This essential read unlocks the secret to generating endless business opportunities through a simple yet powerful framework. By implementing inbound marketing strategy, Marcus Sheridan transformed his struggling pool business into a thriving company despite the country was in a recession. His success story serves as a powerful example of the potential impact of inbound marketing when it’s done right.
Who is Marcus Sheridan?
Marcus Sheridan is a renowned speaker, author, and marketing consultant, best known for his book “They Ask, You Answer.” He gained popularity in the digital marketing industry for his non BS approach to digital marketing (inbound) and content creation, which helped save his struggling fibreglass pool company, River Pools and Spas. Notably, Sheridan has no formal background in marketing, he learned all of these by spent all his waking minutes learning to thrive in the internet age by reading articles, educational videos from HubSpot in his effort to save River Pools and Spas from going out of business during the 2008 US recession. Sheridan is no longer an active partner at River Pools and Spas, instead he’s focusing on his coaching and consultancy firm – The Sales Lion.
Key Messages from the book:
- Address the elephant in the room: Sheridan emphasizes the importance of addressing the questions and concerns of potential customers. By creating content that openly tackles these topics, businesses can position themselves as experts in their field and build trust with their audience.
- Be transparent: The book encourages businesses to be open and honest about their offerings, including pricing, processes, and potential drawbacks. Transparency helps establish trust and credibility, which can lead to more informed and satisfied customers.
- Focus on educational content: Sheridan advocates for creating educational content that genuinely helps potential customers make decisions. This approach enables businesses to attract more customers through organic search and word of mouth, as they become a go-to source for information in their industry.
- Embrace video: In “They Ask, You Answer,” Sheridan highlights the importance of utilizing video as a medium for answering customer questions and providing valuable content. Video can effectively convey complex information, demonstrate products or services, and showcase company culture. Breaking down complicated concepts into digestible pieces helps customers better understand the products or services, leading to more informed decision-making.
- Measure success: Sheridan advises businesses to track the performance of their content and marketing efforts. By consistently measuring key metrics, businesses can identify what works, make data-driven decisions, and refine their strategies to improve results over time.
My take on this book:
Marcus Sheridan’s book “They Ask, You Answer” provides actionable advice, examples, and case studies for entrepreneurs to get started with the inbound marketing approach. The book offers a step-by-step framework for implementing the “They Ask, You Answer” methodology, which includes practical tips on identifying customer questions, types of content, creating high-quality content, and measuring the success of marketing efforts.
One valuable aspect of the book is that it features real-life examples and case studies from both B2C and B2B industries. Entrepreneurs can actually look up these companies and their blogs to get a feel for how to create content that aligns with Sheridan’s suggestions. By examining the real-world application of the methodology, readers can gain a deeper understanding of how to adapt the principles to their own businesses, regardless of the size or sector.
I also appreciate that Sheridan also provides insights into the estimated timeframe for businesses to begin seeing results. While this can vary depending on the specific industry and business, he suggests that it typically takes around six to nine months of consistent content creation and marketing efforts before noticeable improvements in web traffic, lead generation, and overall business growth occur. On page 198, Sheridan provided a realistic five-stage, three-year time frame and measuring stick of success for content marketing success.
Lastly, I think Sheridan’s book shared a lot of similar principles with “Rubies in the Orchard” by Lynda Resnick where I reviewed previously. Both books stress the need for businesses to put their customers first and focus on understanding their needs, questions, and concerns. Sheridan highlights the importance of creating educational content that answers customer questions and positions businesses as trustworthy experts in their industry. This approach aligns with the customer-centric marketing strategies discussed in “Rubies in the Orchard,” which also emphasizes understanding customer needs and desires to craft marketing messages that resonate with them.
Thank you for reading, and don’t hesitate to contact me if you think I missed anything or you have any suggestions.
Warm Regards,
The Digital Guy