Inbound marketing can be used to win new customers and build relationships with existing ones by combining search engine optimisation (SEO), social media and content marketing to earn people's attention.
2. Why inbound marketing matters
• Overlap between disciplines
– SEO
– Social media
– Content
• Develop strong relationships
• Create great work
• Instead of interrupting,
earn people’s attention
3. 1. Using SEO to enhance natural search
• Natural search accounts for
80% of clicks in SERPs
• Natural search is evolving
• Tough competition, especially
from major banks
• 27% of site traffic is driven
through search engines…
• …yet companies can attract
more than 50% with the right
approach
4. Key actions
• Conduct an SEO strategy audit
– Review current capabilities and activities
– Create a long-term plan of action
• Focus on link-building
– Obtain good quality links
– Internal and external linking
• Develop a content marketing strategy
– News
– Blogging
– Social media
5. Goals
• Conduct an SEO strategy audit
– Identify top key phrases, including generic and long-tail
– Establish specific goals and actions for SEO development
• Focus on link-building
– Improve page authority for target key phrases
– Increase targeted traffic to the corporate website
• Develop a content marketing strategy
– Produce high-quality, unique content
– Attract valuable links and visitors
6. SEO strategy audit
• Identify current strengths, weaknesses and opportunities
• Define target key phrases
• Establish a roadmap for future actions
• Look at six key areas:
7. Use analytics to evaluate performance
• Use a Gap analysis to:
– Potential vs. actual
performance
– Identify underperforming
keywords
– Set goals and actions
• Use web analyticsto identify:
– Top search queries
– Main entry pages
– Traffic to key product pages
8. On-page SEO considerations
• Structure website and texts
based on selected keywords
• Titles – ‘Sing’ for keywords
• Meta descriptions – unique
calls-to-action
• Header tags – Use h1, h2,
h3 structure accordingly
9. Focus on link-building
• Link-building is a primary factor in natural search development
• Good links = ‘vote of confidence’
• Need a proactive approach to link-building
Source: SEOMoz, 2011
11. Analyse inbound links
• Evaluate inbound links to website using a back-link analysis
• Compare/ benchmark against competitors
Source: Majestic SEO, 2012
12. Link-building actions
• Back-link analysis – where are competitors getting links?
– The volume of links with the appropriate, descriptive anchor text
– The quality of the websites the links come from
• Techniques:
– Create amazing content (aka ‘linkbait’)
– PR and marketing campaign integration
– Video marketing
– Social media
• Benefit from editorial links
• Ensure all links have descriptive anchor text
13. Internal link-building
• Link to target pages within your site using
relevant anchor text
• Control two key factors:
1. Tailored anchor text
2. Deep page links (not just homepage)
• Main SEO benefits:
– Control the flow of link equity
– Good anchor text
– Relevant alt text on images
– Control links
14. Develop a content marketing strategy
Source: Altimeter Group, 2012
• Don’t just focus on channels – focus on content
• Develop strategy and processes around great content
• Move towards a ‘Culture of Content’
15. Identify top content sources
• Content options include:
– News
– Blogging
– Forums
– Infographics
– Social media channels
• Key benefits:
– Raise the brand’s profile in key communities
– Attract quality links and visitors
– Boost social signals
– Build trust and familiarity
17. Overall benefits of using SEO
Establish Increase
clear visibility across
goals, action all search
s and engines
strategy for
SEO
Improve
Rank higher Increase
click-through
for target leads and
rate and
key phrases conversion sales
18. 2. Develop social media presence
The dynamic customer decision journey
• Consumers are making
decisions in different
ways
• Social media is
influencing the
decision-making
• Consumers rely on their
friends, family and
peers
Source: Brian Solis
19. Develop a corporate social website
Evolution of the social corporate website
20. Actions
• Create a social hub
– Establish a social platform within the corporate website
– Social channels become extension of the site
• Integrate social media into the website
– A two-pronged approach
– Keep valuable traffic onsite
• Create tailored social media experiences
– Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+
– Develop a compelling mobile experience
21. Goals
• Create a social hub
– Build a social experience within the corporate website
– Raise profile of brand’s social media outposts
• Integrate social media into the website
– Bring trusted conversations into the website
– Increase conversions on key product pages
• Create tailored social media experiences
– Build a loyal following on key social channels
– Create experiences where customers ‘hang out’
22. Create a social hub
"Social networks are a hub between the company and it's customers"
- Brian Solis
23. Case study: Dell’s Social hub
• Where can you be found on
social channels?
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Blog
– Flickr
• Create a ‘social culture’
• Clear guidelines for social
media use
24. Integrate social media into the website
A two-pronged approach to social networks
Source: Jeremiah Owyang/ Altimeter Group
• Customers trust what their peers say
• Don’t send customers away from the point of conversion
25. Social publishing and aggregation
• Include ‘Like’ button
on product pages
• Aggregate trusted
conversations
• Reach customers at
different touch points
• Social sign-on for
curated content
26. The Viral Loop
• Create a ‘virtuous cycle’
• Community brings in
visitors
• Use social media and
main website together
• Don’t put all investment
into social channels
27. Create tailored social media experiences: Facebook
• Create content that matters
• Consider EdgeRank:
– Affinity
– Edge weight
– Time
• Encourage sharing
• Apps = richer experience
• Drive traffic to corporate
website
28. Create tailored social media experiences: YouTube
• World’s no. 2 search
engine
• Helpful video content
• Shareable
• Encourage customers
to subscribe
• Keep the brand ‘front-
of-mind’
29. Create tailored social media experiences: Twitter
• Build interest through
short updates
• Generate interest in
140 characters
• Engage with others in
conversation (i.e.
don't just broadcast!)
30. Create tailored social media experiences: Google+
• Google+ = SEO +
social media
• Take advantage of
photos and imagery
• Segment audience
with Circles
• ‘Hangout’ with
customers and
colleagues
31. Create tailored social media experiences: Pinterest
• Build interest around
images
• Create original content
and curate other
people’s ideas
• Use boards to build
themes around product/
service areas
32. Create a compelling mobile experience
• Social media is becoming increasingly mobile
• Develop a mobile app
• Integrate social media
33. Link social media with offline marketing
• Social media release
• QR codes
• Push PR and ad spend to work harder
QR codes should drive
users to a mobile
environment/ experience
34. Overall benefits of a corporate social website
A more Develop
compelling relationships
social media with new and
presence existing
on-site customers
Drive quality Raise awareness
links and of the brand
social signals across the social
(improved and traditional
SEO) web
35. Summary
• Use SEO to increase visibility in natural search
• Link building is an essential SEO tactic
• Use content to tell the brand’s story
• Establish a social corporate website
• Integrate social media into the main website
• Develop compelling social experiences in outposts
• Use mobile to enhance awareness
• Link social media with offline marketing
36. A unified strategy for search + social dominance
Source: Rand Fishkin/ SEOMoz
37. Thank you for reading!
Discover more about inbound marketing:
• Blog – www.onetoomanymornings.co.uk
• Twitter –www.twitter.com/gavinllewellyn
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• LI – www.linkedin.com/in/gavinllewellyn
• Flickr – www.flickr.com/gavinjllewellyn