How To Attract Investors Online With Inbound Marketing

January 08, 2018 | 4 minute read

Business in your region is growing, but you know there’s more you can do to help it along. You want to attract investors online efficiently so you can make the most of your resources and have measurable progress to show management. But how do you get there?

You know about inbound marketing. Inbound is the marketing strategy that draws readers in by captivating their attention, not selling to them. As an economic developer, it's your job to draw new businesses to your region (and support those you have). Inbound marketing can help with both. And, a complete inbound marketing checklist is a good guide to make sure you get results from your efforts.

Attract Investors Online With An Inbound Marketing Checklist

economic development website The first set of tasks on your to-do list to attract investors online: planning and attracting. Planning means gathering consumer data to determine which direction your inbound marketing efforts should take. Once that's done, grow interest in your economic region and attract interest online using the following methods:

Social media marketing: Social media platforms have proven to be powerful for generating business by starting relationships. Economic development success relies on relationship building. So use platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to help your region grow. Do some research to discover which platform your investors prefer. Then develop quality content to post.
Search engine optimization (SEO): Regions across the world are competing to attract investors online. SEO marketing helps you be seen by investors so you don’t lose a great partnership to the competition. Research smart keywords and place them strategically throughout your website to boost your Google ranking.

Don’t forget to link all of your online locations so readers know how to find you no matter where in the world wide web you are.

What Your Economic Development Website Needs to Impress: Strategic Content

Next on your inbound marketing checklist is the content development stage. Keywords are important because they tell Google - and your investors - your content is relevant. Use strategically placed keywords to rank well on Google and get clicks on your economic development website. Choose keywords specific to what your audience is looking for so they're more likely to click. If your region is known for success in a particular sector specify this when choosing suitable keywords and phrases.

Then, choose your accompanying content with similar attention to detail to show the value of your economic development region. Content marketing is vital to successful inbound marketing and plays a role in every part of your inbound marketing checklist. Make your content as diverse as the many experiences your region has to offer:

Post video clips of business openings.
Post articles of new industry advancements.
Tweet or blog about the latest conference.
Include a clear call-to-action on your website’s homepage.

Also, consider using an email subscription service. It’s a quick and proven effective way to stay in touch with potential or current investors. Share regional news or new business opportunities in regular emails. You'll reach many people at once, and you’ll know you’re sharing with the right buyers because they subscribed to your list. Add a button/icon on your economic development website or social media accounts that people can click to join.

Remember: a well-rounded Inbound Marketing Campaign helps you attract investors online because you engage readers - your potential investors - in different ways.