SEO, blogging, PPC, landing pages, social media, video — All are important tools. But, don’t forget to find and help the potential leads who are already on the web looking for help!

Recently, I found a post on a forum that was about some of the key software tools I use — Hubspot and Infusionsoft. So, I looked up the woman who wrote the post and called to see how it was all working for her. Really, I was just curious about her business and what she was doing.

But, it turned out that she had some challenges I could help with, and my casual, curiosity phone call turned into a sales call!

Sales is all about connecting with people that you can help. So, don’t forget that “listening” to the web is part of inbound marketing, too. It’s not all about writing content. Make sure you spend some of your marketing time:

• Commenting on blog posts
• Surfing the posts on relevant forums
• Searching on Twitter
• Just being curious and open to connections

Clarke Bishop Inbound Marketing, Marketing

Hubspot and Marketing Profs have created a nice overview on how to blog effectively for business. See more videos and education on Inbound Marketing …

Key ideas in this video include:

• Know your audience, their needs, problems, and pain.
• Develop a persona that represents your audience. Here’s more on How to Create Personas.
• Be the Expert for solving your audience’s problems.
• Ask for comments in your blog post & start a conversation.
• Use social networks to listen and see what people want to talk about.

Professors: Ann Handley & Mack Collier, MarketingProfs

How to Blog Effectively for Business (GF101)

Clarke Bishop Inbound Marketing, Marketing Hubspot