building an inbound marketing architecture
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Learn how to synchronize search, social and content for lead generation and customer conversion www.marketingsherpa.comTRANSCRIPT
Learn how to synchronize search, social and content for lead generation and customer conversion
Building an inbound marketing architecture
July 26, 2012Sponsored by:
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Introductions
Kaci BowerSenior Research AnalystMECLABS / MarketingSherpa@kacibower
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Join the conversation on Twitter
A research-based webinar
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MarketingSherpa Benchmark Research Library
• The collective wisdom of more than 48,000 marketers
• Nearly 5,000 pages of analytical commentary and marketer insights
• More than 6,000 charts and data tables to validate what’s working – and what’s not – in marketing today
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• What is inbound marketing, and why does it matter so much today?
• How does an inbound marketing architecture drive traffic to a point of convergence and conversion?
• How do you launch an inbound marketing architecture with a plan and purpose?
Agenda
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What is Inbound
Marketing?
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In its simplest terms…
Inbound marketing is about a lead finding you, not you finding a lead.
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The Internet has changed
buyers’ behaviors and expectations.
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Buying Process 1.0 How customers used to shop
Buying Process 2.0How customers shop today
Sales enters buying process early on
Sales enters buying process later on
Sales answers questions Customers find answers to most questions before engaging Sales
Difficult for customers to research choices
Endless research options via search and social media
Marketing has minor role, restricted to early awareness and consideration phases
Marketing plays pivotal role across stages with content delivery via search and social channels
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“To be successful and grow your business and revenues, you must match the way you market your products with the way your prospects learn about and shop for your products.”
Brian Halligan, Co-author of Inbound Marketing, CEO, HubSpot
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Inbound marketing uses organic search, social media, and content marketing to draw
prospects in to a point of conversion.
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Poll Question- Which of these is your most significant lead source?
• Blogs/Content/Whitepapers• Email• Organic search (SEO)• Paid search (PPC)• Social Media
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Inbound tops the list of B2C and B2B lead sources rising in importance
Which sources of leads have become more
important to you over the last 12 months?
Tele-market-
ing
Direct MailTrade Shows
PPCEmailBlogsSocial Media
SEO
25%25%
35%
47%
80%
70%
81%
92%
13%17%
13%
59%
79%
67%
87%
96%
B2BB2C
Source: ©2011 MarketingSherpa Search Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded April 2011, N=1,530
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Inbound also converts leads into customers
Which of the following sources generate traffic
with the highest conversion rates on
your site?
Social media ad placements
Other referring sites
Social media sites
Paid search
Email marketing campaigns
Organic search
3%
8%
7%
14%
22%
30%
1%
5%
4%
10%
28%
29%
B2B
B2C
Source: ©2012 MarketingSherpa Lead Generation Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded January 2012, N=1,915
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Inbound leads cost 66% less than outbound leads
Outbound:Average cost/lead: $146
Inbound:Average cost/lead: $50
Source: ©2011 MarketingSherpa Search Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded April 2011, N=1,530
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More marketers value the integration of these inbound marketing tactics – than actually do it
76% of marketers agree that
leveraging Inbound Marketing is essential…
…but only 47% are
doing this
Source: ©2011 MarketingSherpa Social Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded February 2011, N=3,342
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We know Inbound works…
So how can you do it well?
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• SEO, social and content are each proven performers when separately implemented.
• But, when strategically synchronized into a methodical strategy, the result is significantly reduced costs, increased sales, and improved ROI.
• Synchronizing these tactics requires an architecture to systematically channel traffic to points of customer conversion.
