Move over, traditional marketing, there’s a new sheriff in town 🤠 and they’re completely dominating the marketing landscape. Inbound marketing has been on top for a while now, and it continues to prove its value and prowess. From drawing in customers more effectively (and more inexpensively) to increasing authority in a market, brands which learn how to (actually) master inbound marketing are the ones who are winning today, and future-proofing their organizations. Because of how critical inbound marketing is for success across the board, many businesses are turning to inbound marketing agencies to handle this mission-critical task.
What is inbound marketing, and why does it usually take a skillful inbound marketing agency to get it right for most businesses? On the surface, this method refers to marketing techniques which attract customers to a brand by creating valuable content. Instead of using traditional ads and sales techniques, inbound marketing might instead look like a blog post that answers a question about a topic in your industry, and which lives on the first page of Google.
Inbound marketing throws many of the “old school” marketing practices and processes out of the window, and it’s built on a new (and highly technical) playbook. That’s because in order for inbound marketing to help your business reach its biggest, loftiest goals, it needs to be approached methodically and aggressively.
This means there needs to be a comprehensive content strategy in play, which is built on technical SEO, and that content needs to be crafted with brand authority, buyer intent, and search engine friendliness in mind.
Conceptualizing and completing this on a continuous basis is a big lift for most organizations, and instead of hiring, training, and managing a team for this, inbound marketing agencies can take care of everything. Here’s everything you need to know about inbound marketing agencies, and our recs for the best agencies in the game right now.
Is Inbound Marketing “All That?”
Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room: is inbound marketing really worth all of the hoopla? In an increasingly digital sales landscape, B2B businesses need digital marketing tactics that consistently convert to paying customers, and which help them break through the noise of the competition.
Given the nature of today’s business landscape, and the digital tools at our disposal, inbound marketing is the one marketing avenue that really makes sense.
Data tells us that content marketing can save companies up to 62% more, while bringing in three times more leads than traditional marketing. When it comes specifically to content marketing, companies that post upwards of 16 blogs per month get 4.5x more leads than companies that post less than four blogs per month.
While those metrics matter, this might just be the kicker: when it comes to making big business decisions, inbound marketing performs outstandingly. Studies show that 80% of decision makers in a business prefer to get information about a company through a series of articles, instead of through an ad.
So not only does inbound marketing cost less and lead to more leads, customers actually prefer it. And while it’s possible to handle it in-house, it takes far more than just one or two nice blog posts to actually reap the rewards. That’s why many businesses turn to the leading inbound marketing agencies.
What Are the Perks of Inbound Marketing Agencies?
When you partner with one of the top-tier inbound marketing agencies, you’re not just getting a few content writers. Instead, you’re getting a small army of content managers, social media specialists, and keyword gurus, who handle everything from concept to completion.
The benefits of working with inbound marketing agencies include:
Benefit #1: They step into your shoes
When you partner with inbound marketing agencies, you’re not “outsourcing.” Instead, you’re getting a perfect-fit partner, who works as if they’re on your team. This means they’ll first work to deeply understand your company and your brand, along with its voice, vision, and goals. Then, strategists dive into your target customers, and tirelessly research to uncover your most profitable opportunities.
Specifically, your inbound marketing agency might conduct intent-based keyword research, competitor analysis, content audits, technical SEO strategy and audits, and more.
Benefit #2: They leverage technical expertise
Inbound marketing agencies don’t just throw stuff at the wall to see what sticks. They use their advanced, technical expertise in marketing to overhaul your brand’s online presence, and to make sure your customers can actually find your content online. This means using vast search engine expertise to do things like optimize your current site (and any blog posts you might have), fix code-level technical errors, and create bottom of the funnel (BOFU) keyword targeting solutions pages.
Benefit #3: Content is connected to your buyer’s journey
We talk about the buyer’s journey a lot here at RevenueZen, because we see firsthand how a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy will hold your content back. Instead, content needs to be created which greets customers where they actually are. For example, are they only just becoming aware they have a pain point, and are researching different solutions? Or are they comparing different brands, ready to press “Buy Now” with a credit card in hand? As you can likely imagine, customers at these stages are going to need very different content.
Benefit #4: They execute an aggressive, comprehensive strategy
While inbound marketing can be powerful, it can’t be approached in a “set it and forget it” fashion. It takes consistent, frequent posting, monitoring, and optimizing, in order for an inbound marketing strategy to actually move the needle, and that’s exactly what your inbound marketing agency will do. They’ll direct content writers to craft winning copy, will oversee the edits and refinements, and can even manage your posting.
Benefit #5: They work with metrics and data
Inbound marketing is completely data-driven, and your partner agency will use these metrics to monitor your progress, keep you posted on how things are going, and switch up the strategy as needed. You’ll even receive regular reports and updates, so you can see firsthand what the data reveals about the work that’s being done.
Break It Down for Me: What Does an Inbound Marketing Agency Do?
Still not sure if an inbound marketing agency is something your business needs? Here are just a few of the things you can expect inbound marketing agencies to do.
