In the past few weeks, we at K2M have been utilizing lots of what we call inbound marketing in our own personal lives. Inbound marketing is marketing used by a business in order to be found by potential customers or clients. It is what people find when they are looking for you or the service your provide, whether it’s phone book listings, internet listings or your own web pages.

There are more kids around us this summer and more need to find things to keep them busy, places to go, new restaurants to try, movie times to check on, pool schedules, local attractions for day trips…you get the idea. In our quest to keep our kids entertained and to save us from their constant cries of boredom and need to be fed something new and different, we, like you, have been slaves to our electronica, desperate for WiFi wherever we go, and exploring lots and lots of websites. Regarding those websites, we know that a decent website is not the sum total of a good inbound marketing plan, but A LOT of the websites we have encountered have been, as they say in The Princess Bride “mostly dead”.

What are the components of mostly dead websites?

•  Non-existent contact information with no phone numbers or addresses, so you can’t tell if the establishment is real or fantasy.
• Contact information that indicates that the restaurant near the DIA is still in business, but when you go there, it is boarded up (Yes, it really happened).
• Outdated information that has been contradicted by your friends who are “in the know” and who assure you “just ignore their website”.
• Stock photos that have been around since the Clintons were in charge the first time.
• Clunky, nonresponsive menus and tabs that take you to error messages or unfinished pages.
• Sites that are not compatible with mobile devices or tablets.

Argh! Don’t fret…our children have been well-fed and entertained, despite the cyber-detritus we have encountered. But it has strengthened our resolve to make sure our clients’ inbound marketing makes people pleased to find their companies.

BTW, if you have a mostly dead website, your own strategic marketing plan could use some help, too. “Miracle Max” and his abilities–that’s from the world of fiction. But maybe we can help you revive your mostly dead.