Inbound Marketing Strategies - Mid-Size Company vs SMB

As opposed to mid-size companies, small to medium sized businesses have special needs that must be met.  Putting your business in front of an expansive targeted audience even though you are not the size of the "big boys" can be particularly challenging.  On the internet, every business can be equal regardless of size. Today there are inbound marketing strategies that are effective even for those SMB's and mom & pop operations.

Inbound marketing strategies prevent the dreaded "cold calling"

Unlike outbound marketing which is mostly focused on trying to warm up cold leads to your product or service, inbound marketing brings leads that are already qualified to your sales funnel, so you are exposing your products/service to those with a real need or interest.

With traditional marketing methods companies would often try to attract traffic - any traffic - which makes the process of generating qualified leads or buyers a very difficult proposition.  In the past, outbound marketing and other strategies simply spread a message that often fell on "random" ears, rather than warm leads that are already in need of what you have to offer.

How can SMB's use inbound marketing strategies?

Mid-size companies often have an entire marketing team working on various aspects of promotion and marketing, but SMB's are typically too small to bring out the big guns when it comes to promoting their goods and services.  Inbound marketing strategies have changed all of this; now, your small to medium size business can stand apart even against larger competitors.

Blogging, webinars, search engine optimization techniques and social media interaction are some of the basics of this method of marketing, and can bring droves of targeted traffic to your website.  Considering the state of the economy and tight advertising budgets, these tactics are relatively inexpensive but deliver huge impact for the effort.

A blog provides tremendous benefits for your business.  When you provide fresh, useful content that benefits your target audience, not only will you rise in the organic or "natural" search engine results others will link to your content because of the value it offers.

Exceptional content is key in inbound marketing, as content that is not the "same old thing" found at your competitors' sites will engage your visitor and bring targeted leads in to your sales process.

Additional inbound marketing strategies to consider

To put your SMB out front and center there are other strategies that should be considered.  Webinars, free e-books and reports and micro-sites will put your product/service in front of additional warm leads; social networking allows you to get involved in the discussion, offering your knowledge so that others see the benefits of your offer.

In summary, the strategies used in this method of marketing engage potential customers by attracting their interest through valuable, compelling content, thereby converting them gently in a gradual way as they continue to learn more about your products/services while you continue to build their trust in your company.  For additional inbound marketing help feel free to download our Inbound Marketing Blueprint.

Photo credit:  FindYourSearch