Lisa B. www.dominatetheinternet.com.au

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JoMacdermottk the businessorlher and chiefma*eting coksultatltof Nert Matketifig in Melboufie. Jo ltotlcsalongsidebusinessownersand to help then achierca greata bnnd presenceand ahigher ROIlrom theb narketi g spend.Contactlo on 0i 80608544or enail jo.nacdemott@ e

marketing ln[ound explained

ne of the challengesof marketing in 20I 1 is keepingup with all the new terms and concepts that seemto makethemselvesknom, and one that is me is'inbouhd marketingl new to relatively when I hear thesetems, I switch off Sometimes I have heard tlem often enoughto think until that they areworth understanding.Do you do the sameor do you haveanother approach? c So,when I startedto researchand find out more about inbound marketing, it camedown to a simple scenarioof the old versusthe new.

WhenI referto'old'or traditionaloutbound marketingtechniques,the things that cometo mind aretelevision,print advertising, telemarketing,junk mail and evenradio advertising.The trouble with thesesortsof marketing actMtiesis that it is veryeasylor thosereceiving the messageto tune out, switch over,hang up, d[ow it awayor flip the pagethe secondevena hint of any of theseforms of marketing (or perhapsadvertising)comesyour way.The messages arepushedinto your space.This doesnt mean ibEr-arent effective;they perhapsjust arent as edectireassomeof the'new' techniques.

Someof ttre traditionalists or old school marketers,as I call them, start to get neryous

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aroundthis point. Without thesetraditional marketing tactics,it may feel asif they haveno new value to offer thgir clients or employers.

So,for thoseofyou who arelooking for some 20I 1 marketing ideas,let's turn to what is now known asinbound marketing.

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blogs RSSfeeds webinars eBook YouTubevideos searchengineoptimisation(SEO),and socialnetworking portals.

This is the point whereI (and perhaps you) sounda note ofrelief.While I didn't think I knew what inbound marketing really was,it appea$ that I wasdoing most of it gold starfor you and me too. anyra,ay...

The real 'wisdom' (so my researchsuggests)is in the fact tlat inbound marketing comesfiom a'solily, softly' approach,when compared to tiat ofoutboundor traditional marketing. Inbound marketing allows potential customersor clients a chanceto connectwith you and your businessand hear you out before becoming hoslile, resistantand defensive.

The result: your integdty is maintained, your businesshasa greatreputationand you land more clientsfor lesscost,Soundsgood?

THE FACTS ON INBOUND MARKETING A.ll the traditional marketing methods mentioned aboveareconsidered, for the purposes of this defnition, to be outboundmarketing, and it seemsthat they are all being made (or beftermeasurement techniques suggest) lesseffectiveastechnology improves.This doesnot mean they still arerlt effective,or shouldn't be included aspart of the marketing mix, but becausethere are now more choices available,there may alsobe a better choice out there for you.

Inbound marketing is a mark€ting strategy that focuseson your businessbeing found by customercin your target audience.In simple terms, customerscome to you, rather than you go to the market to 6nd them.

To do this,inboundmarketingtechniques THE THREE CORNERS typically usethe internet to get their message Essentially,inbound marketing is divided into acrossand such methods include: threecomponents:content,searchengine

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MARKETRESEARCH optimisationand socialmedia.To fully engage rnith inboundmarketing andachierema-ri' mum resultsfrom it, all threecomponents must be embraced.

Think ofthem in a triangle, eachat a corne! all connectedto one another with your thriving businessin the centre.

CONTE.iT Contentis the information or advicethat you supplyto peoplewho seekit, and canbe comparedto print advertisements in traditional marketing.Contentcanbe publishedonlinein variousformats,including: .+ blogs .o eBooks,and .e RSSfeeds.

SEARCHENGINEOPTIMISATION (SEO) 5fO haqbecomed majorbuzzphrasein marketing.Today,whenwe want to frnd something,we'Google'it, right?Well,I know I do. Ifyour SEOranls highly,it will be your businessthat appearswhenpotentialcustomersor clientslook up what theyneed,and they will be more likelyto useyou insteadofyour competitors.SEOallowsyou to reachyour targetaudienceat large.

SOCIALMEDIA Twitter,forumsand other social Facebook, networkingportalsallowyou and your customer or clientto connect.Socialmediaallows peopleto tell their friendsaboutyour business with the click ofa button and canhelp to increaseyour SEOranking.

( ( tn my opinion, I t hinkit comesdown to this.People buyfrompeoplewhenit is relevant to theirneedsandwhohaveproven credibility.))

helpedMaddisonsRealEstategrow and com HOW INBOUND MARKETING WORKS ?ete againstthe big five realestatefranchises.

I N 'REAL LI F E ' MaddisonsRealEstateusesvideoro introducethe companyand to demonstrate One of the 'million-dollarquestions'insales (and marketingaswell) is how do people how manyhappycustomersit hason its (percpective clients)decidefrom whom they books.TherearealsoeBookdownloads,lots will purchasewhen theyneeda productand/ oflinks to relevantresources, a blog (which, or selvlce. a sro u k n o w .i sgreatfor S E Orandpl ent)of In my opinion,I think it comesdown informationto supportthe company'svalue proposition.This is preciselywhat inbound to this.Peoplebul ftom peoplewhenit is relevantto their needsandwho haveproven marketingis all about. credibility.Most inportantly though,people Anotherexampleof smartinboundmarketbuy from peopletheytrust and like.l^hen ing is demonstrated throughthe socialmedia it comesto ticking off all oftheseboxes, campaignthat ThankyouWaterput togetherto inbound marketingis at the forefront. securethe distributionrightsofnationalretail A greatexampleofinbound marketingis chain7 Eleven.ThankyouWaterencouraged MaddisonsRealEstate,locatedin Mosman, fansto showtheir supportof 7-Eleventhrough New SouthWales.LisaTiemoladastartedthe socialmedia'likes', tweetsand statusupdates with her husbandEddiefrorn scratch duringthe negotiationprocess. business This,and no six yearsagoand inbound marketinghas doubtotheractivityaswell,helpedthe social

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enterprisegroupto securea nationaldealwith the retailer.Not badfor a groupof20 urder 22-year-olds basedin Melbourne.

Inbound marketingis a way for customers to getto know a businessin a time and man ner that suitsthem.The informationis not beingforcedon them (asin the caseof outbound marketing),but it is availableat a time andpl arethatsui t.them.The r er edllyis no bettertime to getinvolvedwith inbound marketing.Australiansarehealy usersofsocial media.Businesses that reallywant to engage customersneedto join them in this space.

TH E FIN A L W OR D In the schemeofthings, inbound market ing is still a new concept,sothefeis plentyof room to grow. Be creativewhen finding ways ofattractingpeopleto your blog,websiteor socialmediapages.u

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