We like to call inbound marketing the feel-good way to getting people pumped about your product. Psyched about your services. Bonkers about your brand.
OK; we don’t really say that, but a comprehensive inbound marketing campaign is a seriously effective way to increase website traffic because it starts with the customer in mind. That’s kind of the whole point of inbound marketing -- having quality traffic come to you via a more personalized approach instead of shoving your pitch down the world’s throat.
We’ve previously shown you how to increase website traffic with the compounding effect of content marketing. Inbound not only involves content marketing, but also meticulous promotion through social media and search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. Let’s look at three pillars of a solid foundation for a traffic-boosting inbound campaign.
Creating quality content is the key to any inbound marketing campaign, as well as the best way to ensure repeat visits to your website.
You need to publish content for all stages of the buying process. If done correctly, you’ll have shepherded leads from one waypoint to the next, bringing them ever closer to buying -- when they’re good and ready.
Content can take the form of
Remember that your content will not funnel people along to additional page views if it’s too high-pressure or sales-y, especially in the early stages of courtship. Above all else, your work should:
Less creative but also important is marketing email writing. Sending a personalized follow-up once someone has downloaded an e-book or purchased your product serves as a gentle reminder of your existence. Including useful links related to their needs will nudge them further along the marketing funnel.
Now that you’ve populated your website with pages ripe for high traffic, it’s time to leverage them. With little effort, you can increase website traffic through social media promotion and content maximization.
If a blog goes up in the internet forest and no one is around to read it, does it make a sound?. For better or worse, a huge chunk of the population gets its information fix from social media each day. In this age, won’t find more fertile soil for lead opportunities.
Make sure your Facebook and other social media posts are:
Returns on your inbounding efforts can grow significantly over time. The ideal content will stay relevant well beyond its publication date, resulting in continued traffic and lead generation.
That 3,000-word whitepaper you slaved over could later be parsed and reworked into three blogs, a video, and an infographic. Just like that, you’ve paved five more avenues for web traffic without building them from scratch.
Don’t feel guilty about repackaging. And don’t forget to trumpet some of your top-performing pieces from the past as part of the aforementioned social media push.
There are seemingly a million little ways to give yourself a better chance at being noticed by web surfers. Building your website’s “authority” in a search engine’s eyes means interested prospects will find your campaign long after you stop actively promoting it.
Your site will rank better in search engines with practices like these:
Always be gently leading your prospects.
For example, have a call-to-action “above the fold” of your web pages so readers immediately see another traffic-boosting temptation. However, sometimes addition by subtraction is necessary: Are you removing website navigation and avoiding outbound links on your landing pages while reintroducing internal navigation and offering additional resources on your thank-you pages? (Yes, thank-you pages are a must.)
Even after your sale is final, you should be following up with a survey, smart content, or other helpful material. That’s a big difference with inbound -- seeking to delight the customer even after he’s handed over his hard-earned cash. An optimal website setup that avoids the “brochure” feel will encourage repeat visits.
Where is your traffic coming from, and how are visitors finding you?
One of the most important jobs you have as an inbound marketer is analyzing your results. Compile all those clicks, visits, SEO keywords, and everything else under your campaign umbrella to see what’s working and what’s not. If a blog topic or paid search engine placement isn’t performing well, be flexible and change it up.
And remember not to be too bonkers about your brand -- your satisfied customers will do that for you.
(Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in June 2017 and was recently updated.)