How Social Media and In-bound Marketing Work
When internet marketing began, someone created a new phrase, “in-bound marketing.” This represented a change in attitude to obtaining customers and marketing your products.
In-bound marketing works like this: You create something and give away...
I hear you saying it, “Wait. What? You want to make things and give them away? For free? To the whole world?” Yes, that's exactly what you need to do.
Let's use a general contractor as an example. Our guy, Mike, owns Mike's Fix-it. Mike wants to drum up more business using the internet. So he starts a blog, makes some videos and he writes an e-book on how to install your own windows. The blog and the videos show people how to do various bits of maintenance and repairs around their house.
Now for the marketing part: Mike hired an internet marketing pro, Alice, who helped get his blog and videos listed on Google and Bing. They marketed his content through Facebook, Twitter, other people's blog, and partner sites. All of this means that any time you Google “replace my windows” or “fix up my house,” one of the first people you see listed is Mike and Mike's Fix-it.
Alice monitored the responses that Mike got to his content, adjusted it when necessary, even had Mike make a video about replacing a garbage disposal for a lady in the next town over.
And Mike's business is so busy, he had to hire three new employees to keep up with the work.
And you're saying,“Wait. He's busy... from stuff he gave away?”
Sure. Here's what happened that you couldn't see. Alice helped Mike get his message to the right people. Mike kept putting out some great content that really helped people get things done around their house.
Then one of their viewers, Hank, was working on an addition to his house and got in over his head. Hank called Mike. Mike was able to drop everything and headed over to help Hank.
Then Mike started getting calls from people who needed some of the things done that the videos and blogs talked about, but couldn't do it themselves.
The videos and blogs set Mike up as an expert. There was no one else they would call, since this guy was like their local “Bob Vila.”
The best part is that this is the least expensive way anyone can market themselves. Unlike television or radio, there aren't thousands of dollars of set up and long, expensive contracts.
Mike and Alice set up everything on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for free. Of course, Mike paid Alice, but it wasn't nearly as expensive as recording even a single television commercial.
This is how in-bound marketing works. You give people great content and they come to you with their business, because you are “the expert.”
