Remaining Relevant with Inbound Marketing - cdn.ymaws.com · 2017 Fall Conference nefma.org Remaining Relevant with Inbound Marketing Presented by Cam Mirisola-Bynum Communications

nefma.org2017 Fall Conference

Remaining Relevant

with

Inbound Marketing

Presented by Cam Mirisola-Bynum

Communications Director, Grant Marketing






Cartoon Recap

• The long game

• Know your customers

• Nurture brand loyalty

• Meet expectations

• Fill information gaps

• Address customer pain points

• Clear (and compliant!) messaging


WHAT IS INBOUND

& WHY IT WORKS


Agenda

• What it Is; Why it Works; Why You Should Care

• Buyer’s Journey

• Inbound Marketing Methodology

• Content Marketing Culture

• Questions


WHAT IS

INBOUND

MARKETING?


What Is Inbound Marketing?

• Data-driven approach that attracts people to your website and brand, then converts them into customers

• Content-driven: focus is on customer needs and pain points

• A methodology—it can be implemented through various content offers, platforms, and campaigns simultaneously

• Not “just” marketing anymore—an integration of sales and marketing

• Educating customers


What Is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing IS the new business model


WHY IT WORKS


Why it Works

• Customers and consumers have driven the change

• We give them what they want—how and when they want it

• The essence of “on-demand” targeted content is precisely what keeps it

relevant to the consumer


Why it Works

• When you use inbound marketing successfully, prospects SELF-INDENTIFY

with your brand: products, services, company culture

• Customers “organically” come to you in the process of educating them

• You have HELPED them with a need and built trust


Why it Works

INBOUND MARKETING METHODOLOGY

—BY ITS VERY NATURE—

KEEPS YOU RELEVANT


WHY YOU

SHOULD

CARE


The Future (Is Here) …

By 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationships without talking

to a human (Gartner Research via Salesforce blog)

https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2014/01/20-marketing-automation-stats.html


B2B Buyers Research Digitally

• 94% of B2B buyers report researching

online before a purchase (Acuity Group)

• 71% of B2B researchers start their

research with a generic search (Google, 2015)


B2C and B2B Buyers:

Searching and Purchasing on the Move!

• 81% of shoppers conduct online research before making big purchases (Retailing

Today, 2014)

• 51% of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting a search on their smartphone (Google, 2015)

• 78% of local-mobile searches result in offline purchases (Search Engine Land, 2014)

• Shoppers now make 51% of their purchases online (comScore, 2016)


BUYER’S

JOURNEY


THE BUYER’S JOURNEY BEGINS

It’s a process …

• Awareness Stage: experiencing pain points and symptoms

• Discovery Search: considering solutions and getting answers to problems

• Decision Time: chosen solution strategy includes vendor list


Connecting with the Customer

• According to Forrester, 59% of buyers prefer to do research online instead

of interacting with a sales rep because the rep pushes a sales agenda rather

than helps solve a problem

• A LinkedIn survey found that B2B buyers are 5x more likely to engage

with a sales professional who provides new insights about their business

or industry


Funnel Breakdown: 70%

Research completed before contacting you:

• ID’d and prioritized problems and new objectives

• Assessed impact on organization

• Created alternatives to status quo

• ID’d features of new solution

• ID’d potential solution providers


Funnel Breakdown: 30%

All they need now:

• Connect with you and competitors

• Evaluate options and offers

• Choose you … or a competitor


The Money’s Pretty Much on the Table Already

Did you engage early enough … or are you leaving it there?


They Are Ready For You!

• Do they know that?

• Help them self-identify as

YOUR customer

• More than half your work is

DONE at that point!


Relevant Content Connects!

It’s Increasing in Influence, Reach … and Sales

• 9 out of 10 buyers say content effects purchasing decisions

• 73% “fed up” with irrelevant content

• 80% business decision-makers prefer getting info from series of article vs. ads

• Millennials are looking for more engagements with financial advisors and banks via online tools: 61% want video meetings; 57% will change/choose advisors that offer that service

Data from The Marketing Blender, 2016, Forbes 2013

http://www.themarketingblender.com/


Ranking

Relevant Content

Searchmetrics Ranking

Factors for Finance

U.S., 2017


Ranking Relevant Content

Searchmetrics Ranking Factors for Finance U.S., 2017

Searchmetrics Tip:

Even more so than other industries, keyword stuffing is a no-go for

finance. Forget keyword optimization and start focusing on relevant

content that holistically addresses the topic.


Finance: Not Interesting Enough?

• Are you passionate about it? Are your customers? (Money? Of course they are!)

• What customer questions do you often hear?

• Does your company have a greater purpose beyond selling products and programs? Tell the stories!

• What industry expertise or hidden talents do your employees have? Tell the stories!


