An inbound marketing system is a way of ensuring that potential customers find you, rather than having to find them yourself.
Traditional outbound marketing is a kind of “push marketing” that requires seeking customers out via advertising, cold calls, emails and other forms of communication often considered intrusive or “interruptive.” In contrast, inbound marketing is a “pull marketing” system that seeks to draw customers in when they’re already looking for the products or services you offer.
One of the best ways to make use of inbound marketing is via search engines. Hordes of people are already out there searching for what you sell, and you have the opportunity to step into the buying cycle and offer them what they need.
Sounds pretty great, right? But inbound marketing isn’t about sitting in a lawn chair just waiting for customers to come to you. Search engine marketing (ad placement in a search engine’s sponsored links) and search engine optimization (improving rankings in natural or organic search results) do take work.
You can, however, significantly reduce the time and money you spend on inbound search marketing by using the right tools. WordStream is an inbound marketing system that increases the productivity of search marketers by making sure they focus on tasks that add value, not mindless, repetitive work.
PPC and SEO can be very time-consuming when you’re crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s. The tasks you need to commit to on an ongoing basis include:
(Social media optimization may also be in order.) Neglecting any of these areas can hurt your inbound lead generation. So how do you stay competitive and successful as an inbound marketer with so much on your plate?
The WordStream inbound marketing system can make your life easier by enlisting automation to handle the most tedious and repetitive search marketing tasks. For example, keyword list expansion is a thorn in every search marketer’s side. It’s hard to find to the time to update keyword research, so keyword lists tend to stagnate.
WordStream makes use of a JavaScript tracker to automatically pull new keywords into your database as new visitors find your site through search. So your keyword list literally expands while you sleep. The more keywords you have in your arsenal, the more potential customers you can attract with your inbound marketing system.
WordStream also includes integrated tools (like the ad text generator) to help you group keywords, set negative keywords, create ad groups, and write ads and Web copy much more efficiently, so you can focus time on value-added, strategic work.
Another way that WordStream’s inbound marketing system streamlines your SEO and PPC processes is by managing your team’s workflow.
At any given stage of your inbound marketing plan, there’s a virtually endless list of things you could do to improve performance and generate more leads. But the workday isn’t endless, so successful inbound marketers find ways to prioritize search marketing workflow.
WordStream includes a workflow toolset to make prioritization simpler. The system’s workflow tab serves as your team’s to-do list, analyzing your data to identify potential problem areas and suggest optimization fixes that will make the biggest difference first. The orange warning signs below indicate areas where action is needed.
Because WordStream inbound marketing software is collaborative, everyone on your team stays in sync in terms of goals and priorities. Tasks aren’t duplicated and don’t fall through the cracks, so you see results faster and keep productivity levels high—ultimately saving your company money.
To give WordStream’s inbound marketing system a test drive, request a free demo or sign up for a free trial now.