Remember when the Internet was new and referred to as “The World Wide Web?” You saw the “AOL Keyword” hovering in the corner of most TV ads, and brochure sites were popping up left and right.

As marketers quickly recognized the limitless marketing power of this amazing new channel, specialty marketing disciplines grew and buzz words emerged en mass.

As the magnitude of the Internet grew, the number of online marketing specialties grew as well. Functions began to pair up into logical sub categories of related or coordinated specialties.  It became more difficult to be a “general online marketer,” and many marketers gravitated toward more specific online marketing specialities.

So now we have Inbound Marketing. While not a new concept, its growing appeal among businesses is impressive.

Side note: the term is believed to have been coined by Brian Halligan, CEO of  HubSpot and author of the book Inbound Marketing.

What is Inbound Marketing?

Wiki defines inbound marketing as getting found by customers, as opposed to interruptive advertising.

Whereas an outbound marketer pushes messages out (via advertising, purchased email lists, trade shows, cold calling, etc.) hoping it will attract the attention of the desired customer.

Why is Inbound marketing important?

It creates quality leads – prospective customers who want to to find you. A deliciously self-targeted, highly qualified prospect!

It’s also cost effective – the smart use of tools and time is much less than the price tag of most traditional outbound advertising. While not intended to replace outbound marketing, it’s strategic role in the mix is growing.

Who is it best for?

While it can have a role for companies of all sizes, it is particularly attractive to small to medium-sized businesses who cannot compete head-on with larger authority sites with the scale to well-target their outbound marketing efforts.

But if you’re not an Amazon or eBay, it’s time to get creative and use more inbound marketing as part of your mix.

How does it work?

This is the best part. It’s simple! There are three key components:

1. Build an optimized website with a blog
2. Create quality content that your prospective customers want
3. Take that content to where they are through social channels

With any strategy, there is a mix of art and perseverance to success.  But if you build a smart site, create quality stuff your customers wants to read, and take it to where they are hanging out, you will find you have built both relationships AND referrals.

When did you write your last blog post? If you hung your head and sighed a bit, you’re not alone.

There are many reasons why intentions to write new content on a regular basis can get sidelined. Writer’s block, procrastination, and other priorities can easily distract from a content marketing plan.

An editorial calendar is a must for those who are using content as part of their marketing strategy.  Not only does it help with the hardest part: what to write about, it ensures that the messaging is in line with the business plan, and serves as a pesky reminder to give it priority.

Sort of a strategic kick in the pants, if you will.

But how do you build an editorial calendar? It’s really quite simple – just three easy steps:

1. Call-to-action: What do you want them to do?

Look ahead one month. What action would you like your readers to take within the next 30 days? Sign up for your email list? Follow you on Twitter? Comment on your blog? Buy your service or widget? Attend an event? Tell a friend?

2. Calendar: What’s going on?

With your desired call-to-action in mind, make a broad list of events that are scheduled to occur over the next 30 days. Holidays, programs, advertising schedule, programs, specials/sales, etc.

3. Brainstorm: What value can you provide?

Armed with your call-to-action and list of upcoming events, sit down and brainstorm a list of potential topics that would interest your readers. From there, fine tune your topic ideas into headline drafts to be more specific.

Now that you have a list of content ideas, assign responsibility and due dates and stick to it. If you are the only author, it may be as simple as a pop up reminder on your calendar. Or, if you have the luxury of an editorial team, a monthly meeting with formal assignments may be in order.

And finally, don’t forget to look back to see how you did each month. Review your metrics from the previous month to see which content worked best and why. From there, you will continually learn what works best.

So move past any guilt you have about past infrequent writing, and make it happen for this next month. Your readers are waiting!

It’s tempting to write about what is on your mind at a given moment. But that’s not a relevant blog, that’s a diary.

Re-read the last blog post you wrote. Was it relevant? A relevant blog post contains three key elements:

1)  It does something for your reader, such as:

• Inspire imagination
• Convey empathy
• Show “how-to”
• Provoke thought
• Entertain
• Tease

2)  It contains a call-to-action, such as:

• Sign up for an email newsletter
• Buy an eBook
• Click on an affiliate link
• Leave a comment
• Subscribe to an RSS feed
• Refer the post to others

3)   And finally, it conveys your enthusiasm and unique perspective of your subject matter. There are a lot of blogs on most every possible subject. What makes yours unique and interesting to read?

Bottom line – channel your passion in a manner that is relevant to your target reader and achieves your objective.

So how did I do? Are you inspired? Did I provoke thought?

I hope so. Oh, and while you’re here, please subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up on tips for extending your brand online. And if you have any specific questions, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me.

Thanks, and have a great day!