Why Startups and SMEs Should Be Using Inbound Marketing
Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2024 5:16 am
Startups and SMEs are big emerging players in markets like ours. If you have a startup or SME and you want to differentiate yourself from the rest, it's time to start implementing an Inbound Marketing strategy.
Table of contents
If you have a small business or a startup, you job seekers database package may think that it is impossible to apply an inbound marketing strategy and compete against the giants of the market. Nothing could be further from the truth. Inbound Marketing is a methodology that can be applied to businesses of any size. Today I will explain why:
At first, you may feel like everything is against you:
- Approximately one-third of businesses do not reach their tenth anniversary.
- 80% of small businesses don't make it to the first year.
But in this first stage of your business , you need to turn the tables and start seeing it from a much more positive perspective. Also, rethink your idea of success and start measuring your indicators . You don't need the pressure of getting the same results as the largest company in your field, focus on setting ambitious but achievable goals and protect yourself against failure by taking strategic actions.
Some of the main reasons why small and medium-sized businesses often fail are lack of market research, lack of planning, poorly executed marketing, or even hasty expansion, among many other things. But let's focus on the solution: what can I do to help my startup grow? First, start implementing an Inbound Marketing strategy.
1. Bet on a long-term content strategy
You must understand that there are no shortcuts, this is a long-term bet that companies of any size usually accept. It is a strategy that, although it may take a while to yield results, can reduce many costs in exchange for greater profitability.
- Cost per lead drops by up to 80% when switching to content marketing and generates up to four times more leads for every $1,000 invested over three years.
- Businesses with an active blog generate 434% more indexed pages , 97% more inbound links and 55% more visits than those without one.
- 93% of the most successful businesses are committed to content marketing , 76% use it to nurture leads, and another 73% use it to build customer loyalty.
Keep in mind that you will need to invest time and effort in creating a solid and coherent content strategy that really generates value for consumers. Don't just limit yourself to posts, be creative! You can develop infographics , ebooks , videos , organize webinars . All formats are available to you so you can share what you do best.
inbound marketing what is it
2. Experiment with emerging trends
Don't be intimidated by the big guys in the business, even if you don't believe it, you have one thing in your favor: you can innovate, because you move faster. Many of them may play it safe when creating content, or they may not be very good at retaining clients, or they may simply be too confident in the first place.
As a startup or SME, it is obvious that you cannot spend more than them, but you can think outside the box , innovate or experiment in ways that, perhaps, for them, are very risky or complex strategies to implement. Use the size of your project to your advantage, to be more agile and start to differentiate yourself.
If you create the same content as your competition, what are we talking about? You are a small company, don't follow the flow: forge your own path . You can choose to develop your reputation as an expert on a specific topic by setting the standard in an area, with a different approach than the traditional one and, if you are consistent, leads, consumers and clients will approach you, attracted by the valuable content you are providing. Share what you know, do it differently and prospects will find you!
3. Focus your strategies on growth, then execute
Only 39% of marketers document their content marketing strategy. You may be the exception. It is important to be very clear about what you want to achieve with your content and how to achieve it, and plan your strategy with that in mind. Also, always remember that your content should be targeted to your buyer persona .
To optimize and differentiate yourself even more, build your content around pillar pages or clusters to improve your SEO positioning and user navigation. Don't know what pillar content and clusters are?
Pillar content
It is the content that sustains those who orbit around it and generate traffic for each other. It can be a guide, a post or an ebook on a specific topic , made in such a way that it can be easily understood by any of its readers.
Topic clusters
Organize your content around a “topic” and make sure to relate related topics to each other so that it is much easier for search engines to determine which pages are related and which topics you are an authority on. HubSpot , the quintessential Inbound Marketing software, has a very useful tool for building your clusters around pillar pages.
Keep in mind: more detailed and better structured content generates more shares, links, and, above all, more growth. Include a variety of topics and formats to keep your audience entertained.
4. Create relationships
Connecting with other people within your niche is much more beneficial than you think. There are millions of people online and the vast majority of them are constantly looking for quality content to share with their groups.
You can start building mutually beneficial relationships with publishers and content creators in your niche. This is also a long-term bet that starts with identifying those personalities or websites that have a broad or specialized audience that you want to connect with.
Why-startups-and-SMEs-should-be-using-Inbound-Marketing-0
Leave a comment on their latest post, start a conversation on their social media . Establish a connection without asking for anything in return and in a matter of time they will start sharing your content, generating an ever-widening network of audiences who will recognize your brand.
5. Use technology to work smarter
Find the technological tools and services that simplify your processes so you can focus on growth. Use technological tools to test and measure: run A/B tests, use metrics to optimize your conversion rates , emails, landing pages, content, among others.
Remember that what doesn't work can be improved, but you won't know if you don't measure. Use marketing and sales software that allows you to have all the data in one place and make decisions based on real and fresh information about your business.
Believe me, the best thing about being a startup or growing company is that you can go faster, test, try new routes and, most importantly, do it your way. That's why Inbound Marketing is a methodology that adapts perfectly to your rhythms , but, most importantly, it has all the tools to drive your goal: grow, grow, grow and keep growing.
