I was recently doing some research on local companies – local to us in Kansas City, that is – that were involved in internet marketing strategies.  Ok, truth be told, I was looking at our competition to see what they offered, how we differed, and what “holes” were left out there that our particular flavor of inbound marketing can fill.

I learned something very interesting.  There are a lot of companies out there that have developed a very good, very successful plan for internet marketing.  One in particular has developed a very impressive radar that compiles all of the social media conversations going on around a certain topic.  It is extremely fast and extremely comprehensive.  I immediately saw the value in this tool.  In fact, I was plain impressed.

However, I noticed something missing.  Once all of that extremely valuable information was collected, I saw no plan of action to use it.  This particular tool leaves that to the customer.  So what if you have the ability to see that your competitor is lacking in a certain area – and it just happens to be the area that you excel in?  What next?

This is where I get really excited about inbound marketing – using internet marketing strategies to DRIVE traffic directly to you.  But equally important, to move potential customers through the sales funnel by giving them valuable content (maybe even what used to be regarded as your trade secrets?), finding out more about their needs through the offers they request, and tailoring your conversation with them to suit their very needs.  You build trust, loyalty and authority as you interact with these potential clients.

So, the take-away? Don’t stop at the latest, flashiest promise out there to get you all of the information you could ever want on those who are needing your services or product.  You need to be able to build a relationship with those “seekers” before they turn into more than just a visit to your website.