Blogging is something that requires time and skill; it's an investment. If your goal with blogging is to generate leads, then you want to make sure you are providing educational and helpful content that will prove your business as a resource for prospects and clients alike. Once you have nailed the educational and helpful aspects of blogging, and once your prospects see you as a trusted resource, the right leads will start to come your way.
If you're blogging as part of a larger lead generation and inbound marketing strategy but are noticing that your blog posts are not generating leads for your business read on to learn six specific reasons and tips to help you start to see your desired results.
When it comes to blogging, it's not just about getting words on a page and hitting "publish."
The goal of blogging, for successful lead generation, is to write about topics that will attract the right visitors to your website and then convert them into leads. If you're writing about topics that don't interest your target audience, you'll never effectively reach the people who will convert to leads.
We recommend conducting a brainstorm with your sales team and asking them these specific questions such as, "What are the common objections/questions your prospects and clients ask you?" the answers to these questions will help you create blog posts that speak to the prospects most interested in your business.
Once you get someone reading your blog, step one is complete!
However, the next step is to provide your website visitors with valuable information, allowing them to dig deeper. This valuable information is also know as lead conversion paths. Some examples of lead conversion paths include:
Internal links to other related blog posts
CTA buttons at the bottom encouraging them to download a piece of premium content (an eBook, infographic, webinar, etc.)
A blog subscriber form
A pop-up form that will appear and ask the user to take a relative step
The options are endless. The goal is to deliver value and help move them along in their journey by providing the right content and resources at the right time.
Each blog post's goal should be to deliver unbiased, factual information that answers the questions your prospects/customers have. People in the early stages of the buyer's journey want someone to answer their questions; they don't want you to share why you are the best option or why the product you sell is what they are looking for.
It's perfectly normal and okay to sprinkle in a little bit of that information throughout, but you should think of each blog post as a chance to educate the reader on the topic at large and not a sales pitch. You want them to view your business as a resource and trust the information being shared.
As previously mentioned, a crucial part of converting blog readers into leads is having lots of different ways for readers to convert.
Not only should you be including CTA buttons, pop-up forms and subscribe to the blog forms on your blog, but internally linking throughout the blog post to relevant topics will encourage your readers to stay on your website for longer. The internal links you use should be relevant and logical for the reader to want to learn more about.
If you're talking about a post on ROI and you specifically mention KPIs they should be looking at, it would be logical to link to another blog you wrote on KPIs so they can read more. The more the reader sees on your website, the more they will see you as a valuable resource.
Even though having a CTA in each blog post is always essential, you want to try and make the CTA button a logical next step for the reader.
As an example, someone is more likely to click on a CTA and download an eBook about how to build an effective sales enablement strategy if the blog post is about "10 Reasons You Should be Using Sales Enablement" rather than having that same CTA button on a blog post titled "Why Inbound Marketing Works."
If the CTA button is a logical next step for the reader, they are more likely to take the plunge!
Just because you have a blog sitting on your website doesn't mean people see it. Making sure your blog post is search engine optimized using strategic keyword planning is crucial, but you can also help boost by sharing them on social media. Using social media is a fantastic way to promote your newest blogs, resurface old blogs, and share blog posts that are timely to the world right then. The more people who visit the blog, the more leads you will gather to follow the above steps!
RELATED POST >>> "Where Should I Share My Blog?" 8 Ways to Distribute Your B2B Blog Content
Building a quality blog is hard work. The time and effort you are investing should be giving you a positive return on your investment. These 6 tips will help you keep your visitors on your website for longer, view more of your blog posts, and generate more leads. If you're looking for an Inbound marketing agency for to help brainstorm and create high-quality blog posts, LeadG2 is always here to help.