You have a problem, so you go to a trusted friend. This friend listens carefully to what you need and then gives helpful advice. In the middle of the conversation, another person barges in. This interruption proceeds to talk about how great he is and how much he knows. And you’re left wondering if this person was sincerely trying to help or was merely a braggart.
That’s the difference between inbound marketing (well done) and outbound marketing (poorly done). Outbound marketing is more like traditional advertising, where people are barraged with information about products or services they may or may not need.
But with inbound marketing, you want your staffing firm to be that trusted friend; the business people go to when they need employees or jobs. Inbound marketing means they come to you; they ask you to contact them; they want to know what you’re up to, they follow you on social media.
So how do you use inbound marketing to attract more business?
Know your audience. You need to aim your website, blog, and social media at your ideal customer. Focused, high-quality content attracts people. So figure out problems or questions they have. Then be that friend, offering help, advice, and answers.
Build up your email list. Make sure you not only have an option to sign up on your website but also ensure that visitors see it. You can put a sticky sign-up button on every page or use a pop-up when visitors start to leave. If you go with a pop-up, don’t let it annoy people – “Four out of five people” will leave web pages that feature irritating ads (entrepreneur.com/article/287171). You can also offer free exclusive content to people who sign up for your emails.
Use a blog. Search engines like blogs, and for SEO, the longer the blog post (300-400 words), the better. When people search for answers to their questions, your blog helps them find you. Good content establishes your authority and credibility. Add an interactive element; an article by Mike Templeman on forbes.com give some ideas: “polls, surveys, infographics, calculators, videos, and podcasts.”
Get social. That same forbes.com article continues, “a third of Millennials state that social media is indeed their preferred channel for communicating with businesses.” So develop your social strategy and have a goal for each post—even if that goal is just to show you’re a fun company. Use different kinds of social media posts: some light, some serious. And “Engage in your followers’ content by liking, sharing and commenting on their posts” (forbes.com, Mike Templeman).
Make videos. People are more likely to share videos than posts that contain text or images. You can do videos on social media, on YouTube, or with live streaming. Use these avenues to host webinars, go more in-depth on a topic, tell stories, or answer questions. Blog.hubspot.com advises, “At least 50% or more of your marketing content [in 2017] should be in video format, either hosted natively on social or created with social distribution in mind.”
Go beyond SEO. When you search for something on Google, a lot of links pop up. But on the side or at the top, you might also see the answer displayed in a box. The Hubspot article continues, “create content not just intended to rank in search, but also to be pulled into Google’s quick answer box.”
Ready to improve your inbound marketing strategy and bring more people to you? Contact ASJ Partners. We want to be that trusted friend for you so that you can grow your business.
