Ecosystems are easy to overlook. Most often the business of running a business, building and maintaining a thriving company culture, and building an inbound organization take center stage. But whether you know it or not, you’re already in an ecosystem. All of the people and companies you work with, everyone your business touches, form your ecosystem. The greatest choice you have is whether you nurture and actively build that ecosystem or simply exist in it passively.
[0:45] Question: What is an Inbound Ecosystem?
So, what is an inbound ecosystem? Your ecosystem consists of:
- Employees
- Customers
- Vendors
- Suppliers
- Partners
- Channels
- Industry groups
- Stakeholders
- Competitors
Anyone and everyone you work with, collaborate with, or share the same space with is in your ecosystem. What makes an ecosystem inbound is actively engaging with and working toward making your ecosystem a source of value for everyone in it.
The work of creating an inbound ecosystem begins with your employees and then moves to your customers. Employees are first because you can’t have happy customers without happy employees. We’ve spent a lot of timing talking about why employees are essential, so we won’t rehash it here but if you want to learn more check out this episode or this episode.
Your customers are second because your customers are already connected digitally, you can either engage with and support those connections or ignore them. It is beneficial to you to acknowledge and engage with them. Bringing your customers into your inbound ecosystem as active participants allows you to create more value for them.
Creating value is at the heart of the inbound ecosystem. When everyone involved works to create value, everyone benefits. There is value in the connections that are made, sharing experiences, and working together to solve problems
Inbound ecosystems are strategic. Understanding them and nurturing them allows you to not only create the most value for yourself but also for everyone involved.
[22:57] Todd’s Truth
“It takes a network to defeat a network,” Stanley McChrystal
Because everyone is interconnected, you need to create a network or ecosystem that is better than your competitors to succeed in your marketplace.
[23:15] 3 Takeaways
- Identify the ecosystems you’re already in
- Find ways to share or co-create content
- Co-marketing with others in your industry
Links
We’re extending the MSPOT contest! You can download the MSPOT template, submit it for review, and anyone who submits an MSPOT will be entered into the contest. The first-place winner will win an hour to review their MSPOT with Todd and Dan!
Download Your MSPOT
P.S.
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Thanks to Rebecca Miller our podcast editor, social media coordinator, and blogger and to Zachary Jameson for producing the audio for the podcast. Check out Zachary on Upwork if you need podcast audio services.
Topics: Inbound Organization, Inbound2Grow
