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Inbound Marketing Historical Review

mmitchell — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:36:08 +0000

MTECH Internet Marketing owner, Marcy Mitchell, has been providing websites, search engine optimization and copy writing services to clients for the past 17 years. The term “inbound marketing” is only a few years old, but it encompasses the changing marketing strategy of pulling in clients and viewers through content (blogs, social, search) instead of pushing out your marketing messages and “interrupting” them.

If small and medium size companies want to stay competitive in today’s marketplace, they need to understand this new shift, embrace it, and start spending time and money within the industry. If you want a free consultation on how to do this, please call 970-731-6325.

Here is an article that reviews the last 10 years of inbound marketing from Find and Convert:

As Find and Convert celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, I reflect on the lessons we’ve learned of inbound marketing. The phrase “inbound marketing” isn’t 10 years old. But, the concept is at least that old. Here’s a look at the last 10 years in under 1000 words.

Although the SEO (search engine optimization) landscape has certainly evolved quite a bit over the past 10 years, getting found in organic search listings is still the most desirable outcome for most businesses seeking to have inbound marketing success.

As Google continually evolves their search algorithm one constant that will always remain is Google’s interest in delivering results that are relevant to a user’s search. To that end, the number one factor in determining relevant search results is relevant content. Businesses often struggle with this, often delivering a limited content experience on their website. Brands who value and prioritize a relevant content marketing mindset enjoy the most inbound marketing success.

Since SEO still rules it’s important to recognize that your content assets have two audiences. The most important audience is the ultimate consumer of your content. The other audience is search engines. Don’t misunderstand this point. I am NOT suggesting SEO trickery to game the search engines. No! However, your website must be easy for search engines to crawl. Your content must be well represented in a search engine listing with a well-written title and description tag. Your website’s architecture should be organized so it passes muster with Google’s more than 200 variables in its search algorithm. Any marketer that favors one audience over the other will yield limited inbound marketing results.

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Visual Content Increases Blog Readability and Inbound Links

mmitchell — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:40:53 +0000

Engaging content is one of the reasons why people will chose to link to your blog articles and cause your content to go viral. Increased links help you with search engine optimization. But how do you do that? One important way is visual content:

Here is a great infograph from Hubspot illustrating the point:

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Linked-In Follow Button for Companies

mmitchell — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:20:59 +0000

Linked-In now is making it easy for people to follow your company by providing a “Follow” button. Similar to the Facebook like button and Twitter “tweet” button, Linked-In provides code for you to paste into your website or blog so people just need to hit the button and then follow your company.

To see how it works, just click on the following button for MTECH Internet Marketing:

How does the Follow Company button work?
Click on the Follow Company button and, as long as you are logged onto LinkedIn, you will automatically “follow” the company. If you are not logged on, a box will appear asking for your LinkedIn credentials. Just type those in and you will automatically begin to follow the company. Companies will engage with you from their Company Page on LinkedIn and through status updates. Status updates will appear on your LinkedIn homepage – so check back frequently to see what’s going on.

LinkedIn has over 2 million companies in its network – representing all industries, company sizes, and geographies. It is especially important for B-to-B companies in terms of networking and making professional contacts.

To put a follow button on your own company website, just CLICK HERE!

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Inbound Marketing Process Graph for Small Business Owners

mmitchell — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:35:55 +0000

Whether your business is small or large, the graph below shows the inbound or “attraction” process of marketing today. Unlike traditional forms of marketing that try to “interrupt” someone and catch a viewer’s attention, inbound marketing is a shift in thinking. It is about providing quality content that pulls visitors to your website and ultimately becomes a sale. MTECH Internet Marketing helps small business owners convert their websites into lead generation tools and then assisting them in tracking and converting leads into sales. Additionally, MTECH provides content management system websites and mobile websites that are optimized for search. Need help with one of the steps below? Contact us and find out how we can help!

The Inbound Marketing Process Infographic

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Pause on Social Media…Check the Basics

mmitchell — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:59:01 +0000

Before diving into creating posts on Facebook, articles on Linked-In or tweets on Twitter…take a quick pause…There are some basic foundations that you should set in place to maximize your effectiveness. First of all, you need to understand the relationship between social media, search marketing, Email marketing, and your website. Each activity affects the other, so you should be thinking of social media as part of an integrated Internet marketing strategy. To that end, here are a few things to ask yourself:

1. Do you currently have web tracking in place (i.e. Google analytics) so you can see how much web traffic your social media posts are giving your site?

2. Do you have a blog installed on your website? Websites that have blogs and that link to blog articles from their various social media channels bring in a much higher percentage of website visitors and/or leads.

3. Do you have a targeted landing page strategy to effectively compare different marketing campaigns and channels and increase the number of leads?

4. Do you have a customer relationship manager (CRM) tool in place so you know how to follow up on leads and conversations you get from your various social media channels?

5. Is your website/blog optimized for search engines? Search is still a major source of business for most small business owners.

6. Do you know what keywords your audience might be searching for to find your product/service? Not only is this important for your website/blog to be optimized, but you should also have these keywords on your social media profiles.