Table of contents
If you have a small business or a startup, you job seekers database package may think that it is impossible to apply an inbound marketing strategy and compete against the giants of the market. Nothing could be further from the truth. Inbound Marketing is a methodology that can be applied to businesses of any size. Today I will explain why:
At first, you may feel like everything is against you:
- Approximately one-third of businesses do not reach their tenth anniversary.
- 80% of small businesses don't make it to the first year.
But in this first stage of your business , you need to turn the tables and start seeing it from a much more positive perspective. Also, rethink your idea of success and start measuring your indicators . You don't need the pressure of getting the same results as the largest company in your field, focus on setting ambitious but achievable goals and protect yourself against failure by taking strategic actions.
Some of the main reasons why small and medium-sized businesses often fail are lack of market research, lack of planning, poorly executed marketing, or even hasty expansion, among many other things. But let's focus on the solution: what can I do to help my startup grow? First, start implementing an Inbound Marketing strategy.
1. Bet on a long-term content strategy
You must understand that there are no shortcuts, this is a long-term bet that companies of any size usually accept. It is a strategy that, although it may take a while to yield results, can reduce many costs in exchange for greater profitability.
- Cost per lead drops by up to 80% when switching to content marketing and generates up to four times more leads for every $1,000 invested over three years.
- Businesses with an active blog generate 434% more indexed pages , 97% more inbound links and 55% more visits than those without one.
- 93% of the most successful businesses are committed to content marketing , 76% use it to nurture leads, and another 73% use it to build customer loyalty.
Keep in mind that you will need to invest time and effort in creating a solid and coherent content strategy that really generates value for consumers. Don't just limit yourself to posts, be creative! You can develop infographics , ebooks , videos , organize webinars . All formats are available to you so you can share what you do best.
inbound marketing what is it
2. Experiment with emerging trends
Don't be intimidated by the big guys in the business, even if you don't believe it, you have one thing in your favor: you can innovate, because you move faster. Many of them may play it safe when creating content, or they may not be very good at retaining clients, or they may simply be too confident in the first place.
As a startup or SME, it is obvious that you cannot spend more than them, but you can think outside the box , innovate or experiment in ways that, perhaps, for them, are very risky or complex strategies to implement. Use the size of your project to your advantage, to be more agile and start to differentiate yourself.
If you create the same content as your competition, what are we talking about? You are a small company, don't follow the flow: forge your own path . You can choose to develop your reputation as an expert on a specific topic by setting the standard in an area, with a different approach than the traditional one and, if you are consistent, leads, consumers and clients will approach you, attracted by the valuable content you are providing. Share what you know, do it differently and prospects will find you!
3. Focus your strategies on growth, then execute
Only 39% of marketers document their content marketing strategy. You may be the exception. It is important to be very clear about what you want to achieve with your content and how to achieve it, and plan your strategy with that in mind. Also, always remember that your content should be targeted to your buyer persona .
To optimize and differentiate yourself even more, build your content around pillar pages or clusters to improve your SEO positioning and user navigation. Don't know what pillar content and clusters are?
Pillar content
It is the content that sustains those who orbit around it and generate traffic for each other. It can be a guide, a post or an ebook on a specific topic , made in such a way that it can be easily understood by any of its readers.
Topic clusters
Organize your content around a “topic” and make sure to relate related topics to each other so that it is much easier for search engines to determine which pages are related and which topics you are an authority on. HubSpot , the quintessential Inbound Marketing software, has a very useful tool for building your clusters around pillar pages.
Keep in mind: more detailed and better structured content generates more shares, links, and, above all, more growth. Include a variety of topics and formats to keep your audience entertained.
4. Create relationships
Connecting with other people within your niche is much more beneficial than you think. There are millions of people online and the vast majority of them are constantly looking for quality content to share with their groups.
You can start building mutually beneficial relationships with publishers and content creators in your niche. This is also a long-term bet that starts with identifying those personalities or websites that have a broad or specialized audience that you want to connect with.
Why-startups-and-SMEs-should-be-using-Inbound-Marketing-0
Leave a comment on their latest post, start a conversation on their social media . Establish a connection without asking for anything in return and in a matter of time they will start sharing your content, generating an ever-widening network of audiences who will recognize your brand.
5. Use technology to work smarter
Find the technological tools and services that simplify your processes so you can focus on growth. Use technological tools to test and measure: run A/B tests, use metrics to optimize your conversion rates , emails, landing pages, content, among others.
Remember that what doesn't work can be improved, but you won't know if you don't measure. Use marketing and sales software that allows you to have all the data in one place and make decisions based on real and fresh information about your business.
Believe me, the best thing about being a startup or growing company is that you can go faster, test, try new routes and, most importantly, do it your way. That's why Inbound Marketing is a methodology that adapts perfectly to your rhythms , but, most importantly, it has all the tools to drive your goal: grow, grow, grow and keep growing.