It's almost the end of a short month, but that doesn't mean fewer things have happened in inbound marketing. There are always changes, new tools, and new thoughts to learn about. Here's a roundup of the most important, and the most informative, inbound marketing news from the past month:
The Shift of Inbound Marketing in 2013 - Powered by Search - This isn't another prediction article, which is good because it's kind of late for prediction articles. Inbound marketing and SEO are changing, so it's a matter of changing with it. Primarily, it all has to do with strategy and aligning what you do with business goals, instead of doing it because it's supposed to be good or make you look good. One of the coolest things about this article is that it covers things you shouldn't do in 2013, as some tactics no longer work or don't work as well as they used to.
Inbound Marketing and the New 6-Step Purchase Loop - Impact Branding and Design - Apparently, it's not a purchase or buying funnel anymore. It's a purchase loop, and it's weirder than the purchase funnel. However, this new loop recognizes how complicated the buying process actually is, and better reflects the many decisions a potential buyer can make, and the many ways a consumer could come to a purchasing decision.
8 Big Marketing Campaign Mistakes to Stop Making Now - HubSpot - Marketing campaigns are no longer commercials and direct mail around a new product, but dedicated online marketing around a new lead generation offer. Or, it's marketing with a specific message to generate leads and to close sales. The point is, there's a lot more to a marketing campaign then a decade goals, meaning there are a lot more things that need to be write in order for it to be a success.
What It Costs Not to Implement Inbound Marketing - Business2Community - If you have already implemented inbound marketing, then you know how beneficial it's been to you and what you would lose if you stopped doing inbound marketing. However, if you haven't yet implemented inbound marketing, then this article illustrates the volume of money and leads you are losing each month. The potential is immense.
List of Business/Small Business Blogs that Accept Guest Posts - Guest Blogging Tactics - Even though we don't offer guest posting services, we still think guest posting is a great inbound marketing tactic (if you have the time and resources to do it right). This blog post is a great resource, as its already done some of the legwork in finding excellent website that accept guest posts. Bookmark this immediately.
Colons in Page Titles: A New Ranking Factor? - Gordon Campbell - Colons can be very handy in blog post titles. Using them correctly allows you to create a title that's short, but simple and direct. Colons also make it easier to start your blog title with a keyword, but I don't think the colon itself is a new ranking factor. Colons are usually part of good blog post titles that rank well for their keywords, and colons that are used correctly indicate a good author offering good content. However, the author of this article thinks that colons themselves can be a ranking factor, so perhaps it's something up for debate or something that Google will clarify in a few weeks.
