<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11fb2a25b17accd6c70d_651d3d49a38bc3a600ddd1cb_636e7b8e4a3e3cfc657d74bc_Event%252520Headers%252520-%252520August%252520and%252520September%252520(12)%252520(1)%252520(1)%252520(1)%252520(1)%252520(1)%252520(1).png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Growth</span> <h1 class="gn-title">Round-up: Investing in Inbound with Incisive Edge and Dark Horse</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>11 November 2022</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>5 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">In response to <a href="https://leadgenerationinstitute.com/what-channels-should-the-b2b-industry-use-to-generate-leads/" target="_blank"><strong>a recent survey by Lead Generation Institute</strong></a>, 80% of marketers considered their current lead gen efforts to be only <strong>slightly or somewhat effective</strong>. The survey also found that 68% of B2B marketing professionals state that <strong>increasing the number of qualified leads</strong> is their top priority.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">In our latest workshop – 'Investing in Inbound – A Consolidated Approach to your Lead Generation', experts <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-karellen-66047438/" target="_blank"><strong>Dave Karellen</strong></a>, Head of PPC at <a href="https://darkhorse.co/" target="_blank"><strong>Dark Horse</strong></a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliapaynemarketingfortechcompanies/" target="_blank"><strong>Julia Payne</strong></a>, CEO of <a href="https://www.incisive-edge.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Incisive Edge</strong></a> discuss <strong>what goes into a full funnel lead generation</strong> effort including how to avoid common mistakes, the shared threads across channels, <strong>how to prioritise the right metrics</strong>, and ultimately <strong>how to drive more valuable learnings</strong> from your inbound strategy.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Read our key learnings from the session below, or watch the full workshop recording <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/resources/investing-in-inbound-a-consolidated-approach-to-your-lead-generation-strategy" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a>.</p> <div class="gn-stats gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">80<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">of marketers considered their current lead gen efforts only slightly or somewhat effective.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">68<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">of B2B marketing professionals say increasing qualified leads is their top priority.</span></div> </div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>The 5 Building Blocks of an Effective Inbound Strategy</h2> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Julia</strong> shares the common building blocks that businesses need to gain a more holistic perspective of their key focus areas and have an effective performance across any inbound effort – regardless of channel.</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11fb2a25b17accd6c6ae_636e81e449cf12ab8d370688_Webinar%2520-%2520Quotes%2520(1).png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Julia Payne, CEO of Incisive Edge, outlines the five building blocks of an effective inbound strategy.</figcaption> </figure> <h3 class="gn-reveal">#1 – Establish your Ideal Client Profile and Buyer Personas</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">For any B2B organisation aiming to implement an effective inbound strategy, the first step is defining your Ideal Client Profile (ICP). This allows you to <strong>understand the institutional needs of that target market and tailor your marketing strategies</strong> to maximise the opportunities for conversion.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"We always try and do buyer personas on the page so your team will actually use them, and we've seen from the sublime to the ridiculous, as in the buyer personas from like a two liner to a 24 pager is but you need to make them practical, so everybody's bought in."<cite>Julia Payne · CEO, Incisive Edge</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/the-5-ws-of-a-strong-account-based-marketing-strategy" target="_blank"><em>View our article on The 5 W's of a Strong Account-Based Marketing Strategy</em></a></p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">#2 – Understand the Customer Journey of your Buyer Personas</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Once you have established the buyer persons, ask yourself – <strong>what are the stages that they go through when they have made a buying or purchasing decision?</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"One of the mistakes that we often see is people trying to shoehorn their target audience into their sales process and that doesn't work as effectively. For example, if someone's never been to your site before, and the first visible call to action is a demo, it's unlikely they will take it. Therefore, it's important to <strong>understand that buying journey so you can marry up relevant channels with the customer journey</strong>."<cite>Julia Payne · CEO, Incisive Edge</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">#3 – Have a Clear Value Proposition</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">A clearly defined value proposition does not only improve the quantity of customers engaging with your brand but also <strong>improves the quality of prospective leads by appealing to your ideal consumer</strong>, this in turns means a higher chance of conversion.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"We often go on a website and see a logo, image or tagline yet we can't tell what that company actually does. Achieving a clearly defined value proposition is far more than just a tagline. When budgets are limited as they are for most brands in this current climate, you need to be really front and centre about the value you actually deliver not just the features and benefits of your business."