(This guest post is written by Curt Anderson, founder of B2Btail, author, and noted LinkedIn influencer.)

It’s not a question anymore whether you should be on LinkedIn, it’s now how you should be on LinkedIn.

Although you may feel comfortable with your current profile, are you truly maximizing your business opportunities on LinkedIn?

There's a common misconception that hiring an agency to do your marketing is much more expensive than handling it internally.

The trick about marketing is that it's not one single job that you're paying someone to do. There are many tasks and responsibilities that require a variety of skill sets. The salary of an individual who can do all of those things effectively is much higher than a monthly agency retainer fee. Hands down.

"Marketing" is one word that encompasses a lot of components and gears and creative production. You may decide to outsource some of those pieces, while taking care of others in-house. So, the real question you want to ask yourself is: What parts of my inbound marketing strategy do I need to outsource, and which can I do internally?

For some of our clients, they can't do anything internally. Whether it's a matter of time, resources, or ability, they're simply unable to take care of their marketing strategies on their own.

Other clients have some experience with different aspects of marketing, plus a little extra time to churn those bits out. They take care of those pieces, and we handle the unfamiliar territory.

So, what are the different pieces that need work? How do you know if you can handle them yourself, or if you should hire an expert? Let's take a look.

Large investments typically cause sticker shock. We get it. We hate sticker shock too. But if you make a smart investment, it really ends up paying for itself. 

Buyers’ journeys have been around, and understood, for quite some time. However, every time a new market emerges or a new company forms, relearning the potential customer’s buyer journey is imperative. 

For many businesses, getting noticed on social media and in Google search results can be a challenge. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn all have at least one thing in common -- they help extend your company’s reach (regardless of your industry). It helps to have a large following, but if you don’t there’s a great way to reach a large group of people.

Understanding how to properly use paid advertising, in combination with effective social media practices, will put your business on track to being noticed. 

As technology changes, so does the way customers conduct their research. Just look at the healthcare and healthcare tech industries.

It’s extremely common for potential patients to search the internet for information, products, or services relating to their medical needs. And the B2Bs who serve medical facilities are trying to get in front of the right person who’s typically researching software and devices via Google.

As a result, businesses within the medical industry -- both B2C and B2B -- must have fully functioning and user-friendly websites. How else will patients find you in today’s world without a little SEO to even the playing field?

Having a website is only a piece of the puzzle. A website alone will not get you ranked high in Google search results -- but medical SEO will.

Ray Tomlinson sent the first networked email in 1971. Back then, an email was a way to copy a file to another user’s file directory.

Email has evolved a lot since 1971, and email marketing has evolved right along with it. Because of smartphones and tablets, we have access to emails 24/7. And with more than 293.6 billion emails sent daily, you don’t want yours to get lost in the shuffle.

Every business wants to increase website traffic. More traffic means more customers. While there are several options for increasing your traffic, not all of them are created equal or provide equal results. Having a system to constantly improve and increase website traffic is the best approach to drive new customers.

Why does mobile matter for your email marketing efforts?

According to OptInMonster, 78% of smartphone users check email on their phones. 

However, only 12% of email campaigns use responsive design. Not using responsive designs for email campaigns is doing yourself and your business a disservice. Responsive design mobile marketing emails generate 24% more clicks.

What does it mean when nobody is optimizing their online efforts? It means there's an opportunity for you to outshine your competitors. You could follow the crowd and lag behind technology... or, you could blaze ahead and set the bar for your competitors and customers.

44.87% of the world's population owns a smartphone. Make your email campaigns responsive now to stay in front of tomorrow's prospects. 

One of the most common questions we get asked is, how long does successful inbound marketing take to produce results. On the surface, it seems like a straight forward question that should elicit a straight forward answer.

One thing is for certain, successful inbound marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. You reap tremendous, compounding rewards with inbound marketing, but it doesn't happen overnight. 

The truth is, the timing of inbound results is dependent on a few factors.