We've reviewed countless inbound marketing strategies, and we've found that all successful campaigns have one thing in common: consistency. We haven't seen one campaign that jumps from strategy to strategy to be successful in the long-term. On the other hand, marketing campaigns that stick to a single, carefully planned strategy are poised to be effective.

Think about the better inbound marketing strategies you've seen. Amazon always comes to mind and there's a good reason for that. They have a highly effective email marketing campaign that they've carried out for several years. The company is consistent in terms of what they send and when they send it.

A recent Forbes article talks about inbound marketing strategies and explains why some companies haven't had any success. The article points to inconsistencies among companies that derail their inbound marketing:

"Half-baked efforts rarely net results and this is especially true in the case of digital marketing. While there are any number of strategies you can employ and tactics you can use when it comes to digital marketing, hopping from one strategy to another randomly is a recipe for disaster. To fully understand the implications and benefits of one strategy, you need to understand the formula: conceive, launch, test, tweak, test, tweak, etc."

When you start implementing your social media campaign, you should expect it to start out slow. This isn't because your posts are ineffective, but rather that you're working on building a follower base, which takes time. If you stop here, you'll be like all of the other companies that tried and failed at inbound marketing because of inconsistency and impatience.

Instead, you should use this period to work on your own process. It varies by company, but this process should be something like: plan, post, react, analyze. Find out what's effective and cut out what isn't working. This process lays the groundwork for successful inbound marketing.