2. Even the Wizard of Oz would be gobsmacked
by the wonder and awe of today’s world. The
fundamental change in contemporary society
is the digital revolution. Thanks to the internet,
friendships have rekindled, families reunited,
billionaires were born, tyrannical governments
toppled, cats, goats and Justin Bieber have all
become viral sensations and traditional business
techniques have become ever more redundant.
With the exception of Justin Bieber, this is all good news,
because with change comes new and bigger opportunities.
The digital revolution has educated and empowered
people the world over. Consumer behaviour has evolved.
The internet is a vast encyclopaedia of knowledge,
a global community of connected opinions and an
arbitrator of the unknown. Search engines like Google
have become trusted confidantes, advisors and
lieutenants on the battlegrounds where brands, products
and services fight for survival and prosperity.
Rather than fear this seismic shift, you should
embrace these new opportunities for there has never
been a better time for business to flourish. The
marketplace is growing. The world is within reach
and it has never been more affordable to grow your
business effectively and efficiently.
WeRe’ NOt in
KaNSAS
AnyMOre, Toto!
3. “57% of the purchase decision is
complete before a customer even
calls a supplier.”
- CEB
“67% of the buyer’s journey is now
done digitally.”
- SiriusDecisions
67%
57%
Inbound is how businesses have evolved to meet
the challenges of the digital revolution. Let’s
take a simple example of this evolving consumer
behaviour. Think of the last time you bought
weapons-grade plutonium. On second thought,
the principle holds true for any purchase of
consideration or value, so let’s go with an everyday
example, say a mobile phone.
Chances are you started on a search engine looking
for ‘best mobile phone’ or ‘advantages of iPhone
6’ or ‘best mobile phone deals’ or something
similar. You likely clicked on multiple sources of
information, webpages, blogs, reviews, articles,
infographics, presentations, videos, forums, social
media channels, podcasts, and any number of
other sources.
You were no longer in the dark and your choice
was already narrowing. You probably didn’t do
your research in one sitting, and likely used
different devices at different times. You may have
subscribed for more information or bookmarked
particular sources you found interesting or
engaging. You felt empowered and educated, all
the time leaning ever closer to your decision.
By the time you contacted a vender, the chances
are you already knew what you wanted and why
you wanted it.
Every point of contact along this consumer journey
describes Inbound Marketing.
Now replace the search for mobile phones (or
weapons-grade plutonium) with whatever product
or service you provide and you can see how
important Inbound is, not just for your future
success, but for your survival today.
WHat iS
INBouNd MARKeTiNg?
4. Attract &
Seduce
Empower &
Convert
Nurture &
Close
Retain &
Champion
Measure
& Adapt
Strangers
Visitors
Customers
Advocates
Referrals
Leads
Inbound is a contemporary holistic marketing
approach focused on growing businesses
effectively and efficiently. In reality there are many
crossovers within all points of contact but for
the purposes of this overview we have spilt the
methodologies into chronological sequences.
At Squaredot we focus on real and tangible results.
What follows is a summary of what we do, why we
do it and how we do it.
InTroDuCTiOn
5. We will draw visitors to your site by raising your
profile across digital platforms, giving confidence
to your digital voice and helping you become an
authoritative, thought leader within your industry.
We’ll start with an overview of your Search Engine
Optimisation. It’s not sexy but it’s damn important.
We don’t need to preach this virtue, you already
know it. We won’t bore you with details here, but
we will bore the pants off each other (in the privacy
and heated comfort of our own offices) in fine-
tuning the perfect targeted long tail keywords, page
rankings, back links –sorry got carried way there,
spotted you yawning, let’s move on…
AtTRaCt
&SEdUce
6. SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while
outbound leads (such as direct mail or
print advertising) have a 1.7% close rate.
- Search Engine Journal
14.6%
WHITEPAPERS
E-Books
WEBINARS
PODCASTS
INFOGRAPHICS
CaSE STUDIES
VIDEOS
ASSESSMENTS
ROI CALCULATORS
INTERACTIVE PRESENTATIONS
BLOG POSTS
Scream ‘Sales’ to the mass and they run a mile,
but seduce them with whispers that roar - timely,
engaging, informative content - and they’ll seek
you out and listen to what you have to offer. This
is how we help you earn the trust of better quality
sales leads.
Content Marketing is the heart and soul of Inbound.
We aim to educate, entertain and engage people
with content relevant to your industry, championing
your credentials and drawing curious visitors to
your site. Much of the time, it’s the first entry
point into our ecosystem and comes in many
guises; Blogs, eBooks, Case Studies, Slideshares,
Infographics, Videos, Webpages, or any number of
other standard or rich media formats.
Of course, we don’t want to talk to just any old
randomer on the internet, otherwise we’ll likely
pick up a restraining order. Nothing happens
without careful consideration and planning, so our
starting point is always a thorough and exhaustive
breakdown of your target market’s Bullseye Buyer
Persona. Once we know everything about this
bullseye target, right down to their favourite guilty
pleasures and deepest secrets then we know what
floats their boat. Ok there are limits, we’re not the
NSA after all and we don’t want Edward Snowden
after us.
All of this prep work informs our Content Strategy,
so we can work out who to meet, where to meet
them, what to say and how to say it.
There’s lots more to it, we’ve barely even touched
on social media amplification, online publishers and
influencers for example, but this eBook is just to give
you a brief overview, so let’s move on.
The top 3 content formats that B2B buyers
seek out to research a purchase decision
include: Whitepapers (78%), Case Studies
(73%), and Webinars (67%).
- www.demandgenreport.com
7. Relevant emails drive 18 times more
revenue than broadcast emails.