7. Do you have a lead nurturing strategy in place so you can maximize on any social media activity?

8. Are you coordinating your website, blog and social media leads into an Email marketing campaign?

9. Have you identified key staff and personas who will “own” consistent blog and social media posts?

10. Are you evaluating your social media and web stats on a monthly basis to see where you are winning and where you need to increase/decrease activity?

11. Have you identified your clear brand message and unique positioning so you have a content strategy moving forward and consistent messaging across all your posts?

12. Have you determined your social media goals so you can measure your effectiveness?

13. How much time will you or your staff dedicated to social media posting, connecting, and viewing each week?

These are just a few of the basics to consider whether you have already started working in social media or are considering getting started. Social media is a media channel…not a marketing strategy. Even though it is “free”, your time is not. So, you want to make sure your time investment gives you the best ROI possible.

MTECH Internet Marketing helps small business owners and companies develop Internet marketing strategies, train staff, provides monthly reports, creates optimized websites, and educates owners on how to use social media and search to increase revenue and customer service. For a free evaluation, please contact us at 970-731-6325 or visit our website: http://mtechbd.com.

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Twitter Announces New Layout & Brand Pages

mmitchell — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:48:44 +0000

Twitter has made some significant upgrades to both its layout and potential brand pages. According to Twitter’s blog:

“Today we introduce a new version of Twitter. We’ve simplified the design to make it easier than ever to follow what you care about, connect with others and discover something new. You’ll see this new design both on Twitter.com and mobile phones, so that you’ll have a familiar experience any time, anywhere. We’ve also updated TweetDeck to be consistent with this new version. Four new tabs bring you instantly closer to everything you care about. Visit fly.twitter.com to learn more about the changes.
More news: Read about enhanced profile pages, on the advertising blog, and embeddable Tweets, on the dev blog.”

So, what does this mean for a small business owner? If you haven’t jumped into Twitter, you might want to take a second look. If do have a Twitter profile, you might keep an eye on how you can upgrade it in the near future to gain more traction on your page. Marketing is a consistent activitiy in business and these new social media tools keep reminding owners of the need to stay engaged! They are also allowing you to enhance your brand image and integrate your website and social media tools even closer.

If you are looking to personalize your Facebook, Twitter and Mobile web presence more in 2012 and integrate your brand, contact MTECH Internet Marketing for a consultation. We are helping small business use these new marketing tools to maximize their results and marketing dollars.

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Marketing Shifts for Small Business Owners

mmitchell — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:17:42 +0000

Marketing is shifting at an unprecedented rate. Many small business owners and consultants are struggling to implement and understand these new tools with limited staff, resources and budget. Traditional forms of “interruption” marketing, such as television, radio, and print are becoming less effective. Whereas, new forms of “attraction” marketing, such as social and search, are increasing in reach. Marketers are starting to think like socializers and publishers and less like advertisers.

One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the foundations of a company’s marketing – message, positioning, audience, and branding. Social media is not a marketing strategy, it is a marketing channel. Owners first need to understand their unique positioning to determine the types of articles and content to promote across their websites and social media channels. Owners also need to research and listen to their customers and find out where their specific audience gets their information (Youtube, Linked-In, Facebook, Google Search, Twitter, etc…).

One of the first questions owners face is if their website is still relevant and how it works with social and search. First of all, it is not an either/or situation. A company’s website, search, Email, and social media profiles work in conjunction with each other. In most cases, a company website is the hub of their marketing activity. Social media and search direct traffic to a website and the website itself converts the “suspects” into potential prospects, leads and then sales. Social media requires consistency and the content posted is short-lived. Furthermore, social media channels popularity can change and a company does not “own” the vehicle, so the company’s content and branding can be diminished. Finally, most social media profiles can enhance branding concepts, but it is just the beginning of the brand story.

Social Media also affects search engine ranking. A company blog is an integral part of social media strategy. Blog article links on your social media profiles help direct people to a company’s website. Search engines are also starting to display more personalized results. Search engines are beginning to show you results based on your social media connections, “likes”, and geographical location. Overall, new marketing is about attracting clients through valuable content and interactivity published primarily through blogs and social media tools.

When evaluating social media, small business owners should understand the importance of consistency, message and how to combine it with their existing marketing activities. Tracking is increasingly important so an owner can determine which activities are receiving the best return. Company’s should evaluate campaigns instead of just channels and learn how to convert people into leads through compelling offers.

MTECH Internet Marketing provides assistance in equipping small business owners to understand and implement successful Internet marketing strategies. If you would like a free consultation, please call us at 970-731-6325 for more details.

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Google + Now Allows Business Pages

mmitchell — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:51:57 +0000

Google just announced yesterday that they will now allow business pages to be created on Google+. I just briefly set up a page for MTECH Internet Marketing at https://plus.google.com/110406788079955891123.

Visit http://plus.google.com/pages/create, and if you see the option to create a Google+ Page, get started! Follow the wizard and choose the most appropriate option to classify your business. You’ll be able to select from the following options:

•Local Business or Place
•Product or Brand
•Company, Institution or Organization
•Arts, Entertainment or Sports
•Other

After selecting your classification, fill in your basic information, including your page name (i.e. your company name), your business’ website URL, your category (i.e. your industry), and the classification of your page’s content (i.e. any Google+ user, 18 years of age or older, etc.).

