3min
The essence of Inbound marketing is helping. As Inbound marketers we have accepted that we no longer have the power in the market-consumer dynamic. They do. They have all the choice, and all the information in the world. They simply do not need to listen to us and our marketing anymore to help them make a decision about their purchases. HubSpot Marketing platform powers your marketing initiatives.
They talk to each other, and make a decision when we are not even in the room
Our customers are getting the information about us our products from all sorts of places. Online reviews and their friends in face to face conversations, but also, without us realising, by having a look at the way we act on social media, or how our websites are built.
If we are ‘spamming’ them with constant sales messages and only interested in getting their cash, they see that. And worse, they’ll share those stores all over the web for the next customer to come along to see as well. Caveat emptor or buyer beware has been taken to an art form by the new generation of shoppers. The chances are they are more informed than even you are about your product and industry.
So what's left for an ethical, genuine and authentic business to do? The odds against us seem insurmountable. How do we compete in this ruthless, dog eat dog online world? Well, basically, like we always have. Through outstanding service levels and genuine helpfulness.
Hubspot Marketing and The Inbound Methodology Is About Helping
Realising that marketing in no longer in our control, and people are ever more avoiding our attempts to interrupt them, we must focus on being the best we can be when it comes to serving them and their needs.
- Our messages must be open and transparent. Free from marketing hyperbole and above all, honest. At all costs.
- Our websites much be easy to use and navigate, with information that the consumer wants front and centre.
- They must work on multiple browsers and devices as the ways people find us are many and varied.
- Which is why you’ll see prices on most digitally focussed businesses websites clearly laid out, and easy to understand. One of the most researched things when it comes to buying is price after all. And there is nothing worse when you are researching a product or a service than not being able to find a price on a website.
- We must be always on, and always responsive. It's not enough to leave a message and hope someone comes back to you. I want to speak to someone, even if it's an automated response pointing to me to FAQ’s at any time of the day or night, which is when I’ll be surfing the web.
Keep it Simple, Stupid
When you become used to the ideas around Inbound methodologies, like attracting the right people, and converting them into leads first and then sales at the appropriate time, you’ll get much more sophisticated in your skill set.
You may even use something like our agency’s partner Hubspot marketing platform to fully integrate your business data with the sales, marketing and service funnel. But until then, there are a couple of things you can do quickly, easily and cheaply to get started.
Live chat
HubSpot marketing has a free live chat service that you can use on your website which allows you to answer questions directly, and even help people when they are in the process of buying. Preventing that nightmare scenario of cart abandonment.
Landing Pages
You may have heard of this term. A landing page is the place you send someone to view your content or take advantage of your offer. SO an advert or a social media posts would have a link in it to a Landing Page on your website that not only serves the content offer, but allows you to capture your clients data too.
Call to Action
There is an old saying in sales, ask and you get, don't and you won't! I am a great believer that business goes where its invited. So it you want people to do something on your website, ask them to do it, and then give them a good reason to do it. Provide helpful value and people will take advantage of that, and give their email address in return. HubSpot allows you to build beautiful custom CTA’s right in the platform.
Forms
Talking of email address, you need to use a form to capture your customers details and allow you to stay in touch with them too. Oh, and if you are the EU or the UK your reading this after Brexit, you’ll need those forms to be GDPR compliant too. That is, to adhere to the rules of data gathering that mean people must be fully informed about what you are doing with their data. HubSpot marketing platform has a fully integrated form builder which connects directly with your CRM system and all your other sales and marketing functions for ease of use.
CRM
Talking of CRM’s or Client Relationship Management Systems, HubSpot bases all of its platforms (sales, marketing and service) on a brilliantly simple relational database for the purpose of managing these relationships.
HubSpot marketing automatically links your client’s email address to their relevant business and allows you to keep details of the client, their contract records, the sales status as a lead, or deal, their marketing preferences and various events they might have undertaken on your website, as well as developments in their company all neatly tucked away in an easy to understand client record.
Working from the client record, or directly out of excellent GSuite integration means you will keep your client records up to date effortlessly, and also have an accurate snapshot of your business and its progress towards its KPI’s at any point you chose.
