Posted by Patrick Murphy on Fri, Jun 11, 2010
For any type of lead generation or inbound marketing is appears that social network website like Facebook is the way to go. A recent study has found that social networking sites, led by Facebook, are now more popular among UK web users than Google and other search engines such as Bing or Yahoo. Experian Hitwise, which gathers browsing information from 8 million people in the UK, said social networks accounted for 11.88 per cent of internet visits in May, which overtook search engines at 11.33 per cent of visits. So for any type of lead generation or inbound marketing the best place to be is where the people are and that is social media.
For Lead generation and inbound marketing social media is only starting as according to Robin Goad, research director at Hitwise UK "Social content is growing at a very fast rate, much faster than search". Facebook, which has about 500m users globally and makes up 55 per cent of UK social network visits, has driven social media's charge against Google. But Google's lead over other search engines was greater in the UK than the US, which meant it was unlikely to be overtaken by Facebook here in the near future, Mr Goad said.
In terms of lead generation or inbound marketing there were many people concerned about the recent stories over Facebook security. However in spite of the controversy over its handling of personal information, interest in Facebook shows no sign of waning. "Based on what we know from Bebo and MySpace, when the average session [visit] time starts to drop, it means people are leaving," Mr Goad said. "Facebook's session time continues to hold up and slightly grow. There are still new people joining, although at a slower rate. The people using it are using it more." So there you have it is time to look at social media for Lead Generation and Inbound Marketing.
If you are looking for more help on lead generation and inbound marketing, SiliconCloud are running a free webinar next week to people business make the most of social media for lead generation and inbound marketing. You can check it out here: What is Inbound Marketing.
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Mon, Mar 22, 2010
Inbound marketing and social media is changing way we function and operate, so are we building an inbound marketing generation. The power of the internet and social media is changing our networks, the way we live our lives and build our relationships. The next generation are not only learning but as also growing with the internet, social media and inbound marketing as part of everyday life. They are making the inbound marketing generation.
So what makes the inbound marketing generation. Inbound marketing is about people finding you and staying connected with you and your company. The inbound marketing generation is a generation that are building links and relationships through their blogs, facebook pages, twitter etc. These are relationship that can't be found or manufactured in traditional marketing but only in inbound marketing and social media. These relationships last over time and grow stronger with each interaction. The inbound marketing generation will see these connections improve their relationship with each other and how they treat and interact with each other. So are you part of the inbound marketing generation.
As the inbound marketing generation develops over time companies will need and want to be discovered online. For some companies their online profile will become their identity of who they are and what they do. The inbound marketing generation will be looking for your accomplishments, achievements or simply what are you know for. The inbound marketing generation will be looking online in their social networks and if they can't find you they might find your completion. This is why companies need to be part of the inbound marketing generation.
The inbound marketing generation is already here and we are already part of it. It is a generation where we believe that Google is right and we are wrong. How many times have you searched in Google not found what you are looking for and changed what you are looking for? By doing that we are adjusting to Google and not Google adjusting to us. And this is the inbound marketing generation where we look for what we want and trust the internet and social media to lead us in the right direction. So are you and your company part of the inbound marketing generation?
So why not start and join the SiliconCloud webinar on 16 tips for lead generation. Where we will show how your business can level the playing field and generate leads with these tips for lead generation.
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Mon, Mar 15, 2010
During our webinars on Inbound Marketing we often get asked how to start inbound marketing. While inbound marketing covers such things as SEO, keywords research, link building, social media etc. Where should you start inbound marketing?
A simple way to start inbound marketing is to put you website to a test. Pick 10 keywords that you want to found on Google for. These could be around your products, services or your brand. Do not think about the traffic generated from these keywords rather how you define your business in terms of keywords or phrases. You know your business and your website better than anyone else or keyword tool. Think about that last time someone asked you what is your company about and your response should give you the keywords or phrase that you should start inbound marketing with.
It is possible to start inbound marketing with keyword tools that show the search volume, variations, competition etc. But before we run lets learn to walk first and stick to keywords that you have selected. Some of these keywords could be hard to rank for at first but we can improve your odds by adding on an extra word and creating some long tail keywords. But let's get back to starting inbound marketing for your website.
Think of it this way, your may start with inbound marketing but it all ends with your website. Your website it the endpoint, the conversion from traffic to leads. So if we take these 10 keywords that you feel best represents your company and see can we pick just one website page for each of those keywords. And if you are finding it difficult then so is Google and that is no way to start inbound marketing.
So if you want to start inbound marketing then pick those keywords and start to build your website around them. And remember people are asking Google a question so make sure that your website answers those questions and that is how to start inbound marketing.
