It’s official, we live in the world of computer intelligence. We’re not suggesting that Skynet is taking over, and terminators are out to get us. The truth however, is more similar to that of a Matrix storyline. Just like the Matrix movie series, our world is plugged in. We are tuned in and connected online, sharing information across the globe in less than a second. There has never been a time in the history of the world where so many opportunities were readily available for anyone willing to put in the work and contribute to the noise.
To move forward as a business in the digital age requires change. Many people learn that change is scary. It’s human nature to seek comfort, and avoid discomfort. Yet this emotional fear of change holds you and your business back. Are you ready to invest in the digital world and grow your business?
In the Matrix, taking the blue pill means you stay in the same place without any advanced perception of the world around you. Choose the blue pill and your business will never improve online. The blue pill is having a website but not creating relevant content and information for website users interested in your expertise. The blue pill is spending too much time and money prospecting, but lacking any ability to collect information through your digital pipeline. The blue pill is a place where you stick to what works and feels comfortable. The world will change, but your tried and true methods stay the same.
In our fast-paced digital world, it is the businesses who adopt and adapt to new marketing strategies that will inherit the future of internet space.
In the Matrix, the red pill is what allows you to see the world from a different perspective. Choosing the red pill means you are stepping into the digital world and opening your eyes to the possibilities and realities around you. This is the path less traveled, and the path of most resistance and continued effort. This is the path that forces your business to evolve and that helps your business grow.
So how do you grow your business online? In this metaphor, inbound marketing is your red pill. When you embrace inbound marketing as your strategic vehicle, you are taking the steps to reach the right people at the right time online.
Inbound marketing is not a specific tactic, channel, or technology. It is the philosophy of how to market your business and attract customers. Inbound marketing’s goal is to understand and communicate with a target audience in a way that provides valuable information and leaves a lasting impression. If you want to capitalize on the way your customers make buying decisions online, you will need personalized and relevant content that’s easily found wherever your leads are looking for information, not intrusive outbound messaging.
Explore the differences between inbound and outbound marketing.
While others push for customer attention, you can pull them in with valuable content, specific answers to their questions, and industry insight. Build an interest in your business with informative website content, blog posts, emails, downloadable content, and Growth Driven Design website development.
Inbound marketing attracts interested audiences with valuable content. In our modern digital world, leads can find their own information about anything under the sun thanks to the internet. They don’t need your advertisements or salespeople to sell them on a product — they’re making decisions before they ever reach out to your company.
Think of inbound marketing as a way to warm up target audiences to the idea of becoming your customer. The more information you can give them beforehand, the less work your sales team goes through closing a deal.
It can be helpful to understand the concept of a sales flywheel when talking about inbound marketing. The way we consume information is not the same as it was ten years ago, and likely will change in another ten years as well. However, the technology and information available today allows for anyone to research and find information on their own. This means that through inbound marketing, you are providing your target audiences with all the information they need to make a buying decision. Some audiences will need more coaxing than others, but the overall goal remains the same: give great value to others, provide answers to their questions, and build trust in your company’s ability to provide a solution for their concerns.
The flywheel puts the customer at the center of the buyer’s journey, and the faster it spins, the better marketing, sales, and service engines run. The greatest advantage to the flywheel philosophy of inbound marketing is that there is never an end to the customer journey. Regardless of your business, industry, or target audience the customer is always put first in the buying journey.
If creating great content and an awesome website to showcase your product or service was that easy, everyone would do it. And the truth is, everyone is doing that. There has never been a higher demand for digital marketing than today.
However, not all content is created equal. The secret to successful digital marketing is not only talking about your product, but talking about your product in a way that positions your option as more helpful to consumers than your competitors.
If you have ever used a search engine to find answers on the internet, you know that most people don’t look past the first three websites for information, let alone the first page of search engine results. There are thousands of companies in the world competing for the very same customers you are making page one Google rankings are more valuable than gold. That’s why search engine optimization is one of the most important keys to your internet marketing success. It’s also a requirement for your leads to be able to find all the inbound content you’ve created.
Inbound marketing and SEO are foundational pieces of your digital marketing success. They can also be confusing if you’re not familiar with the tactics and digital marketing jargon. See how your website is doing with a Website SEO audit and get started with the easy fixes.