How to Apply Inbound Marketing to Your Job Search

What if you approached marketing yourself just like many companies approach marketing their services?

There is a trend in online marketing called inbound marketing, which I believe can also apply to your personal brand. Inbound marketing is essentially using content to pull a prospect  closer to your brand and, over time, make a purchase from you. Granted, this might be more applicable to certain fields like marketing or public relations; however, positioning yourself as an expert and getting your name out there can apply to any profession.

Using inbound marketing to get a job

Lay out your goals – As with any aspect of the job search, it’s all about the numbers. Think of it as a sales funnel: at the top are people who are just browsing your website and at the bottom are the ones who contact you. Set your metrics for success. It will take time to fine-tune them, but it is always best to have targets to work toward.

Disseminate your content – Once you start producing content make sure to do it consistently. This will help raise your profile. Use social media–more than one channel is best–to distribute your content and improve its reach.

Send people to one page– In all your social media profiles and on your site, be sure to have a link–and placed where it is easily seen–for people to contact you. Expecting them to look you up on LinkedIn is not enough.

Make it easy for people to reach you – On the page you’re driving people to, make sure to have a clear call to action. For many businesses, the CTA is to sign up for their email list. For you, it could be a “contact me” form or a button where they can schedule an appointment or consultation.

Automate how people reach you – Use tools like ScheduleOnce if you get multiple contact requests. That allows the people who are contacting you to pick an available timeslot and book it themselves.