- Expect them to start with extensive research
Before even thinking of content production, an inbound marketing agency is going to always start with thorough research. They’ll find out what intent-based keywords your customers are actually searching, dissect your brand and its goals, and will even analyze your competition, so your content is able to break through the ranks.
- They’ll create a tailored strategy
Inbound marketing requires a custom, tailored approach, for each and every business. That’s why your inbound marketing agency will create a custom strategy that ensures content is being created which delivers on your business goals and is connected to your buyer’s journey. Critically, this strategy won’t just focus on blog posts (although that’ll definitely be part of it). White papers, free tools, guides, downloads, videos, infographics, and even solutions pages for your products might be in the pipeline.
- They fill in the gaps in your current approach
You probably already have plenty of content on the web, but it likely needs to be spruced up a bit, in order to successfully contribute to your pipeline. Your inbound marketing agency will do things like update title tags, improve website load performance, optimize website URL structure, create solutions pages for bottom of the funnel keywords, and fix any technical errors.
- They’ll turn to time-tested marketing techniques
While certain marketing practices might have gone the way of the dinosaur, inbound marketing is still rooted in tried-and-true marketing techniques. This means you’ll have marketing pros on your team who have cut their teeth in many realms of marketing, and who bring a wealth of expertise to the table.
- When things are working, they hit the gas
Once your foundations are built out and optimized, the focus of your inbound marketing agency will shift to scaling performance. This might involve high-quality content production, building links and creating partnerships to boost your domain authority, and strategy consultations. At more advanced stages, your partner agency will take steps to refine their approach. This might include working with you to identify how well these MQLs convert into SQLS, talk through your new sales cycle, and look for ways to further qualify leads.
Our Recs: The Best Inbound Marketing Agencies Around
When it comes to choosing which inbound marketing agency to partner with, it’s a big decision for your business. Not only does it involve time, energy, and investment 💸it also will dictate the way your brand is represented, and what type of content is created around your brand. That’s why choosing a one-to-one fit inbound marketing agency which helps you meet your business goals matters.
Here’s our list of the best inbound marketing agencies around right now.
1. RevenueZen
It’s me, hi.
Yes, we’re kicking off this list with ourselves, because we’re darn proud of the work that we’re able to do for our clients. We move some pretty serious mountains when it comes to organic-sourced revenue, and we typically help B2B brands break their own records for organic-sourced revenue growth in 16 months.
When we say we eat and breathe inbound marketing, we mean it. We have a team roster full of some of the most talented, skillful, and downright dedicated inbound marketing experts that you’ll find anywhere. Our inbound marketing strategies start with extensive research, are steered by data-driven techniques, and our plan of attack is precise.
At the end of the day, our inbound marketing services will help you attract qualified prospects and build long-term brand credibility, establishing your company as the company to do business with. Just take a look at our track record. We’ve deployed our inbound marketing tactics on our own brand (which is likely why you’re even here), and we now rank in the top 10 for some of the most competitive terms in our own industry, including:
- “B2B inbound marketing”
- “SaaS technical SEO”
- “B2B SEO services”
- “B2B SEO agency”
- “How to post on LinkedIn”
- “B2B SEO agencies”
- “SaaS website best practices”
Now that you know a bit about us, meet some of the other agencies out there. We have no problem sharing this list, because one of our biggest drivers is working with people and brands who are an excellent fit for us. And we never shy away from a little bit of competition.
2. Hive Strategy
Hive Strategy says that “content isn’t king. Content + experience is king.” They also say that their “inbound marketing campaigns are developed through thorough strategy, flawless execution, and unwavering analysis and adjustments.” They focus on strategy, execution, and analysis.
3. Thought Leader Systems
Thought Leader Systems says they are a full-service digital marketing agency, and that they provide inbound marketing services. They say inbound marketing can get your company “more traffic, leads and deals,” and that it’ll “increase your marketing ROI.”
4. Single Grain
Single Grain says they specialize in inbound marketing, specifically content marketing. Their approach consists of content marketing strategy planning & execution, campaign tracking and monitoring, SEO, and competitor analysis.
5. Loop Digital
Loop Digital is an inbound marketing agency, which says they’re an “affordable, full marketing solution for your business. They say you’ll “generate sustainable business growth with the power of [their] inbound marketing services.”
Inbound Marketing is Your New Secret Sauce. Let Us Dish it Out.
Inbound marketing is a powerful, game-changing tool, which has the power to transform the way your customers find your brand, and how you close deals. But in order for inbound marketing to work the way you want it to, you either need to go full-steam ahead in-house, or bring in some experts to handle it for you. If the second option is you, we should talk.
If you consider yourself an expert in your space, you want to be the ultimate go-to authority figure, and your current blog just isn’t leading to an increase in organic traffic or engagement, let us take it from here. Our inbound marketing techniques will let you close faster, will solidify your brand as the authority, and will leave you will a consistent stream of leads.
Contact us today to find out more.
