of opportunity requires a cold call. But I'm always afraid that if I mention times that are better than others people could interpret that to mean they should not make calls at those other times.

Finding the "good times" to reach high-level corporate decision-makers and/or business owners can be a crap shoot. Sometimes it is before or after business hours, other times following lunch. Many times high-level decision-makers or business owners are in early or they stay late. If you track your calls (which you should be doing) you may also notice trends about when you are able to reach prospects directly. But often times no discernible pattern emerges.

The bottom line is that you really never know when you might be able to reach a given prospect so  is it really worth all the investment in time trying? To prove my point, here is an email I recently read from a blog posting on sales. As you'll see, the sale person's conclusions and results go against what passes for the common wisdom about when one can reach a prospect:

"Friday afternoons after 2:00 p.m. have been the best times for me to reach people in their offices. I managed to get through to half a dozen people this afternoon.... Every one of them either agreed to meet with me, or referred me down a level to someone else in their organization. The person who referred me down a level is the person who runs the entire home loan division for FirstBank  - a very big fish. People may be tempted to take Friday afternoon off, I know I always am, but it's a spectacularly good time to call people."

People tell me Monday mornings are bad. Others say that Friday afternoons are bad. Too early is bad. Too late is bad. All are really excuses not to make calls and are based on the ups and downs (anxiety!) of the cold calling process.

But with a proper application of Internet Marketing (aka Inbound Marketing) you can create an environment of credibility and a conduit for interested parties to contact you! Your brand or company can reach hundreds more prospects, far more than you could ever hope to call and connect with.

Watch this brief slide show for a simplified comparison between cold calling and inbound marketing. It is a fun and unique way gain some understanding, and if you would like to learn more there is a link on the final slide where you can go to download our comprehensive white paper on internet marketing.