<cite>Julia Payne · CEO, Incisive Edge</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/quality-over-quantity-investing-in-the-value-of-your-inbound-leads" target="_blank"><em>Quick read: Quality over Quantity – Improving the Value of your Inbound Leads</em></a></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Questions to ask yourself when determining a clear position in the market:</strong></p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Determining a clear position in the market</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Are you going head-to-head with the market leader?</strong></li> <li><strong>Are you focusing on a segment or sub segments?</strong></li> <li><strong>Can you be a big fish in a small pond?</strong></li> <li><strong>Are you in fact creating a whole new market?</strong></li> </ul> </aside> <h3 class="gn-reveal">#4 – Have Key Strategic Foundations to your Channels</h3> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>From an inbound marketing perspective, having those strategic foundations in place can't be understated. They're the building blocks of everything.</q><cite>Julia Payne · CEO, Incisive Edge</cite></aside> <p class="gn-reveal">She adds for example, "having vital strategies in place such as consistency in your SEO and PPC keyword research but actually doing it in depth. So, it's not just a volume play but considering things like <strong>what keywords are your competitors using?</strong> <strong>Do you stand a chance of ranking for those keywords?</strong> And <strong>what's the keyword difficulty?</strong> This allows you to target keywords that have a higher ROI for your business."</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/marketing-101-practical-tips-to-improve-your-seo-strategy-with-limited-resource" target="_blank"><em>View our Marketing 101 article – 10 Practical Tips to Improve your SEO Strategy with Limited Resource</em></a></p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">#5 – Create a messaging platform</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">The need to deliver instant, relevant and impactful messaging is becoming more and more important. The use of messaging platforms can help you stand out from your competitors as well as reach and target your ideal clients with a strong sales-led approach.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>A messaging platform for both your company, but also the buyer personas that you're targeting, so everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet, is essential</strong>. We do all that strategic work which packages up into something that we call a strategic blueprint and then off the back of that we create the marketing strategy from those strategic foundations, which then need to be reflected across, for example, your website or messaging on your social channels, etc."<cite>Julia Payne · CEO, Incisive Edge</cite></blockquote> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>Driving Growth When It Comes to your Channel Activation</h2> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Dave</strong> gives practical guidance for updating your lead generation performance, reporting, and processes to drive value insights from your channel's data.</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"> <iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/769936255" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </div> <figcaption>Watch Dave Karellen, Head of PPC at Dark Horse, on driving growth through channel activation.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/events" target="_blank"><em>View our upcoming events calendar</em></a></p> <p class="gn-reveal">Watch the full workshop recording <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/resources/investing-in-inbound-a-consolidated-approach-to-your-lead-generation-strategy" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a>.</p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span><strong>Refining</strong> your lead generation strategy – specialists and support</h2> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Julia</strong> and <strong>Dave</strong> share the common view of brands acquiring external support to '<strong>see the wood from the trees.</strong>'</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Getting that external perspective to see different ways of forming the building blocks to your inbound strategy or perhaps exploring different channel strategies is absolutely invaluable."<cite>Julia Payne · CEO, Incisive Edge</cite></blockquote> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>External specialists can have a more holistic view of your channels whether that's PPC or SEO</strong>, to see if they are meeting their targets and driving the most revenue for the whole business rather than a siloed approach."<cite>Dave Karellen · Head of PPC, Dark Horse</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><em>If you're investing in Inbound Strategy this year, make sure you're getting the most from your time. The GO Network offer cost-free agency recommendations, pitch management, and more.</em> <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/get-in-touch" target="_blank"><strong><em>Get in touch</em></strong></a><em> to get started.</em></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/investing-in-inbound-a-consolidated-approach-to-your-lead-generation-strategy-1390c" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Investing in Inbound - A Consolidated Approach to your Lead Generation Strategy</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Align channels, prioritise the right metrics, and close performance gaps with a full-funnel approach to inbound lead generation that drives </span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/black-friday-and-beyond-investing-in-ecommerce-campaigns-that-deliver" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Black Friday and Beyond - Investing in eCommerce Campaigns that Deliver</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Experts share the full strategy checklist, from creative to conversion, covering common mistakes and best-practice examples for Black Friday</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/bringing-the-outside-in---investing-in-your-employer-brand" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Bringing the outside in - Investing in your employer brand</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Your employer brand shapes talent and new-business appeal. 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