- Jupiter Research
87% of B2B buyers say content has an impact on
vendor selection; more than a quarter (27%) say it
has a “major impact.”
- Social Media Today
67%
87%
Today’s sophisticated digital native audiences
will not allow the wool to be pulled over their
eyes. They see the plaid sleeves of salespeople’s
jackets a mile off. There is little to be won by
standing on a self proclaimed pedestal and
shouting ‘buy me’ from the rafters.
Our whispers that roar approach will draw in
casual observers who are on a journey of self
discovery. They want to research the market,
educate themselves and draw their own
conclusions. They respect those who respect
them. Educate your audience and you will
empower them. Offer informative and engaging
material and you will earn respect.
At this point, more and more casual visitors will
happily trade their own contact details for more
and more quality in-depth background research.
This is how we help you earn the respect of more
qualified leads. Landing Pages with strong Calls
To Action and Data Capture Software leading to
more Premium Content are some of the tools we
employ to convert strangers to casual visitors to
qualified leads.
Once in our ecosystem, these quality leads are
further funnelled down specific and planned
consumer journeys so that further communications
are more targeted and more personalised.
EmpoWer &
ConVerT
8. Companies that excel at lead
nurturing generate 50% more sales
ready leads at 33% lower cost
- Forrester Research
47% of B2B marketers say they either close
fewer than 4% of all marketing-generated leads,
or they don’t even know this metric.
- Forrester Research
47%
50%
Three little words that stir the groins of salespeople
the world over, “close the deal”. It’s mana from heaven,
the sweet spot with the cherry on top, it’s what you
were born to do and precisely what everything we do
leads up to.
Everything up to now has funnelled motivated
customers to further research you and place you
top of mind in their consideration. In many cases in
our experience, this next step is initiated by these
motivated and empowered quality leads themselves
but we don’t take anything for granted.
Communication channels move from automation to
personal contact, using tactics like targeted Permission
Based Email Campaigns, Specialised Content and
perhaps targeted Ad Hoc Campaigns all the time
dangling the carrot on a shorter and shorter stick.
NurtuRe
& Close
9. According to Bain and Company, just a 5%
increase in customer retention can increase a
company’s profitability by 75%.
- Bain and Company
80% of your company’s future revenue will
come from just 20% of your existing customers.
- Gartner Group
75%
80%
Converting quality leads into customers is not enough.
We’re not interested in one night stands. Sorry we were
just brought up differently and you can call us prudes if
you want. We are interested in building relationships. A
one-off wham, bam, thank you ma’am is close, but no
cigar, as far as we’re concerned.
Because this is not the end of the road. It’s not the
destination we seek. It’s just another starting point really.
It’s the beginning of a new, constantly evolving journey,
the beginning of a long term deepening relationship.
Conversion is lust, but retention is love.
And even retention is not enough, we want more. We
want you to retain loyal, repeat customers and convert
them into passionate brand advocates, champions,
enthusiasts and promoters.
When Apple announce a new product, they barely lift
the skirt on the new features. They don’t shout, they
barely even speak, they let their millions of devoted
brand advocates do their selling for them. By the time
the new product hits the high streets, you can be
guaranteed the queues in the rain will reach around
the corner, and even the next corner, before the shop
has even opened. Some people in the queue might
never have owned an Apple product before, but they’ll
be damned if they won’t get their hands on the next
big thing this time around.
This is the power of brand advocates. They stir the pot
for you, proclaiming your virtues and telling their friends,
and their friends’ friends and all their digital connections.
We understand that Apple are an extreme example, but
the principle holds true at every level of business for
even the most niche of industries.
All the strategies, methodologies and tools we employ
up to this point help validate this activism. As long as
you hold up your end of the bargain and provide quality
products and services that satisfy needs in the market,
then you too can enjoy referrals and new business from
a growing and loyal base of brand activists.
ReTaIn &
ChamPion
10. If truth be told, this is not an end of the line process.
Instead consider it a constantly adapting activity
underpinning every stage of our Inbound Marketing
framework. Our software and measurement tools are
fine-tuned and responsive. Our analytic engine interface
looks like an aeroplane cockpit inside a nuclear reactor.
It looks like you need to have a masters in Chinese
Algebra to understand it. It looks complicated because
it covers every single actionable cause and effect. You
won’t need to understand it because we do. And we
know every lever and pulley inside out.
We constantly tweak every tool at our disposal for
optimum performance and results. We set KPIs and
benchmarks for every action we take and we respond
in real-time to out-perform expectations. We do so
because we’re ridiculously competitive. We have never
gotten over losing that under 12s mini rugby blitz final.
Willow Park, we forgive you, you taught us a valuable
lesson.
Good is just not good enough.
Winning is everything.
Results matter.
MeAsuRE
& AdapT
11. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our brief summary of
Inbound Marketing and how we, at Squaredot, approach
the methodologies. If you haven’t enjoyed what you’ve
read, then we aren’t doing our job correctly and you
have every reason to walk away.
Bear in mind, this is just a skim of the surface, a toe dip
into the ocean of contemporary marketing. If you’d like
to take the next step and dive in to discover in more
detail how Inbound can grow your business efficiently
and effectively, then we’d love to hear from you.
Our consultations are free and non committal. As
a result, you will be in a better position to make an
informed decision on whether Inbound is the right
marketing strategy for you.
SumMarY
12. Squaredot was founded in 2015 with a
vision to deliver better marketing return on
investment for its B2B clients through
proven inbound marketing methodologies.
ian@squaredot.eu www.squaredot.eu +353 83 359 9077 +353 1 524 2731
18 Upper Stephen St.
Dublin 8, Ireland
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