2 short months ago, I was a newly hired intern with almost zero knowledge of inbound marketing. My first day pretty much went like this: "Ok so just make sure to pick a buyer persona and focus your SEO accordingly." "Whaaa?" I'm an English major at a small liberal arts college — I know JSTOR and OED and even RNA (they do allow us bookworms into the science building every now and then), but what the heck is SEO??
Thanks to a very patient boss and my practiced approach to the the good ol' "learning how to learn" liberal arts motto, I've figured some things out since then. But while I can now add SEO (and CMP, COS, SQL — not to brag) to my list of familiar acronyms, I haven't forgotten the small feeling of dread that accompanies the realization of having to ask yet another "stupid question."
The good news is that the adage holds true — there are no stupid questions! New jobs require new skill sets, and you'll be more successful if you simply ask for an explanation (it's way better than doing a poor job because you pretended to know what everyone was talking about). However, if your boss is scary or busy or forgetful of his or her own painful learning process, I'm here to help! Here are 5 of your inbound "I should know this" questions answered.
1. Why are buyer personas so important?
Buyer personas are profiles that you create of your various types of customers. Because each buyer persona has different goals, interests, and challenges, having a clear understanding of what each persona is looking for will allow you to create targeted content that will be relevant for each individual customer. 
2. What's a CTA?
CTAs, or calls to action, are buttons or links that suggest a next step, which visitors can perform by clicking on the CTA. The CTA can prompt visitors to download an eBook, subscribe to your blog, or start a free trial. It gives visitors direction by providing another way to interact with your website content, and allows you to gather more information on a given visitor's interests or needs.
3. How can I use social media effectively?
If you've created some buyer personas, the first step is already done! In order to effectively market your product or service via social media, you must understand the type of content that your audience wants to engage with. Your social media posts should focus on valuable, relevant information that addresses your followers' questions. Keep your page up to date, and post often! And remember, this is social media, and people want to know that there is an actual human behind that Twitter handle. Respond to mentions and comments, reciprocate shares, and have some fun with it!
4. What is "smarketing?"
Smarketing is a term for the collaboration between marketing and sales that facilitates the effective communication of lead information. As a marketer, you want to provide your sales team with qualified leads and the information necessary to help them close the deal. Cold calling is just that — cold. Give your sales team warm leads by passing on lead information, which will help them to deliver a more personalized sales pitch!
5. How does smart content work?
Smart content is what allows you to give each visitor to your website a pesonalized experience based on their interests or previous engagement with your site. Think Amazon's "based on your recent purchase..." Smart content will allow a first-time visitor to see an informational welcome page, for example, while a client will be prompted to log in and welcomed back with suggestions for content, updates, services, etc. that they may find helpful. Want to learn more about how smart content works? Check out this infographic!
There you have it. Whether you are learning the ropes or just had a momentary mental lapse, everyone needs a quick answer to a "wait, what does that mean again??" question from time to time.
Have more questions? Comment below, or get in touch!