Another way to start inbound marketing is to register for SiliconCloud's next webinar where we will go through 16 top tips for lead generation. Click here to register: Lead Generation
Posted by Naylla Kassam on Fri, Mar 12, 2010
Not sure how landing pages has anything to do with speed dating? Let's review the rules of speed dating for those of you who are unfamiliar:
You are trying to get the attention of your audience
You have a limited time to capture your audience's attention
You have to be engaging enough to get what you want from your audience
You need to bring your best qualities to the table to avoid your audience being distracted
Before any of the rules above even come into play, most people already have a profile in mind. You don't show up at the event and then decide what you are looking for. You are prepared and know exactly what you want from a physical, emotional, and financial point of view.
The rules don't change from what you would look for in a partner and what you would look for in a potential client. Before you deliver any messaging out there around your company, products, or services, you should know exactly what you want in a prospect; from age all the way up to position in a company.
So when you are trying to capture the attention of your target audience to your landing pages, the same rules apply as speed dating.
You have a limited amount of time to get your prospect to fill out the form on the landing page.
You have 7 seconds to capture the attention of the prospect on to the form and not to other content on the page. So make your landing page about the form.
The landing page has to be engaging enough to captivate your audience - use graphics!
Avoid having your prospects getting distracted - remove the navigation bar and any other factors that don't relate to the form itself.
Remember, the reason why the prospect is on that landing page is because you have something they like and want and you want them to have what you are offering. Don't send a six foot blonde through the room when you are trying to get all the attention - unless you are the 6ft blonde!
Join us on March 25,2010 and learn the hottest tips on lead generation!
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Mon, Mar 01, 2010
People and business may have different names for a blog; there blog could be called news, newsblog or views from the top. But what is a blog? Your blog should be seen as a collection of written posts or articles that are used to inform, entertain, or share your views and experiences with people, customers, clients etc. Unlike the traditional media of newspapers and books they can be interactive giving the readers the chance to comment and respond to your views.
You could say that there are two types of blogs out there, they can be either a personal blog or a business blog. Where a business blog differs it is seen as a corporate tool for communicating with customers, potential customers and employees to share their knowledge and expertise. The main difference of a business blog is the goal of your blog. Your business blog should be something that supports your business goals, strategy and your business aspirations.
Hubspot the founders of Inbound Marketing are 100% percent convinced on the benefits of blogging for you and your business. Hubspot preformed some research on the percentage of business who have acquired a customer from their blog. Interesting enough all companies that blog multiple times a day have all acquired a client from their blog. So a customer or lead generation tool, blogging appears to be a winner!
What is your view?
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Fri, Jan 01, 2010
A New Year's resolution is a commitment you make to yourself that is generally interpreted as advantageous. So why not take this time to make the commitment to your business and start with your Inbound Marketing Plan.
Here are some to help you along the way, you can add more if you want!
1: Get Blogging
To success your business blog must engaging the reader and should be updated as much as possible. If you are going to take advantage of your blog then try to build up an list of followers or readers To do this you need to produce great content - and regularly. So be commitment and allocate time and resources to your blog.
Some of the benefits you can experience are:
- Higher conversion rate for blog visitors
- Increased traffic from search to blog
- Lower cost communication cost
- Generate the same level of awareness as PR
2: Get out There and Socialize
You know you know about Social Media so get out there and socialize with your Twitter account or create a facebook fan page. Research individuals, companies, groups or pages where those interested in your niche could gather. Start interacting with those sites, their friends and followers.
And if you need any reasons why to socialize:
- You will find your target audience that you want to do business with somewhere online
- You will find whatever knowledge you need about any market or any person online
- You can reach your market by simply engaging in the right conversations with the right people. This is more effective than advertising.
- Social media saves time and money if you use it right for the right things
If you learn "how" to use social media correctly then you'll understand "what" your market is looking for and "where" they are looking.
At SiliconCloud we understand the importance of Inbound Marketing and Social Media in today's business environment. In January we are running a free webinar for anyone on how to use Social Media for Lead Generation. Covering areas such as:
How to incorporate social media into your overall marketing strategy
How to attract more website visitors from social media sites
How to leverage a social media community to share and promote your content
How to convert social media visitors into leads and customers
While SiliconCloud are partners for HubSpot this will not be technology focused. So anyone can register....
Register at Social Media for Lead Generation
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Thu, Dec 31, 2009
The traditional method of finding new clients and expanding into new market previous involved expense marketing campaigns. With a recent study finding that people are no longer trusting marketing adverts. Google is among those who are supporting the Advertising Association's Front Foot foundation to regain trust.
So with marketing budget decreasing companies need to get smarter about using their website as an inbound marketing machine to generate leads and find new markets.
Inbound marketing is the strategy of getting found by your target market and potential clients. So rather than you trying to find them, they simply find you instead. A recent study by Society for New Communications Research found that 78% of consumers trust each other more than they trust advertising - which is why they read blogs and go to chat rooms etc.
So how do you start, the simplest place to start is by optimizing your website for search engines and creating relevant content with blogs, webinars and podcasts. Focus on topics that will interest and engage your target market or audience.
