Pull Marketing Blog

Inbound Marketing Book Report: top 3 Takeaways

This weekend I finished reading Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah’s book Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs as part of my first set of objectives here at PNP. As inbound marketing practitioners, there were some valuable pearls of wisdom to glean from the book.

The book is a great primer for business owners or marketers who are not digital natives to get a sense of the landscape of inbound marketing. It neatly outlines the tools – On and Off Page SEO, Blogging & RSS, Social Media – and basic implementation methodology that you need to know to attain baseline proficiency in this arena.

Here are 3 good takeaways you can use in your marketing, to which I've added something relevant that's changed the picture since the book's publication:

Being #1 overall in Google searches really matters

From p. 58, describing Google search results for any term: ‘A recent study show that Google’s first page captures over 89% of the traffic… Even within the first page, the traffic is not spread evenly – the top ranked result (number one on the first page) captures about 42% of the traffic.’ I didn't know how much more traffic #1 gets than #2 in a search.

But now... There’s another variable in this picture now, too: Google Caffeine. Search results are now influenced by an increasingly complex set of factors, including the searchers' location, search history, and social media network. It’s still important to do as much as you can to be close to the top for your important keywords, but while you may be #1 for a searcher in Boston, you may not be for the same term by a searcher in San Francisco.

Takeaway: chasing the top slot if you are number 2 or 3 could result in a big traffic bump and it’s worth the effort to pursue the top slot. But pay attention also to your local search results in important locales.

Answer questions on LinkedIn Answers – and now, Facebook Questions

I've looked at LinkedIn as an online resume which may one day have value, and simply accept that as the default professional networking site, it is essential to maintain an updated profile. I try to keep my profile active by updating it with tweets.

But I have never answered a question on LinkedIn answers, which the book suggests as a good way to establish some thought leadership within the community and a next level step to get more value out of LinkedIn.

But now... Facebook has rolled out a version of questions recently, this is another place where it’ll be worth spending some time to get more value than just simple networking from these sites.

Takeaway: Visit LinkedIn Answers and Facebook Questions, subscribe to some topical interests, and ask and answer some questions. I plan to make this part of my daily morning check up online, and maybe you should too!

Test multiple Landing Page designs and copy

I have some landing pages to work on for our website, and having read the book, I plan to A/B test a couple of different landing pages. Best practices dictate having an eye popping graphic, a simple and easy to complete form, and no other links to divert your potential customers’ attention elsewhere.

But now... Companies are continually having to compete on more and more specific niches. If you are dedicated to a single specific product or service, consider adding a landing page to your home page. Test your conversion rate, which means that as many visitors to your landing page as possible are actually filling out your form. I learned that 15% is a base target for conversions on your landing page, and 50% is excellent. Try a couple of different designs and see if your conversion ratios improve.

Takeaway: Test new landing pages for your campaigns, and consider slapping a compelling form on your home page if you are a niche service.

What are your favorite internet or marketing ‘must read’ books?

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