Synchronize these tactics into a systematic
architecture
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Without an architecture, leads are lost before reaching a conversion point
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With a hub-and-spoke architecture, leads converge on customer conversion points
• The Inbound Marketing architecture has three levels:
1. Foundation – organic search (SEO)2. Spoke sites – social media3. Hub sites – website and blog
• Objective is to systematically drive traffic from search and social media to specific conversion points
Case study
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Case Study: Background
� ID: Firefish Software, a recruiting software companyLocation: MarketingSherpa Case Study LibraryNumber: #CS32198
Research Notes:
Problem: Capture the attention of their market despite a lower marketing budget than their competition
Approach: • Put entire marketing budget into a comprehensive inbound marketing
strategy • Coordinate different inbound channels• Avoid costs of attending tradeshows through virtual social media
interaction
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Step 1: Focus on multiple inbound channels
Aim: • Create quality content that Firefish clients would find valuable
Methods:• Tackled several inbound channels at
once• Focused on fact that web traffic
only came from social media, other sites and organic search
• Worked to get “the maximum mileage” out of any content they created
"If we do a webinar with a client, I will then take my prep notes for that (webinar) and turn that into ablog post. We have to be really smart about our resources right now because we don’t have a really huge team.“
- Ailsa Partridge, Online Marketing Executive, Firefish
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Step 2: Develop thought leadership
Aim: • Guest blog and post content to other
relevant online communities
Methods:• Offered blog exchanges• Got involved in conversations in
external communities, like LinkedIn• Continually weigh pros and cons of
doing this, e.g. time invested vs. results
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Step 3: Interact with tradeshows virtually
Aim: • Interact with tradeshow participants without actually attending and
paying for these events
Methods:• Took advantage of conferences that are also online • Uncovered the main points of each speaker and wrote blog posts by
lunch or break at the event• Created whitepaper summarizing a conference and posted next day to
generate more discussion• Promoted these posts through Twitter to drive engagement with event
attendees, a captive and interested audience
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Results
94% customer retention
Key performance metrics YoY Change
Leads generated + 190%Website traffic + 335%1.5:1 demo-to-customer conversion rate
!"The Internet is democratizing the marketplace for many industries. It’s no longer about who has the biggest budget to spend on expensive advertising campaigns. Instead, potential clients are making decisions based on the quality and authenticity of information they are finding online.” – Ailsa Partridge, Online Marketing Executive, Firefish
Level 1 – Organic search (SEO)Attract timely and relevant search traffic
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Level 1 – Organic search (SEO)Everything begins with a search
• Goal of SEO is to help search engines, in response to a search query, find and rank your Web content higher than competing sites
• Timely and relevant content influences search results and pulls leads in to conversion points
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KEY POINT:
Ranking high in search engine results today is necessary, not optional.
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Organic search70%
Paid search25%
Other5%
Search users click on organic search results 70% of the time
Which search result link did you click on
first?
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59% of all organic clicks go to the top 3 organic
search results
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
36%
13%
10%8%
6%
4% 4% 4% 3%2%
Search Rank Position
Click
thro
ugh
Rate
Source: Clickthrough rates of Google 'US SERPS based on Optify data
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Keyword research
Optimized content and
pages
Links and
Social signals
Better search results
Traffic
Conversions
How does organic search
drive traffic and
conversions?
Where does content fit in?
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Search Social
Content sits at the
intersection of search and
social.
1. Understand what your prospects and customers need to know2. Produce optimize content based on relevant keywords 3. Deliver and socialize optimized content through social networks
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KEY POINT:
Focus on aligning content with your goals, audience and opportunities – and let that drive the design and topic.
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Target content to stages in customer engagement cycle
Setting even basic, high-level goals will provide a compass to keep you on track when you're planning and publishing content.
Customer Engagement Cycle Stage Content Goal
Awareness• Raise general awareness of your brand
• Increase website traffic
Consideration• Encourage consideration of and active
interest in your products and servicesInquiry
Purchase • Get prospects to choose you over competitors
Retention • Retain customers
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Example: Think like your ideal customer
Customer Engagement Cycle Stage Questions Asked
Awareness How can I find the best deals on footwear?
