How Long Does It Take For Inbound Marketing to Work?

"Ashley, your plan is great and we'd like to give it a go. But we're kinda curious. In your experience, how long does it take before we see results from inbound marketing?"

Any inbound marketing agency hates answering that question.

In today's article, I'm going to shed some light on this topic to give you a clearer picture of what's going on behind the scenes with inbound marketing.

Of course, it'll be different for each business and the specific strategy and efforts you put in place. All I can guarantee is that if we stick to our game plan, great things will happen for you and your business – results you won't get without a proper inbound marketing strategy in place.

Now if you're ready, let's start.

Inbound Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint.

Unlike PPC, radio, or print ads, you won't gain much momentum right away.

This is what I'm telling everybody, especially to prospective clients:

Trust, authority, and likability are the cornerstones of inbound marketing. You can't earn these qualities in a span of days or weeks.

It's that way for any aspect of our businesses and even in our personal lives.

You're building a strong relationship to potential brand ambassadors – not just one-time clients. So bear in mind that you're in for the long haul.

Rest assured, though, that what you plant today will exponentially grow, allowing you to reap the rewards many times over.

For example, high-quality content published consistently requires long hours to create (e.g. 1 to 2 weeks for a 3,000-word eBook and 3 - 12 weeks for a whitepaper).

Once published, these digital assets will work for you and build a good business for 1 to 5 years – even longer!

For example, I've had clients who are using the same eBook and white paper written for them last year. And till this day, these assets are attracting new visitors and converting high-paying customers.

Just be patient.

By now you might be wondering – as you should be – if there's at least an estimated time before you see improvement.

I can say there is.

The number is 7

• A study by the Corporate Executive Board found that buyers today are at most 70% through the sale before calling you.
• MOZ, a well-known software company, states that it takes an average of 7 visits on their website before a visitor signs up for a FREE trial.
• Most experts agree that inbound marketing won't gain much momentum until the 7th month.

Earlier, I said we're in for the long haul. I also said you have to be patient with it.

In my experience, a website isn't performing well until the 7th month and beyond.

By then, I've posted more than 20 blog articles and countless social media posts. My articles have been featured on several sites and visitors have started commenting. I had enough knowledge and experience to make each article valuable – worthy of my visitor's time.

How can you replicate (or exceed) the same feat?

My advice is to make each day count.

Inbound Marketing isn't a magic pill

Remember, you're building relationships.

The more you spend time creating and promoting high-quality content, the more you get inside your prospect's circle of influence.

Great content hastens the growth of your influence and forces your way on top of organic search traffic – a position you have to strive for right from the start.

Could this work on YOUR business?

Yes.

Is this the only strategy you'll need?

Of course not.

Inbound marketing should become the foundation of your marketing effort. But it should work in tandem with other activities to empower your lead generation even more:

• Trade shows
• Speaking events
• Direct mail
• PPC
• Book launches

Wrap Up

Like I said in the beginning, you should treat inbound marketing as a marathon, not a sprint.

By now you should realize how important patience is in applying inbound marketing.

And while it takes time, the results are rewarding.

It's no wonder that more and more companies – both large and small scale – are switching to inbound marketing to hasten the growth of their business.