But it is far more than a “social media” strategy. While SM plays a huge role in promotion of content and the social component of search authority, the core has to be the content – a continuous flow (according to a strategically crafted editorial calendar based on a cerebral understanding of buyers, buying process, pain and value) of great content across channels and mediums to accomodate different user preferences and search considerations.

And the most important line in the article? “An inbound marketing process follows a strict set of steps.” Most efforts break down because it is hard work – although it’s a fun concept using tools that are somewhat relaxed, success only comes through consistency and focus. One of the best inbound marketers I know is a recovering chemical engineer!