9 years ago
January 4, 2015

How to Use Inbound Marketing to Sell More

Traditional sales tactics are no longer effective. Here’s how to use inbound marketing to sell more.

Rhys Metler

The purpose of inbound marketing is to drive relevant buyers to your company website using quality content. Sales reps nurture qualified sales leads and convert them to sales. The internet has changed the way we buy. Traditional sales tactics are no longer effective. Here’s how to use inbound marketing to sell more.

Step #1: Educate your sales team.

Stop wasting your valuable time sending unsolicited emails and making unwanted cold calls. These ancient sales tactics are ineffective and time consuming. Stop compiling lists, making cold calls, and yielding poor sales results. Cold calls rarely lead to a sale. Inbound marketing will increase your sales team’s productivity significantly. Educate your sales team on the inbound methodology and get everyone on the same page.

Step #2: Get your sales team involved.

Your sales team will need to adapt to inbound marketing in order to survive in today’s competitive market. Encourage your sales and marketing teams to work together. Create a cohesive inbound marketing strategy. Identify your buyer personas and align your sales and marketing plans with the ideal customer in mind. Create content that will appeal to them and share it via social media platforms they are using. The goal is to attract as many relevant people to your site as possible. Once they show interest, your sales team needs to be ready to guide them the rest of the way toward the final buying decision. Once you map out a strategic plan with your sales and marketing teams, everyone will understand his/her role and responsibilities regarding the inbound marketing campaign.

Step #3: Embrace content marketing.

Consumers don’t want to hear from annoying sales people who work for a company they’ve never heard of, pitching products they don’t care about. The internet is changing the way we buy. Consumers want to research and discover products and services on their own. Create a company blog so your sales and marketing teams have a place to share fresh, new content regularly. Use relevant keywords on your website, in your blog titles, and throughout your blog posts in order to attract people who are searching these keywords using search engines and social media. You want to attract the right people to your site, captivate them with valuable content, and invite them to take the next step in the buying process with calls to action. By the time your sales people get in touch with prospects, they are already interested in your product/service and company. 

Step #4: Use social media.

An important part of inbound marketing is social media. Your company should have an active presence on all major social media platforms, and your sales reps should have professional profiles as well where they can perpetuate the content sharing to increase visibility. Social media allows existing customers and prospects to connect directly with your sales team. Take this opportunity to engage with consumers, answer questions, study the competition, participate in discussions, learn about your buyers’ needs, and share useful information. Make connections, build relationships, gain trust and credibility. Position yourself as an industry expert and thought leader.

Implement inbound marketing to sell more. Consumers don’t respond well to unsolicited sales pitches. They are turning to the internet for all of their buying needs. You need to educate your sales team, get your sales and marketing teams working together, embrace content marketing, and use social media. If the thought of implementing inbound marketing overwhelms you, consider engaging an expert. An inbound marketing professional will bring your company up to speed, get those qualified sales leads rolling in, and increase your sales. In today’s day and age, you can’t afford to fall behind. 

Rhys Metler

Rhys is a tenacious, top performing Senior Sales Recruiter with 15+ years of focused experience in the Digital Media, Mobile, Software, Technology and B2B verticals. He has a successful track record of headhunting top performing sales candidates for some of the most exciting brands in North America. He is a Certified Recruitment Specialist (CRS) and has expert experience in prospecting new business, client retention/renewals and managing top performing sales and recruitment teams. Rhys enjoys spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughters, BBQing on a hot summer day and tropical vacations.

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