When we talk about Knoxville, TN, the city has a diverse business community. The downtown area is all thriving and eclectic and full of local establishments. So, to stand out in online search results against other Knoxville businesses, you’ll need a rock-solid strategy. Inbound marketing is the solution! It helps you formulate a plan that funnels potential customers right into your inbox. So let’s talk more about it …
Customers are marketed with millions of messages through cold calling and interruptive ads, etc. But that doesn’t work anymore—marketers have to provide customers something they will enjoy. So this is where inbound marketing comes in—you attract potential customers by creating quality content that will turn them into lifelong customers. But what are the strategies that’ll help you do so? Here is how to gain more leads in Knoxville, TN through Inbound Marketing:
Search Engine Optimization
Organic SEO is the most significant thing you can do that works to increase your site’s traffic. But there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye. So the right strategy needs to be customized since it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. While optimizing, things can get complicated, so you must focus on a few essentials first. The common ones include:
Keyword Research
Identify and employ the keywords that have high search volume and user intent to attract a relevant audience. Even subtle variations can make or break the SEO strategy. So the process must involve going after what your audience is searching for or how they search for it. Google Ads is a great tool to do research with as well as SEM Rush. Also, don’t forget to address your long-tail keyword phrases.
On-Page Optimization
It refers to optimizing every aspect on an actual web page. So when you create a page, post content that’s carefully thought through, unique, valuable, and aesthetically pleasing. Go through your website and see for yourself if the pages hold any value for potential customers or not. PRO TIP: if you put your keyword phase in the title tag, H1 header tag, and sprinkle it within your copy, you’re 80% of the way there! For that last 20%, check out Google’s SEO Starter Guide.
Off-Page Optimization
Off-page optimization provides the “link juice” to improve website ranking. Things like social bookmarking, blog commenting, social media, link outreach, interviews, guest posts, etc., are done off-site. If you can get links from these to point back to your website, it will increase your web traffic through higher rankings, page authority, brand visibility, and industry relevance. Off-page optimization is the hardest part of SEO yet provides the biggest potential for upside. Check out ahref’s Off-page Optimization Primer for more info.
Pay-per-click Advertising
If you think paid tactics aren’t part of inbound strategies – you’re wrong! It’s a part of the family since ads appear only when users are actively searching for something relevant. Of course, not all aspects come under this category, but advertisements on the search network are certainly amongst these. And to get quality leads, PPC works alongside SEO. With paid search, you pay for the top placement, bid on a specific keyword, have an adjustable budget, measure ROI, pause ads when needed, and the list goes on. Pay-per-click advertising is offered by Google Ads, Facebook, LinkedIn, and just about every major social media platform out there. Be careful though and keep an eye on your campaigns as one mistake could be like a run-away train and exhaust your budget in the blink of an eye!
Competitor Research
It helps recognize industry trends, reveals competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, to know the types of campaigns going around, and understand their customer fan base. To find better info, ask yourself questions like…
- Who are your top competitors?
- Why do people like them?
- What kind of reviews do they get?
- What are they doing the best?
- What’s their market share?
- And what products/services do they offer?
These help you plan campaigns and work on other strategies accordingly. SEM Rush is an outstanding tool for competitor research.
Content Development
You have guests coming over, and you serve them drinks—you do that, right? The same goes for leads! Once you have them, give them drinks, i.e., content. While content isn’t the only component of inbound marketing, it’s crucial. Produce content that stands out, entertains, inspires, and educates.
Start with creating and maintaining a high-quality blog to market your business. It’s a hub to keep your audience informed and works great for additional keyword-driven pages that will drive more traffic to your site.
Experiment with gated content like e-books to nurture your leads or sell services in long-form. Gated content requires something in return from your site visitors, typically name and email.
You can also establish convincing case studies to educate visitors that are deeper in the sales funnel.
Marketers also create whitepapers to educate the audience about different issues or methodologies. You can use them with a gated content strategy.
Landing pages also hold equal importance since that’s where your leads land after clicking your call-to-action (CTA) buttons. So, ensure the user experience of your landing pages is top-notch. Put your forms at the top and chunk content so it is easy to digest.
While doing so, make sure you prepare a content calendar to publish fresh and regular content.
Ongoing Maintenance and Reporting
Look at your site as an investment and you’ll be able to see what’s working and what isn’t. The ultimate goal is to generate revenue through lead acquisition or e-commerce sales. Maintenance and reporting will keep you and your site up-to-date, help you understand your audience, and give you the insight to boost your online presence.
Get Started With Inbound Marketing
With these five elements, you’ll have a solid infrastructure to plan a killer inbound marketing strategy. You don’t have to be a big business and purchase HubSpot to dip your big toe into the inbound marketing waters. Publish the right information, at the right time, using the right platforms and you will enjoy marketing that actually works! Talk to our specialists and find out how we can help your Knoxville business win online!
