Marketing Plan Pt. 3: Attract & Retain a Defined Audience [VIDEO]

This is part 3 of our series for marketers creating a marketing plan. Check out part 1: create a defined strategy and part 2: create relevant content.

Marketers Plan Part 3: Attract and Retain a Defined Audience

80% of business decision-makers would rather get company information from a series of articles than from an advertisement, according to the Content Marketing Institute.

According to HubSpot, in 2007, it took 3.68 cold call attempts to get a response. Today, it takes at least 8.  For today’s business people, this doesn’t come as a surprise. But do you know what do be doing instead?

Take a look at why marketing that’s inbound is the way to reach today’s buyers.

Inbound marketing has gained popularity across the globe since its beginnings in the mid 2000’s. The basics of inbound are to attract, convert, nurture, close, and delight an audience that is made up of your ideal buyers. Begin with a sales and marketing strategy that utilizes content.

Recent research shows that 96% of buyers want content with more input from industry thought leaders, rather than content that sells (2016 Content Preferences Survey Report, DemandGen, 2016).

Inbound marketing works best by using content that a prospect wants to download in order to convert, and then keep in contact with, site visitors who are qualified leads.

Your strategic marketing plan should incorporate elements that attract your ideal buyers, such as:

• Designing a customer-centric website
• Implementing a search engine optimization process
• Publishing consistent new, helpful content (such as blogs)
• Creating videos to educate visitors
• Publishing regularly in places like social media and other industry sites

Your plan should also include a clear plan to convert, or retain, your ideal buyers, such as:

• Premium content offers (ebooks, guides, checklists, or templates)
• Landing pages with forms
• Email sequences to grow a lead’s interest
• Call-to-action plans

Start by creating a strategy that clearly lays out your target audience and goals along with a defined, researched content plan to meet them. Then, write, publish, and distribute relevant content. Attract and retain a defined audience using content with inbound marketing principles.  Learn more here, and check back next week for Part 4 - Drive Profitable Consumer Action. 

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