Blog content is typically considered “top of the funnel” brand awareness marketing material meant to engage a broad audience.
But did you know that your blog can be used for lead generation as well?
In this article, you will discover 7 strategies you can start using right now to build convert readers into followers. Some of them (like #1) are easy; others will take some time to build into your marketing strategy.
But all of them are being used by the top internet marketing companies to supercharge their ROI from their blog content.
Read on and learn how to generate blog posts you can take to the bank.
Build & Track Your Email List
Your email list allows you to reach followers and customers directly to their Inbox. A list can be used to launch new products and services, announce special offers or events or just continue to nurture your followers.
Your goal is to have a net increase every week and to build a list of followers who can become customers, so you want to make it as easy as possible to join your list.
It’s important to check your list regularly (at Blogworks, we do this weekly) because it’s only natural that not everyone will stick around as they change their mind, find alternatives or simply want to reduce their email volume.
There are plenty of automation tools out there to help you build your mailing list and track changes.
Use tools like OptinMonster, or Thrive Leads to build your list as a lead generation strategy.
Experiment with Lead Magnets to entice more readers to join your list.
For a tiny investment, you can get creative offering incentives, controlling how readers see your opt-in offer and experimenting with lead magnets.
This Lead Magnet offer by Optinmonster uses the “I want”, “I don’t want” approach.
A time-saving template is often an enticing offer for your readers, like this one from John Corcoran.
If you are a consultant, coach – even a realtor or financial planner – a case study offering can be an attractive offer for your readers.
When it comes to using blogs for lead generation, don’t be afraid to ask readers to become followers.
Remember you are giving free advice and the Law of Reciprocity is that when we receive a gift we naturally want to give something back.
Learn About SEO (But Don’t Obsess Over It)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is certainly important. But more important is creating content that is human, relatable.
SEO is an algorithm. But you are human, and (presumably) your clients are too. This means you need to learn how to speak to them.
Using SEO can certainly guide you towards what people are reading and what Google is prioritizing. But it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
We can help you create content for lead generation which are both SEO-friendly and engaging.
Update (“Re-Love”) Old Posts
If you have a high volume of content that spans back a few years or more, you can always re-use it again. That’s one of the things that we like to do, too.
We will reshare our most popular posts, even changing up the content, titles, and images.
Sometimes you might want to update posts to include new links, time-relevant events, or new offerings.
This is one of the easiest ways to use blogs for lead generation because it doesn’t require creating entirely new posts.
Craft a Clear Call-to-Action
A call-to-action (CTA) should be something that your readers want.
When crafting your CTA, be sure to clearly include your “why” so that the reader understands that you are giving them what they want.
Examples:
- Learn more about our coaching solutions
- Take the Leadership Quiz now
- Like in this client example
You can use a few CTAs throughout your articles, but just make sure that you make it super easy for readers to acquire your offering.
Use Social Metrics to Guide Your Content Process
Blogging and social media are great ways to get to know your audience, and as you engage with them more, you get to know more about what they want and share content that speaks directly to them.
Use Google Analytics to help you gain a better understanding of your customer demographics.
You can also use Click to Tweet and Social Buttons in your blogs to encourage people to stay in touch.
Learn How to Track Blog Performance: 5 Quick Ways
Link Strategically
We recommend Including internal “revenue” links in the first third of your article as a lead generation strategy.
You will also want to use external links to help create authority.
Anything that you can include, from your site or authority sites, to help readers find out more about all you have on offer, will prove useful for keeping your business and offerings at the top of their minds.
Your Blog Can (And Should) Generate Returns
You don’t have to be a writing expert, and you don’t even need to post every day. But you should try to create at least one high-quality blog posts a week.
Your blog is an investment and you absolutely should see a return. A successful blog should be attracting more followers, growing your list and making more sales.
That’s a return you can take to the bank!
Enjoyed this article? Here are three more to help you:
How to Ignite Your Blog Results in the New Year
Attract More Readers to Your Blog Today
How to Increase your Blog Conversions with a Test Drive