5 Questions With . . . Amber Nettles

As part of our "5 Questions With" series, we interviewed one of our newest team members, Amber Nettles. As a consultant with LeadG2 and The Center for Sales Strategy, Amber works with clients on a variety of marketing and sales obstacles. 

1. How do you explain what you do to those who are not aware of inbound marketing?

You mean, the past two months of my life? I just joined LeadG2 in May, so there's been a LOT of explaining to my friends and former colleagues. The easiest thing (for me) is to say "I'm helping businesses reach more people and get better customers, by creating content that ATTRACTS people. Instead of going out and finding more business, we're drawing new business in."

I talk a little about working with small businesses and try to relate it to whoever is asking the question. My most recent explanation (to a friend who works in HVAC repair) went something like this: 
"If I were creating your inbound marketing plan, it would involve us sprucing up your website, blogging about home improvement, and creating some downloadable guides and checklists. Every blog subscriber and guide download would be a new lead for your business." 

2. How did you get involved with digital marketing and inbound marketing?

I've been working in digital since my time in newspapers, during which I moved from copyediting and page design to social media and mobile. I focused primarily on social media for some time, before moving into digital sales. A few years ago, it just made sense for me to expand into inbound. All of these digital platforms and strategies go hand in hand, and work better together. 

3. Why are you such a believer in inbound marketing?

Inbound is important because the average consumer today has SO MUCH CHOICE. They're constantly seeing and hearing advertising messages, but the choices they make are going to be guided by trust, utility and proficiency. If your business consistently creates useful, expert content, you will attract and convert the right leads.

4. What is one thing you would recommend to companies that want to get started with inbound marketing?

Research, plan, and invest! Creating an effective Inbound strategy means you not only need to understand your goals, but you should also understand your target personas, reasonable return on your investment, and what is needed to be effective. Planning, whether alone or with a company like LeadG2, is SO important. You can't just decide to start a blog and expect your leads to come pouring in. Finally, INVEST. That means time, people and money. Just like with any other marketing strategy, you have to be willing to invest the time, manpower and marketing budget to do it right. 

5. What do you like most about what you do at LeadG2?

Right now, I'm just excited to be here. I strongly believe in inbound, and I love helping people (friends and clients) be more successful in their marketing efforts. Helping our clients "connect the dots" is really rewarding. It helps, also, that I'm surrounded by great people at LeadG2 who are genuinely excited about what they do.