Internet Marketing Course BLOG

“Inbound Marketing – Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs”

By Dave Ingalls
B2B Internet Marketing Consultant
April 21, 2010

“Inbound Marketing – Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs”, by HubSpot founders Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah is THE seminal book on how to use the new concept of “inbound marketing” instead of the classic outbound or “interruption” marketing model to succeed in your online marketing efforts.

In fact, as far as I can tell, Halligan and Shah basically invented the term “Inbound Marketing” when they opened the doors at HubSpot, a marketing software company that helps businesses “get found”, and have now formalized the concept with the release of this book.

Even though the book is a quick read (a little over 200 pages), you’ll find yourself re-reading and “dog-earing” many of the pages!  It’s stuffed with incredible insights and useful tips on how to put those insights to work in your online marketing program today.

I won’t bore you with a section-by-section review of this very useful book. I’ll just leave you with this thought: the next time you buy something, anything really, think about the trusted sources you used to help you make that buying decision, and where YOU found those trusted sources. I’ll bet most if not all of those sources had some online aspect to them, and here’s the KEY point, I’ll bet YOU found them and not the other way around.

My advice – Buy this book Now! Here’s a link to the book on Amazon:

Inbound Marketing – Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs

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Internet Marketing Course Blog
Dave Ingalls
September 27, 2009

We’ve all heard the hype about online Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. And much of the hype is true. But if you’re a small/medium sized company selling your products and/or services online, take my advice about online social media, social marketing, social networking – whatever you want to call it – and start with the basics – let your Customers review your products/services on your Web site.

I don’t know who started online Customer Reviews on their Web site – I’m guessing it was Amazon – at least that’s where I first encountered it when buying books many years ago. Those reviews saved me money and time by helping me find the RIGHT book to buy, and when I purchased the right book, EVERYBODY won! I ended up buying the best, most on-target book for my needs, the author of that book got the sale, and Amazon not only got a sale, they also got a happy Customer (me) who came back again and again for more purchases because I could get many honest opinions of a potential purchase BEFORE I bought it.

And here’s my latest example of why I think online Customer Reviews are the KEY online social media application:

Over the past Summer I was trying to decide what Smart Phone product and wireless plan I would purchase. It was definitely time for me to move on from the “flip phone” era!

Several acquaintances had just purchased the new Apple iPhone 3G and loved it! To get additional Customer opinions, I went to the BestBuy Web site and looked up iPhone 3G phones and plans, then read the Customer reviews (at that time there were well over 100 reviews). The vast majority were very positive about both the iPhone 3G and the 2 year AT&T plan typically purchased with the phone. Because there were so few negative comments, I decided to read them and see what problems iPhone owners had with their purchase. And here’s the first instance where online Customer Reviews helped me with this purchase!

» Continue reading “Customer Reviews Help iPhone Purchase – The REAL Social Media Phenomenon!”

By Tim Parry
Multichannel Merchant
June 11, 2008

Dave’s Comments (Internet Marketing Course Blog): With increasing frequency, online retailers are realizing what Amazon realized (and also invented and implemented) a number of years ago – Amazon gave potential Customers the means to view opinions of existing Customers for a specific product, and since these are the “voices” most trusted by potential Customers, giving them access to this information actually increased sales overall! This short article builds on that idea with several suggestions on how to best implement “Customer Reviews” on your eCommerce Web site.

“Looking to upgrade your e-commerce site to Web 2.0? Even if you think you are behind the curve, Dave Friedman, president of the central region for Avenue A | Razorfish, says you may still need to understand what the buzz is all about.

Speaking Tuesday at Internet Retailer’s Conference and Expo, Friedman reminded the audience that Web 2.0 is more than just a new technology. Rather, Web 2.0 is the “combination of technology and design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and most notably, collaboration among users,” Friedman said, showing a slide of the Web 2.0 entry on Wikipedia.

“Because it’s technology-enabled, Web 2.0 gives users a much broader community in which they interact,” Friedman said. “People with similar interests, literally around the world, can share product experiences, brand experiences, and experiences with different retailers.”

And the stats show why Web 2.0 is important. Nielsen recently released a study that showed 78% of consumers were most influenced by word of mouth when making a buying decision. A Luxury Institute survey showed that 84% of consumers who make more than $150,000 a year use ratings and review sites to find out about products prior to purchase.

But just because you bring Web 2.0 into your e-commerce mix doesn’t mean you can sit back and bask in the success. Friedman listed four things every retailer needs to effectively harness Web 2.0.”

Read the entire article by clicking on this link:

Four Ways to Harness Web 2.0

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