Educate & Inform

Money isn’t necessarily the barrier to

purchase—knowledge and learning more

commonly are


How?

• Reach prospects when they begin their discovery, at the top of the funnel

• Speak to/with prospects through your relevant, helpful online content

• Give them the answers they are searching for

• Position you and your company as thought leaders, experts—build trust

• Provide reliable solutions—better yet …

BE THEIR SOLUTION


INBOUND

MARKETING

METHODOLOGY



Creating Content

• Blog post- Can have varying kinds

• Video, podcasts, webinars, emails

• Chat bots (dynamic, interactive “dialogue”)

• Call-to-Action (CTA) - Takes prospect to landing page

• White paper, case study, eBook

• Checklist, guidelines, “listicle,” spec sheet, infographic, interactive tool


Blog Post• Have authoritative

and educational, helpful tone

• Vary in style/content format

• Speak directly to the targeted persona

• Solve a problem; give solutions

• Entice prospect to want more info to click on the CTA


Infographics


Call-to-Action (CTA) Button

• Provoke immediate response

• Eye-Catching

• Clear value proposition

• Aligned with sales cycle/funnel stage

• Take prospect to a landing page


Landing Page

• Succinct message

• Dedicated page with no distracting info

• Clear value prop about download; answers,

“What am I getting?”

All Efforts Focused On:

• Form to capture lead info


Landing Page


Landing Page


Types of CTA Offers

Content

• Guidelines

• Spec Sheets

• Catalogs/Brochures

Personal Touch-Points

• Assessments

• Engineering Consultation

• Quotes

• “Let’s chat”

• Contact Us

http://market.grantmarketing.com/buyer-personas-template-download-0

http://market.grantmarketing.com/buyer-personas-template-download-0


Resources

Page

http://www.grantmarketing.com/resources/

http://www.grantmarketing.com/resources/


Interactive Tools and Resources: Easy as 1-2-3!

Webinars are interactive, too!


BudgetSimple

• Home page animated video

• Addresses pain points

• Explains product and process

• Uses different personas

• Easy sign-up to get started

• Free and low-cost options

Interactive Tools and Resources


Interactive Tools and Resources

F1F9

• A 31-day course

• Landing page has high-quality video

• Clear copy explaining the needs, expectations, deliverables

• Program offers quick, daily lessons delivered by email automation “workflows”

• Received over 10K sign-ups over two years

• Source of continuing leads


The Right Place and Time

CATER TO CUSTOMER CONVENIENCE =

IN-THE-MOMENT, ON-DEMAND RELEVANCE


CONTENT

MARKETING

CULTURE


The knowledge you possess

is a HOT commodity!

Cultivate that company-wide, and you have the collective

resources to be a massive thought-leader and influencer.


Customer Expectations Have Changed

People are searching because

they have a …

• Need

• Problem

• Query

• Curiosity Your website is

available 24/7/365 to

answer their questions

when you aren’t.


Google’s Mission

Google’s goal is to give its

customer (the searcher)

the answers that are the:

• Best

• Most Specific

• Most Contemporary

• Most Relevant


Organic Search

• 50% of search queries are four words or longer. (WordStream, 2016)

• B2B researchers do 12 searches on average prior to engaging

on a specific brand's site. (Google, 2014)


Keywords

Focus on negative phrases

• The reality: people search for answers to problems this way

Long-tail keyword—the low-hanging fruit

Examples:

• Retirement planning: short-tail

• Retirement planning for self employed: mid-tail

• Advantages of retirement planning for self employed: long-tail


Keywords

• Retirement planning

(8,390,000 results)

• Retirement planning for self- employed

(2,470,000 results)

• Advantages of retirement planning for self-employed

(1,700,000 results)


Participation in Content Creation

Is Critical for Success

Everyone is a stakeholder

You all have:

• Unique voice

• Talent

• Expert knowledge

• A finger on the pulse

Your writing staff is as large as your employee pool!


Writing

• Say what needs to be said

• Blog word count: at least 500

• Latest U.S. averages for blog length: 501-2,000

words

• Latest is to use long-form, webpage “pillar content”

• Focus on keywords and holistic subject matter


General Writing Tips

Be …

• Useful/educational

• Generous (give, give, give, give, ask)

• Engaging and entertaining (Oh, yes, you can!)

• Timely

• Human

• Promotional (sort of)


5 TAKEAWAYS


5 Key Takeaways

1. Inbound marketing is the way business is being done

2. Answer questions and provide solutions to pain points

3. Fill information gap and educate target audience

4. Write holistic, relevant content

5. Humans working with humans—at their convenience

Documents

Remaining Relevant with Inbound Marketing - cdn.ymaws.com · 2017 Fall Conference nefma.org Remaining Relevant with Inbound Marketing Presented by Cam Mirisola-Bynum Communications