Sticky TV: Inbound Marketing Basics

Welcome to the first episode of Sticky TV for 2010. This year we have decided to do shorter, one-topic episodes. Hopefully they’ll come in around 5 mins each. We’ll alternate between handy “how to” pieces and interviews on digital media, social media, inbound marketing and more.

First up we’re going back to basics with and introduction to Inbound Marketing.

Tired of trade shows? Try these alternatives.

There's an alternative to expensive trade shows

Trade shows can be a great way to get your organisation in front of a reasonably targeted audience, but they’re also a very expensive way to generate new leads. Once you’ve added up the cost of exhibiting, travel and staff time, a trade show can be a significant commitment. Then, how many of those “leads” actually turn into sales?

Trade shows are another example of outbound marketing, an expensive way to reach an audience via a third party supplier (in this case the show organiser). Adopting an Inbound Marketing approach allows you to attract qualified leads and build your reputation amongst those who are genuinely interested.

Here are some simple alternatives that are much more cost-effective:

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Does your web designer understand internet marketing?

Does your web designer understand internet marketing?

In the early days of the Web the imperative was upon having a website and as a result an industry was born, and boomed, creating websites. Good, bad or ugly, it didn’t really seem to matter a long as you were part of the the new wave online.

These days however its a lot different. Everyone has a website and a substantial portion of the population uses the web to shop, search research, chat, meet, discuss, review…well you get the point, we’re online a lot. In fact a recent study revealed that 97% of clients purchasing decisions were influenced by websites.

Now, amid the clutter and competition online, mere web existence isn’t good enough. Now professional internet marketing is crucial. You don’t just build a website, you build a web presence.

Search engine optimisation, social media, conversion strategies, data analysis, geo-targeting, the mobile web, real time search. They’re all part of a sophisticated internet marketing plan that enable you to compete and thrive online.

Unfortunately, many web designers are still just building websites.

Check if your designer understands internet marketing by asking:

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Does your website need a rebuild or a re-think?

Does your website need a rebuild or a re-think?

One of our biggest frustrations here at Sticky is seeing organisations pay little attention to their web presence. They run old, rarely updated websites that provide the user with little information and a generally poor experience. These organisations are finding it increasingly harder to compete and will be left behind unless they totally re-think (or start thinking about) online.

However, at the other end of the scale is the organisation who is enthusiastically online but is constantly thinking about a rebuild, or a new look, or an expensive new addition to their under-performing website. We see them all the time. I can think of a few examples where a site is going through its 2nd rebuild in as many years, when the original site was fine.

The thing is….if a website is under-performing the first thing everyone should look at are the real reasons why. In many cases its not the layout / design / format that necessarily needs work.

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9 more reasons why you need to optimise your website for Google

Its essential to optimise your website for Google