In this day and age, people spend a lot of time on the Internet. Every day our lives become more and more dependent on it. That is why online marketing for your Green Industry business is a must. In fact, even if you haven’t created any web content for your business, chances are people can still find something on your business through reviews and comments from your previous clients. If the only thing people can find on your business is a few bad or mediocre reviews, then the reputation you’ve worked so hard to earn might not be accurately represented online, and potential customers might be turned away.
In this article, you’ll learn how to execute some of the most effective green industry marketing tactics and manage your business’s online reputation at the same time. The main idea is to utilize the internet to help people (specifically people who may be interested in your services) by providing valuable content. Improving people’s opinions and attitudes toward your business, attracting customers, and increasing your profits are all secondary benefits of inbound marketing. According to www.hubspot.com, inbound marketing is widely accepted as the most effective way of promoting business online. For a thorough description of inbound marketing, check out this HubSpot page http://www.hubspot.com/inbound-marketing. For some simple tips specific to inbound marketing for green industry businesses, read on!
1. Create Content - Lots of it!
Its simple, the more content you have online, the better your chances of people discovering your business. Create a website with plenty of information on your business, utilize social media and be sure to include lots of pictures of your work, make helpful blog posts, and always be looking for new ways to increase content on your business online. It will be worth the time. Remember, while more content is a good thing, it should also serve a valuable purpose to potential clients. So your goal should be to make a lot of valuable, trustworthy content.
For more information on how maximize the value of your online content, see /field-service-software-blog/small-business-tips-how-to-boost-your-online-content
2. Understand your buyers' buying life cycle, and then map that to content
A “buying life cycle” is the idea in marketing that people go through stages as buyers of your product or service. Here are the stages of the buying , according to www.HubSpot.com:
1.) Strangers - Buyers begin the life cycle as strangers - unaware of your product or service.
2.) Visitors - After these strangers hear about your product or service, the second stage begins and they become visitors.
3.) Leads – Leads are visitors who have a potential interest in your product or service.
4.) Customers – Customers are buyers of your product or service
5.) Promoters – Promoters are satisfied customers who will recommend your business.
Sounds simple, right? Well if you understand this life cycle and create online content aimed at each stage, this simple concept can be very useful when marketing your green industry business. For help getting started, check out /field-service-software-blog/how-to-generate-leads-for-your-green-industry-business-on-facebook for ideas on how to create content that will turn strangers into visitors.
3. Personalize your communication with customers and leads
Chances are most of your customers already receive plenty of generic emails and other kinds of automated communication from other companies and services they've used, and they don't want any more of it. A good way to make sure any well-intentioned communication between you and your customers and leads is successful is to personalize it. This means understand your customers and leads - especially their needs - and create communication that helps satisfy those needs. For more on effective communication between you and your customers, see /field-service-software-blog/bid/338230/Small-Business-Marketing-5-Questions-to-Ask-When-Sending-Direct-Mail.
4. Build a multi-channel approach - Find people in the channel where they want to interact with you
This also requires you that you understand your customers. When you're creating online content, think of not only the demographics of your customers, but also which stage in the buying lifecycle you expect them to be in when they see it. Ask yourself - which marketing tactic is most appropriate for each stage? A social media page that engages with customers and prospects and shows off your best work would be a good option for the earlier stages of the cycle, while emails would work better for turning leads into customers.
5. Make Marketing People Love - Don't interrupt their day, enhance their day
Pay attention to all of the advertisements and marketing techniques you encounter every day. Which ones do you think are most effective? An intrusive, annoying advertisement might get people's attention, but it can also be counteractive to the intent of the advertisement: to attract business. Inbound marketing is all about creating useful content for people - promoting business should only be a secondary (but effective) objective. It should focus on providing valuable information for people.
Remember:
Quality over quantity - Quality and quantity - they are both important to keep in mind for effective inbound marketing.
Useful information for targeted customers is valuable as marketing material and PR for your business.
For more marketing tips for your green industry business, download our free ebook!