Consideration What do I need to consider when purchasing women’s running shoes?
Inquiry What types of running shoes does this company offer?
Purchase Why is it better to purchase from this company over another?
Retention What would make me purchase from this company again?
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Existing content Repurpose existing content as
News releases Rewrite in conversational tone and post on blog
Video of CEO annual meeting speech
Post video on YouTube Convert audio to MP3 for downloadable podcast Transcribe speech and post on blog
Customer case studies Create PowerPoint and post on SlideShare Record PowerPoint with voiceover as video and post on YouTube Post video (YouTube embed code) on blog
PowerPoint presentations Record with voiceover as video and post on YouTube Convert audio to MP3 for downloadable podcast Rewrite in conversational tone and post on blog
Self-published articles Rewrite in conversational tone and post as a blog series Record audio to MP3 for downloadable podcast
Outdated blog posts Rewrite with updated titles, references, etc. and post on blog
Inventory existing content for repurposing
Level 2 – Social networks Build and engage social networks
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Social networks:Bring together like-minded people
Provide a platform to share and influence opinions
Give companies a great way to listen and monitor
Offer people and companies a place to congregate and converse
• Posts link to blog and website content – and conversion points
Level 2: Spoke sites – social networksFor community building and engagement
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Top social marketing priorities for CMOs address traffic and awareness, but also leads and customers.
56% Increasing website traffic
50%Achieving or
increasing measurable
lead generation
51% Improving
brand awareness
or reputation
45%Converting
social media followers into
paying customers
Source: ©2011 MarketingSherpa Social Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded Feb ruary 2011, N=3,342
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B2B marketers are not only on LinkedIn and Twitter
• To be effective, it is important to develop a plan and a purpose for each site
• Example:Facebook – consumer
engagement and education
LinkedIn group – channel partner ID and development, thought leadership
Twitter – customer service deskScribd or other document sharing
Slideshare or other presentation sharing
Delicious or other social bookmarking
Flickr or other photo sharing
Blog
YouTube or other video sharing
3%
6%
12%
18%
39%
57%
62%
74%
93%
5%
19%
11%
15%
75%
58%
59%
76%
74%
Businesses-B2B Consumers-B2C
Source: ©2011 MarketingSherpa Social Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded February 2011, N=3,342
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KEY POINTS:• More than half of active Twitter users
follow companies, brands or products on social networks.
• 79% of US Twitter followers are more likely to recommend brands they follow.
• 67% of US Twitter users are more likely to buy brands they follow.
Source: Edison Research, 2010
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Tactical plan for increasing reach on social networksWhat we are currently doing What we plan to do
Interact with your target audience wherever they are
Use your existing web presence to promote your social networks
Content is king on social media too – so treat it like royalty.
Entice your target audience with compelling offers.
Make social sharing a mandatory part of email campaigns.
Mobilize and localize your social networks.
Test and optimize your social networks for continuous improvement.
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Regularly follow discussion forums linked to their indus-
try
Regularly follow blogs linked to their industry
Podcasts
46%
35%
31%
24%
13%
Source: TriComB2B adn the University of Dayton School of Business Administration, "The Considered Pur -chase Decision: What Matters, What Doesn't And What It Means For B2B Marketing and Sales," Sep 14, 2011
B2B decision-makers use a number of online
“social” resources to gather purchase
information.
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Position yourself as a thought leader in your field
Where? • Utilize Q&A forums, like LinkedIn or Quora, to develop thought leadership.
Who? • Go where people are looking for help and resources in your industry, and offer your guidance and expertise.
When? • Set aside time every week to sift through questions related to your industry.
How? • Thoughtfully and thoroughly answer and address as many questions and concerns as you can.
What?• Avoid sales pitches and just provide information while
making sure your company and product affiliation is front and center.
