Category: Marketing

Today’s consumers are constantly searching for information on the products or services they want. This is why a well-executed inbound marketing campaign can be hugely helpful in increasing sales.

Inbound marketing involves attracting the attention of potential customers by appealing to their needs and sparking interest in your offering. Instead of interrupting them with an intrusive ad, you create value that draws them in and invites them to take the first step with your business.

Want to get started with inbound marketing? Below are some examples of real inbound marketing campaigns that worked well for small businesses.

[Read: 6 Low-Cost Marketing Ideas for Growing Businesses]

YouTube videos

The Slumber Yard creates helpful YouTube videos for its core demographic. COO Matthew Ross said these videos have allowed

Choosing the best channel(s) for content marketing is key in getting people’s attention and ultimately creating brand awareness, building trust and driving sales.

Creating blog posts, infographics, videos, case studies and other types of content takes time and effort, so it’s important to distribute that content on the right platforms so you can maximize your impact. Here’s what small businesses need to know about content distribution platforms.

[Read: A Complete Guide to Content Marketing]

Types of content distribution

Content distribution is broken down into three basic categories: owned, earned and paid.

• Owned: Owned content is distributed to web properties that you control, such as your company blog, social media sites or email newsletters.
• Earned: Content distribution is earned

As a business owner, you understand the importance of positive customer reviews and social media posts about your brand. Consumers want to do business with brands they trust — and reviews are a key element in building trusting relationships.

In fact, 72% of consumers won’t make any moves until they read reviews about a business, and 93% of consumers let reviews about local businesses determine their opinions before trying out the business themselves.

When companies use these positive reviews and social posts in their marketing strategies, that is called user-generated content (UGC) — content created by customers of a brand, for or about that particular brand. Think of it as free advertising via satisfied customers.

[Read: Under Armour Looks to User-Generated

User-generated content, or UGC, refers to any type of content (videos, GIFs, images or text) created by a person rather than a brand. Examples of UGC can be a review left by a happy customer, a picture of your window display posted on Facebook or an Instagram boomerang of a “cheers” toast with your bar’s latest cocktail creation.

Like influencer marketing or word-of-mouth marketing, UGC is extremely compelling content that your brand should be sharing. Research shows that consumers trust UGC 50% more than other types of posts. Here’s how to leverage UGC to grow your business and attract new customers.

[Read more: 3 Expert Strategies for Creating Great Content]

Use a unique hashtag

A hashtag allows your audience to link their

Every business needs new customers to keep growing. That’s why business development is so important: The relationships and value you build through “biz dev” activities like networking and collaborating are what ultimately lead to sales conversations with prospects.

So what business development skills do you need to truly make a difference for your organization? According to small business leaders and marketers, you should focus on improving these traits to generate more leads and build stronger customer relationships.

Negotiating

Negotiation is at the heart of any business deal. Through excellent negotiating, you’re able to get better outcomes for both parties through effective communication, said Lewis Goldstein, president of Blue Wind Marketing.

“Learning to master negotiation will make a major difference