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Inbound Marketing is not for everyone: Find out if it is for you
We already know about the benefits of Inbound Marketing: the generation of valuable content, the non-intrusive methodology and even the combination of marketing and advertising techniques to accompany the user throughout the Buyer’s Journey; but do you know if your company is really ready for it?
Below we list the elements that you must analyze to discover it.
1: Have good business maturity
Although it may seem like an obvious start, the first thing we must analyze to know if we are ready for Inbound Marketing is to know if we have a good level of so-called “business maturity”, which will have at least 3 main aspects.
- Well-defined objectives, since it will be necessary to know what the brand wants to achieve specifically, since it can range from the launch of a new product/service to elements such as the general improvement of its position in the market.
- Possibility of assuming a long-term commitment to these goals.
- Have the ability to allocate budget and exclusive resources for Inbound processes.
Whenever adopting digital strategies of this type will require a continuous production of content, as well as resources and tools that allow developing and even automating these activities.
2: Have a good commercial maturity
Now, since we gave the first point of maturity ok, the next thing to analyze to determine if we are prepared for Inbound Marketing is if we have a good level of COMMERCIAL maturity.
And how will we determine it? Well, giving yes to 5 main points:
- Are there specific criteria to define business opportunities?
- Is there a real integration between the marketing and sales areas and processes?
- Are there active prospecting channels?
- Are there qualification stages for these prospects?
- Is the sales team divided between pre-sales and closing?
Did you have a majority of Yes? Congratulations! You have an excellent level in this aspect, but if, on the contrary, most of your answers were “No”, then this will be a sign that, before fully entering Inbound Marketing, it will be advisable to prioritize a restructuring of your commercial area. in order to have a more effective and optimal sales process.
3: Have a good digital maturity
Has your company already passed the second filter? Now is the time to measure if you have enough DIGITAL maturity, which according to RD Station can be achieved through 3 criteria:
Sufficient marketing structure, which will include:
- An area or, at least, a person dedicated to marketing.
- Defined marketing objectives.
- Previous specialized work, either with an agency or personnel of this type.
- Previous investments in digital strategies and, of course, the possibility and intention of making new ones.
Sufficient technological structure, specifically:
- A web page with sufficient use of technologies (such as Google Analytics or Hotjar) will be indicators of its level of navigability.
- Mobile Friendly structure or better yet, responsive.
Level of authority and relevance of the digital presence, defined through Moz criteria that will be scored from 1 to 100 and that is equivalent to the quality or credibility of the site, including:
- Online lifetime.
- A number of backlinks.
- Total number and quality of domains and links pointing to your website.
- Quality of the internal structure of the linking of your blog.
- Recently created links.
Did you achieve positive results in these 3 elements? Your brand is ready for Inbound Marketing; although, on the contrary, if your analysis yielded negative results, this will be an indicator that you should strengthen your digital presence so that, later, you can enter this other type of strategy.
4: Use and improve content for social networks
On the other hand, the fourth of the reasons to have a blog will directly impact another aspect of your marketing strategy: social networks, as it will help you:
- Maintain a constant presence in them.
- Reuse content to share, creating relevant “content repositories”.
- Open exposure to potential new audiences through shares and likes.
- Help disseminate not only information but also relevant news about your brand: changes in products/services, showcases, events, etc.
Establishing a symbiotic relationship of growth and nutrition between blog and social networks and, in turn, increasing business opportunities and SMO positioning.
4: Sufficient availability
Finally, the last point to analyze to know if you are ready for Inbound Marketing is quite simple: have the availability and flexibility to do it, since it will involve the willingness to:
- Abandon the techniques, strategies, and even philosophies of traditional marketing.
- Share and educate through content and, more importantly, business know-how.
- Collaborate and communicate internally with key areas, teams, and people to determine, establish and measure strategies and indicators.
Also having to strengthen patience and resilience to find and maintain audiences, because ultimately it is a process that takes time and effort.
Is Inbound Marketing for you?
Without a doubt, a good Inbound Marketing strategy will not only represent an increase in the recognition, positioning and reputation of the brand, but also and definitely, an increase in conversion rates and, with them, in quality sales.
However, and in order for it to happen optimally, it will first be necessary to consolidate the elements of business maturity that we saw in this post.
Do you still have doubts? Do you need us to help you determine what stage you are in and what type of strategy you require? Contact Play.Interactive®. We support you in whatever you need!
