Summer may be the time for vacations, but taking time off from continuing your inbound marketing efforts “could be the kiss of death,” warns Debra Murphy, president of Masterful Marketing. “Even if you are busy now, consistently executing your inbound marketing is essential to keep your pipeline full of prospects,” she says. The following tips can help you keep your inbound marketing flowing even when you’re on the beach, and ensure you’re ready for September’s increase in activity:

Plan ahead: “If you have a content plan, create your content for a month in advance,” Murphy advises. “Write your e-mail newsletter and a month’s worth of blog posts and set the schedule to cover your time away so your subscribers never miss a beat.”

Automate: Although you probably can’t schedule a month of tweets or Facebook posts, you certainly can schedule several days worth when you are off getting rejuvenated, Murphy notes. “Scan your blog feeds a couple of evenings a week for content your audience will like and use Buffer or HootSuite to schedule them to go out at the most appropriate times for your target audience,” she suggests.

Get temporary help: “Offload tasks to others by hiring quality help through Elance,” says Murphy. “Elance makes it easy to find quality freelancers that can help you with your marketing activities.”

Evaluate your web presence: “Take advantage of this less crazy time and do a web presence analysis,” Murphy advises. “If your [organization] is not visible for your top keywords, put a plan in place to update the third component of inbound marketing, your search engine optimization. Include a review of your web content, looking for places that can be rewritten for specific keywords.”

Review your service offerings: Murphy suggests that if your business slows down this time of year, use the extra time to review your service offerings, add a new service or expand your existing services to provide more value. “Kick back on your deck with your tablet and use Evernote to start jotting down ideas,” she offers.

Support mobile: “Your customers and prospects are also taking time off, but that doesn’t mean they are disconnected,” declares Murphy. “Make sure your e-mail marketing and website supports mobile devices. While on vacation, I see many people on their tablets, checking e-mail and staying in touch. If your website isn’t easy to use with a table or smart phone, you could be driving your prospects and customers to your competition.”

Source: Business 2 Community

Posted July 17th, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing

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