Inbound marketing is not a “throw-it-all-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks” process. For inbound marketing to work, you need to have a solid strategy your entire team understands. You can’t have your social media team pushing online conversations in one direction, while sales or product development is maneuvering your business in the opposite direction. If you want to ensure your inbound marketing efforts deliver significant ROI, keep the following tips in mind as you create your inbound marketing strategy:

• Make sure your inbound marketing strategy is aligned across multiple verticals. Create a defined plan for your company blog, social media platforms, podcasts, and video platforms. Each component of your content strategy should lead your business towards the same goal.

• Understand how each department will measure success and outline KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) in advance. Determine who is responsible for ongoing analysis and when key performance indicators will be reviewed as a team.

• Your inbound marketing strategy should be developed in consultation with your entire team. This isn’t the time to give directives from your throne. If you expect inbound marketing to work for your business, it is imperative your team play a significant role in developing your brand’s overall strategy.

• If you want authenticity to be a core tenant of your content outreach plans, company culture needs to be part of your strategizing discussions. Your audience can sense a lack of authenticity a mile away; weave your company’s culture into everything from guest posts on mainstream media sites to your ads on social networks.

Having clear inbound marketing goals makes it easier for everyone to ensure they are rowing towards the same shore. If your sales department is measuring success with one set of values while marketing or product development have a different definition of success, your results are going to be lackluster at best. By determining your goals as a team and ensuring everyone is accountable for their part, your inbound marketing strategy can deliver results and drive prospects through your sales funnel.

Is it time your team revamped your inbound marketing strategy and developed a cohesive plan going forward?