Top 3 Methods to Get More Leads With Memorable Inbound Marketing

Generating leads through memorable and creative inbound marketing can be a lot tougher than it sounds. Using inbound marketing effectively requires an understanding of the three pillars that make up the core of inbound lead generation strategies. I’ve studied these new frontiers of marketing and help my clients optimize their social media accounts, improve their business blog and increase search engine rankings through the effective use of search engine optimization (SEO). 

Social media involvement, blogging and SEO are the foundation of inbound lead generation; they are being used effectively by many businesses and organizations to drive more traffic to their websites and increase their sales and reach. Each of these three can be refined in multiple ways, making them crucial to lead generation strategies, no matter your field. Successful implementation relies on having the knowledge and skill necessary to generate tangible results from marketing strategies; that’s where my expertise comes into play for my clients.

SEO Strategies

Optimizing search engine results is essential for good website visibility and growth. However, many of my clients, if they even practice SEO, do so in a haphazard fashion that doesn’t take into account both on-page and off-page optimization. In order to successfully optimize your search engine rankings, both must be considered; they are equally important.

Optimizing your on-page SEO means structuring your website content in such a way that it’s easily recognized as a specific type of content by search engines, making it easier to find and more likely to have a higher ranking. In order to rank your site, search engines will look at five things:

1. URL
2. Title
3. Header tags
4. Image alt tags
5. Content

Each page of your website should be individually optimized for only one or two (very similar, related) keywords. This keeps your pages organized and relevant to the keyword(s). A page that is optimized for “prom shoes,” for instance, shouldn’t also be optimized for “fishing tackle;” but “prom dresses” or “high heels” might reasonably be included in a peripheral fashion. It’s far more effective from an SEO standpoint to focus each page on only one keyword.  However, if you must combine them, do so in a sensible manner that doesn’t confuse your visitors or the search engines.

Building a good SEO presence also requires off-page optimization. Search engines see inbound links to your site as indicative of your content’s quality.  Multiple inbound links signal that your site is more valuable, according to search engine ranking algorithms. Greater weight is given for links to reputable, recognized sites than for the local shops in your area. Therefore, it’s not just the number of links, but also the authority given them by search engines, that is important. A focus on strong off-page SEO strategy includes increasing the number of inbound links to your site, but also ensuring those links are of the highest possible quality.

Blogging for Lead Generation

This is an area where you can really get creative and produce memorable content that will draw in leads. My clients often already have blogs, but they aren’t using them effectively when it comes to generating inbound leads using memorable content. When used properly, blogging can contribute to your content presence in search engine rankings, bring in new visitors and help build your reputation for relevant, useful content and services. Here are two methods I employ when helping my clients generate new inbound leads:

• Pairing content – By associating premium content with each blog post, you can effectively create the opportunity to generate leads every single time you post a blog. Premium, or “gated,” content that is closely related to the blog post can serve to encourage casual blog readers to complete a contact form.  An example might be the inclusion of an eBook as “gated” content, where the user must fill out the contact information in order to gain access to the eBook.
• Increasing visibility – A properly-prepared blog post will showcase a keyword and content that is optimized in a professional, easy-to-read manner. This helps increase the visibility of your site, because new blog posts create a unique, indexed page that is then discovered and crawled by search engines. Frequent posts and effective keyword usage increases your visibility to the major search engines on a nearly exponential basis. Active blogging gives your site a better chance of being seen by new users and leads to new readers becoming viable business prospects.

The blog is one place where creativity really counts.  Memorable, useful, solid content is a must for the success of any blog, and that’s especially true when you’re endeavoring to generate inbound leads. Mediocre content that is stuffed with multiple keywords is not useful and typically appears poorly written. Many search engines even rank content poorly if it’s stuffed with keywords, so make sure your blog content is focused, sharp and informative. 

Lead Through Social Media

Social media has the advantage of being very good at increasing your visibility.  In order to find new prospects, they have to first know that you exist. Social media makes this simple, especially in light of being able to arrange people in various circles for Google+ and the highly segmented nature of Facebook. Even LinkedIn has an outstanding capability for sharing. All of these can be utilized in concert in order to get your message out to an ever-increasing audience. When it comes to generating leads using social media, it’s important to:

• Understand the network, its users and its culture – Promotion for your company can take several different angles of approach. Different types of marketing will be more effective on some platforms than on others, and it’s essential that you be able to differentiate which sort of content and approach you need with each.
• Provide diverse content – Social media outlets typically work on a very visual platform. Content that appeals to users contains visual elements that are engaging and attention-getting. My approach is to come up with a striking idea and design the message around the image or video. This is a highly effective approach to generating inbound leads using social media, and provides an excellent opportunity to create content that is visually striking and very memorable.
• Improve frequency – Social media is most useful when you consistently increase your reach. In order to do this, you’ll need to post on a regular basis and provide good content each time. To get started on a regular schedule, I give my clients a calendar that has scheduled tweets, shares, status updates and other social media actions for the next few weeks. Being active on your social media accounts on a regular, reliable basis helps your followers get to know your rhythm. They’ll start looking forward to your next anticipated post and become eager to see what you have to offer.

It’s All in the Content

Inbound marketing using the three pillars described here is fast becoming the norm for online retailers. Your focus should be on content that is well-optimized, provides solid information and creates a lasting impression on those who see it. The point is to get people fired up about what you’re offering.  Great content and site development will increase your presence on social media and improve search engine results.

Inbound can only revolutionize the way you do business if you use it; the time to start implementing it into your marketing campaign is now. Contact us and we can help you increasing your potentials with Inbound Marketing.

Let me know in the comment section below! This article was originally published on the Doyen Digital Blog.