Next, you need to customize your public profile. The profile basics include your tagline and an image such as your logo.

Finally, you will want to add some photos, about us and some posts before promoting your page to others. Again, social media success is about sharing quality content.

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Internet & Social Media Marketing for Small Business

mmitchell — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:42:57 +0000

Having spoken at several conferences this year on social media, I have realized how big the gap is between large and small companies when developing a social media strategy. Unlike mid to large companies, small business owners rarely have a dedicated marketing staff person who can take on the new role of social media. Therefore, it is up to the owner, in a large part, or a COO to figure out how to implement social media within their company. Furthermore, if the company is growing, they may not have had time to figure out what message is appropriate and what channel.

Here is a link to a recent talk I gave to the La Plata Economic Alliance Summit on this very topic. Hopefully, it will start giving small business owners an idea where to start:

http://www.slideshare.net/MarcyMitchell/social-media-marketing-for-small-business-owners

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MTECH Owner Featured in Durango Herald Article

mmitchell — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:24:46 +0000

After speaking at the recent La Plata Economic Summit, Marcy Mitchell was approached by the Durango Herald to interview for an article on how to help small businesses in Colorado incorporate social media and Internet marketing. Here is the article:

Owners click with consumers

As buyers move online, small-business strategies must evolve

By Heather Scofield, Durango Herald Staff Writer – View original article

Small business owners juggle a lot.

There are local, state and federal tax records and filings to be done. Accounting, inventory, board meetings, customer service, advertising and numerous other critical tasks also must be handled.

And recent changes in consumers’ and businesses’ communication, research and buying trends are adding more to business owners’ to-do lists. Now businesses must keep up with an official website, a blog or two and social networking pages such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. They also must monitor user-content review sites such as Trip Advisor and Buzztown. Oh, and, customers expect businesses to ensure their message and involvement is consistent in all those online resources.

“You’re trying to run a business, meet payroll and focus on customer service,” said Jack Llewellyn, director of Durango Chamber of Commerce. “Then you throw in social media – it’s tough to keep up with it all.”

The situation has some local business owners pulling out their hair in frustration. Why aren’t customers as overwhelmed by it all as business owners sometimes feel?

“Where’s the information overload?” one local business owner wondered during a recent marketing presentation addressing the trend changes.

“It’s a different mindset” for them, said Marcy Mitchell, advisor for the Small Business Development Center of Southwest Colorado and owner of Pagosa Springs-based MTECH Internet Marketing.

The customers aren’t using the utilities the same way businesses are. They’re not selling an idea, service or company. They’re getting easy access to information and a less-complicated and intrusive way to communicate and consume.

It all amounts to a shift in marketing trends, Mitchell said. The advent of Do-Not-Call lists and commercial-free television and radio entertainment through devices such as digital video recorders and iPods have forced businesses to move their marketing strategies from the old “interruption marketing” techniques to a new concept – “attraction marketing,” Mitchell said.

To compete, businesses are finding they must build and maintain something akin to a utility to get and keep customers’ attention, she said.

“Marketers are starting to think like publishers and socializers, and less like advertisers,” Mitchell said.

Consumers want more than a business “brochure” when they’re online, she said. They want businesses to have information-rich websites, blogs and social-networking pages. They require mobile-friendly applications and quick responses to their online comments and concerns. And they’re demanding interactive and transparent relationships with companies these days, Mitchell said.

There are benefits to the new normal in marketing for businesses, she said. Once owners get past the daunting task of setting up their online marketing pages and systems for the first time, that is.

Businesses can to track their customers, the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and the progress of their sales leads in the sales process with greater ease than ever, Mitchell said.

But first, businesses must determine what online tools their customers are using and get to know those marketing channels well.

“Use the social tools your clients are using,” Mitchell suggests. “You have to know what kind of bait you are using and where the fish are swimming.”

She suggests that businesses select the tool they think is most relevant to their business and start from there. Often that’s a Facebook account, she said, as it’s among the most heavily used social-networking site by consumers.

Spend time exploring and perfecting the business’ webpage, message, maintenance schedule and customer interactions before starting another account. When multiple accounts are set up and the business owner feels his or her message is consistent between the marketing channels, it might be good to consider a software service such as HootSuite to help manage the accounts through a single work platform and better understand the effectiveness of each marketing avenue, Mitchell said.

And for those who just can’t get past the getting started part, it could be worthwhile to hire a local firm or consultant to get the accounts going. The owner can then take over the easier task of maintaining those accounts, Mitchell said. Advisors at the Small Business Development Center at Fort Lewis College also can help business owners learn about, set up and maintain the accounts for no charge, she said.

Doing nothing could be a company’s eventual death knell, though.

“We all have to be aware of how fast the world is moving,” Mitchell said. “There’s no perfect way to do it, but you have to find your voice in this new world. This is how customers are communicating today, and it’s something businesses can’t ignore.”

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