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Level 2: Spoke sites – multimedia sites For content aggregation and sharing
• Multimedia – videos, images, presentations – is a driver of social media popularity and adoption
• Multimedia content produces highly favorable search rankings
Search engine crawlers find multimedia content linked to social networks, blogs and websites
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“Video is just one part of a marketing plan. It fits certain messages and people better than others.”
--Steve Garfield, Video Blogger and Author of Get Seen
Case study
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Case Study: Background
� ID: Orabrush, a breath-freshening tongue cleanerLocation: MarketingSherpa Case Study LibraryNumber: #HOW31864
Research Notes:
Problem: Product wouldn’t successfully sell through traditional channels, despite years of trying
Approach: • Develop an inbound marketing strategy from scratch through
experimentation, hard work and innovative marketing• Build the YouTube channel into a full-blown inbound marketing hub• Turn video viewers into customers right from their profiles
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Step 1: Create an effective YouTube page
Aim: • Research successful YouTube channels and create a page combining the
best tactics
Methods:• Moved beyond standard
YouTube channel page templates
• Made channel page double as a landing page with strong call-to-action
• Encouraged people to follow brand in social networks
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Step 2: Create more than one type of video
Aim: • Feature three types of videos – each with a specific purpose
Methods:• Conversion videos designed
to educate and encourage conversions
• Engagement videos designed to engage and entertain YouTube audience
• Videos of unsolicited customer reviews
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Step 3: Commit to consistency to ensure success
Aim: • Consistently create content
to engage and retain fans
Methods:• Developed a publishing
calendar planned months in advance
• Published one video a week, every week, as older videos are not promoted as often
• Stuck to a strict budget
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Step 4: Boost performance by purchasing ads
Aim: • Attract visitors with ads, and then stretch ad clicks with viral content
Methods:• Purchased ads in YouTube's
Promoted Videos program• Relied on interesting content
to convince viewers to subscribe and share with friends
"The real key is making sure you have enough 'virality' and enough engagement and interest that you can stretch those clicks.“
- Jeffrey Harmon, CMO, Orabrush
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Step 5: Engage fans and peers
Aim: • Meet social network expectation to interact
Methods:• Tried to respond to as many
comments as possible, despite volume
• Mined comments for video ideas, making sure to credit source of inspiration
• Interacted with fellow peers
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Results
Sales volume in stores is comparable to sales of premium toothbrushes
Key performance metrics Since launch of first video
Subscribers 184KVideo views 47MLanding page conversion rates 10x increase
! YouTube is Orabrush's primary marketing channel and represents 80% of its marketing.
Level 3– Hub sitesPoint and convert traffic
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• Websites are the hub of the marketing strategy
• Blogs are the hub of the social media strategy
• Work together as a point of lead convergence and conversion
• Landing page optimization crucial to rate of customer conversions
Incremental gains produce significant financial impact
Level 3: Hub sites – blogs and websitesFor traffic convergence and conversion
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Percent of blog users
who acquired a customer through
their blog
Blog frequency impacts customer acquisition
Less than monthly
Monthly Weekly 2 - 3 times per week
Daily Multiple times a day
43%
56%
66%70%
78%
92%
Source: State of Inbound Marketing Report, HubSpot, March 2012
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Percentage of total lead volume generated per inbound tactic
Organic search 29% B2C19% B2BContent marketing 10% B2C15% B2BSocial media 13% B2C9% B2BWebsite optimization 15% B2C16% B2BTotal lead volume contribution by inbound67% B2C59% B2B
Source: ©2012 MarketingSherpa Lead Generation Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded January 2012, N=1,915
Roll out the framework – with a plan and purpose.
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• Number of sites not important – a plan and a purpose for each is
• Master each site before rolling out the next
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• Get leads to find and choose you using an inbound marketing architecture
• Attract them with timely and relevant search results
• Build and engage them with social networks
• Create and share compelling content
• Bring them to points of traffic convergence and conversion
Takeaways
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More Leads. More Revenue. Less Work.
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