We just released our Inbound Marketer's Handbook, a free download for small businesses. This is our first example of "making a splash", providing real, valuable content with no charge or other obligation. It's a key component of Inbound Marketing.
Once you have gotten your personal brand going with lots of blogs, friends, connections and blogs, it's time to take your campaign to the next level. Think of a block party or street festival. What can you do that will ignite your network and boost your standing to a new level? Create a great landing page for your event or announcement and promote it using the same tactics as your blog. Here are some other splashy ideas:
- Host a "tweet-up" in your area. A Tweet-up is a real-world get-together of people who connect via Twitter. Make it fun. Give your tweet-up a theme and invite a well-known speaker. Invite everybody via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also list your Tweetup in @tweetup, the Tweetups.org directory.
- Start a social media users group in your area and have regular meetings. Invite guest speakers and ask for volunteers to provide refreshments and equipment if needed. You can use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to promote your group.
- Offer something valuable at a large discount, or better yet, for free. People are always looking for great deals. Our Inbound Marketer's Handbook is a case in point. We are offering it for free as a part of our Inbound Marketing campaign.
- Be the first to announce something exciting. If you are opening a new branch or facility, launching a new service or starting up a new community, let the world know via Inbound Marketing. This will create lots of buzz.
Don't forget to promote your splash via your blog, social media sites, e-mail marketing to friends and customers or traditional advertising and marketing. Anything you can do to let the public know. That will raise your profile, your personal brand, your Web site traffic and ultimately, your business performance.
