Inbound Marketing Levels the Playing Field for Small Businesses

Auckland, NZ, April 4, 2016 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​The time has come for businesses with tight budgets to turn their approach to marketing on its head - they need to focus their efforts first on getting found.

Paid advertising is increasingly expensive due to diversification and fragmentation of media channels and the rise of ad-blocking and spam filters. In 2015, $22 billion in revenue was affected by Ad Blocking, and this year that number will almost double. 

"One of our main objectives at Get Noticed! is to equip small business owners with the new skill-set they now need to compete successfully using Inbound Marketing.​"

Maria Koppens, Managing Consultant

In New Zealand, 97% of businesses have fewer than 20 employees. Marketing has always been a challenge for small businesses. Traditional 'push' marketing is eroded in a world where people are bombarded by more than 2000 marketing messages per day. 

This April Get Noticed! launched a new Content Marketing Service for Small Businesses in Auckland. One key objective is to help equip small business owners with the new skill-set they now need to compete successfully using Inbound Marketing.​

What is Inbound Marketing?
Inbound Marketing is focused on 'getting found' by customers. Tactics include: 

• Content marketing - blogging, video, news articles, copywriting
• Search engine marketing (SEO) 
• Social media marketing
• Community engagement and customer service
• External traffic referrals and link building
• Email marketing
• Conversion rate optimisation

Inbound Marketing is an Ecosystem
You can't build links for SEO without content to point them to, and you can't engage with a community without first building it through social media marketing. Site speed and page design are as important for web design as SEO, and even brand marketing is no longer 'traditional', now that search engines are invested in brand authority as a quality signal. 

The objective of Inbound Marketing is to create an ongoing dialogue between the brand and the customer, on the customer's terms. The emphasis is on personalisation and relevance, and the continued use of targeted content to retain customers. 

The Key Components of Inbound Marketing
1) Content
Helpful and engaging content is the backbone of any successful inbound marketing program. It provides the solution to a problem and is the tool that attracts potential customers. Blogging is a great way to build your brand, establish thought leadership, engage prospects over time and retain existing customers. Great content will impact SEO through organic sharing and distribution. 

2) Search Engine Optimisation
Research shows that 93% of buying cycles now start with an online search. As search engine algorithms evolve, they increasingly favour high-quality, unique content. Content marketers need to optimise for standard ranking factors like keywords and user experience. Creating a great user experience will also impact SEO through organic sharing and distribution.

3) Social Media
Sites and networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram and forums are conduits to prospective customers. They provide a vehicle for the organic distribution of content and are a source of website traffic.

It’s Time to Transform your Marketing
With the technology and tools that have become mainstream in the last decade, Marketing is seeing a shift on emphasis from Paid advertising to Owned, Earned and Shared media. When consumers connect with a story, they listen and remember. In this new paradigm, marketers need to develop a consistent point of view and tell better, more meaningful stories about their brand. 

Acquiring the new skill-set required for Inbound Marketing can be daunting for a time-poor business owner. However, for a small business with a great product and the skills to communicate effectively with customers this new approach to attracting and retaining customers is both exciting and empowering.