The secret is to capitalize on people's interest and desire for more information. By speaking directly to your target market you can generate more leads that are better informed and can speed up the sales process.
So before you invest your energies and money in more outbound marketing why not start looking at the resources you already have such as your website.
At SiliconCloud we understand the importance of Inbound Marketing and Social Media in today's business environment. In January we are running a free webinar for anyone on how to use Social Media for Lead Generation. Covering areas such as:
How to incorporate social media into your overall marketing strategy
How to attract more website visitors from social media sites
How to leverage a social media community to share and promote your content
How to convert social media visitors into leads and customers
While SiliconCloud are partners for HubSpot this will not be technology focused. So anyone can register....
Register at Social Media for Lead Generation
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Mon, Dec 28, 2009
This always turns out to be popular when the question is raised on any social media forum such as LinkedIn etc.
So what are the issues with Outsourcing Social Media?
1: The Company does not understand your business and the sector you work in
2: It is very hard for them to create content as they are not the experts
3: They do not operate or engage on a daily basis in your market
Is it all negative, where can they help?
1: They can develop a strategy that dovetails with your business goals
2: From their experience they have best practices for successful engagement
3: They should be able to set realistic ROI, in terms of return, expectations and the return
4: Their platform should provide accurate metrics to measure your success.
In my opinion it is possible to outsource your social media but it does require your client's willingness, support and time.
For any social media experts out there, what are your thoughts? Do you feel that the actual engagement aspect of the strategy falls on the client?
At SiliconCloud we understand the importance of Inbound Marketing and Social Media in today's business environment. In January we are running a free webinar for anyone on how to use Social Media to Generate Leads. While SiliconCloud are partners for HubSpot this will not be technology focused. So anyone can register....
Please register at Social Media for Lead Generation
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Tue, Dec 15, 2009
You should always review you SEO goals to ensure that they are in line with your overall corporate and business strategy. With 2010 coming around the corner now is the time to consider your long terms SEO, Inbound Marketing and Social Media strategy.
To be in line with your own business strategy you need to clear of what your own business strategy is. You should ask yourself what is the purpose of your company and does this tie in with the purpose of your website and SEO campaign.
To help define your strategy you need to know the answers to the following questions.
1: What are you marketing goals?
2: What is your best selling product or services?
3: Where else are you running adverts online?
4: How or do you evaluate the return on your marketing investment?
5: How do you determine your marketing budget?
6: Who are you competitors?
7: What is your target audience?
The answers of these questions should help you define your marketing strategy and plan out an effective SEO & Inbound Marketing campaign.
While answering these questions, you should also ask yourself do you need Inbound Marketing Software. Inbound marketing software helps your business get found on the Internet by the right prospects and convert more of those prospects into leads and paying customers. Really is takes your strategy and converts into an actionable plan with tracking and metrics accurately measure your performance.
To help you along the way we at SilionCloud would like to offer you a free 30 point review on your Inbound Marketing capabilities. We analyse and measure the marketing effectiveness of your social media presence and website. We incorporate things like website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical factors. We also provide some basic advice on how your website can be improved from a marketing perspective.
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Sun, Dec 13, 2009
So you have read the reports, heard the buzz and now decided that is it time to move to Inbound Marketing. In case you haven't read or heard about Inbound Marketing, here is a quick definition.
Inbound marketing is when the customers start calling you to make appointments, purchase products, or gain information.
A recent study found that only one in six trust advertisers which means for the other five of the six people to know about you and your company you need to be engaging in Inbound Marketing.
Here are some basic reasons why you too should look to Inbound Marketing for 2010.
1. Outbound is becoming less effective. With the advancements in technology traditional marketing messages are becoming easier to block and avoid.
2. A recent study found that teenagers in the UK spend on average 31 hours per week on the internet. These are the future generation of consumers, should you not be looking to reach and engage with them?
3. Over 90% of people begin their online search for a product or service using a search engine.
4. Good search engine optimisation with great content and a social media strategy will help you get found online by the right people looking for what your company can offer and provide.
5. Inbound marketing leads and inquiries started out looking for what your company can offer therefore are highly qualified and motivated, and will improve your conversion potential.
6. Inbound marketing is an investment in your organisation's future. Effective Inbound Marketing campaigns have a long lasting effect, unlike Outbound which stops as soon as your budget runs out.
7. Inbound Marketing is cost effective and measurable so providing simple ROI. Unlike tradition marketing where the phase "I Know Half My Marketing Works, I Just Don't Know Which Half" still holds true.
8. Most of your competitors either haven't discovered Inbound Marketing or aren't doing it well....yet. So take your chance and get a head start on create your own presence.
We at SiliconCloud understand the importance of Social Media and Inbound Marketing so to help you learn more we are offering a free 30 point report. We analyse and measure the marketing effectiveness of your social media presence and website. We incorporate things like website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical factors. We also provide some basic advice on how your website can be improved from a marketing perspective.