Lead generation is key to business growth, but in times of crisis, such as these, it can be a challenge for many organizations. While there are many ways to generate leads, one of the strategies that companies often overlook is their business blog.
After all, your business needs to update its blog regularly to benefit its SEO and show value to your customers and site visitors.
So, why not maximize its potential by using your business blog to generate quality leads? You’ll save time and help your company to achieve its goals when you use your business blog to your full advantage.
Here are some practical ways that you can use your business blog to generate leads. Most of the techniques are free and easy, but some come at a cost, so there’s something for companies of all shapes, sizes, and budgets.
Include Internal Backlinks
A simple way to boost your website’s SEO and improve the usability of your website is to use internal backlinks in your blog posts.
Internal backlinks offer a range of benefits, including helping readers to understand the benefits of your services and how they could use them.
So, when you’re writing your next blog post, consider how you can include internal backlinks naturally.
Internal backlinks should be treated the same way as external ones; you need to make sure that you choose a relevant anchor text that makes the purpose of your link clear.
For example, if you’re writing about a sales page for storm-proof windows, then you should use an anchor text the makes it clear that you can buy windows here. This anchor text might be ‘buy storm-proof windows here’ or ‘browse our selection of storm-proof windows’.
However, if your internal backlink is to a blog post on the benefits of storm-proof windows, then ‘storm-proof windows offer many advantages to homeowners’ might be a better option. Just using the term ‘storm proof windows’ on its own won’t give readers an insight into what the link is about, which will reduce the chances of them clicking on it and converting.
Put A Call To Action In Your Post
A great place to put an internal backlink is on a call to action (CTA) in your blog posts. You can use your CTA to encourage readers to use your company to save themselves time and overcome the issues that the post discusses.
Many businesses overlook CTAs, thinking that they’re too sales-y or pushy for a blog post, but they’re a valuable tool to help you to earn more sales.
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Those businesses that do use CTAs in their blog posts often do so infrequently. CTAs are usually placed at the bottom of blog posts, but you can use them throughout for maximum effect.
Try creating list articles or step-by-step guides, so that you can include relevant CTAs in each section and boost your chances of generating and converting leads through your blog article.
Enter Blog Post Readers Into Your Sales Funnel
Once an internet user has checked off of your blog post, that doesn’t mean that they’re done. If you let them leave without getting their details and entering them into your sales funnel, then you’ll miss out on a valuable opportunity.
To enter them into your sales funnel, you’re going to need to get their contact details. Many websites use pop-ups to encourage blog readers to sign up for their newsletter or enter their email address for a free resource, like an eBook.
Another technique is to use a website crawler to follow your user around the internet and share your company’s adverts with them on a variety of platforms. If these adverts are the beginning of your sales funnel, then if the users click on them and engage, then you’ll be able to enter them into your funnel.
Once they’re in your sales funnel, you’ve got a new lead that you can nurture and develop into a paying customer.
Also Read:- Advantages of blogging
Offer Exclusive Perks To Blog Readers
Another way to get the contact details you need to enter your blog readers into your sales funnel is to offer them an exclusive resource or perk.
For example, if they click on a blog post that discusses an approach to fixing something, then you could offer them an in-depth eBook on the subject if they give you their email address.
Alternatively, you could give them an exclusive discount code for money off your services and products if they order within a certain amount of time from viewing your blog post. Use a pop-up to offer them the code, which you can set to last for a specific time.
By creating a custom blog post discount code, you can track how many readers convert through each blog post. You can then use this information to improve your marketing strategy and ensure that you write blog content that has a high conversion rate.
Grab Readers Before They Leave
Another way to get those coveted contact details is to use pop-ups to grab the attention of your reader.
Use a plugin to create a pop-up that will launch when the website visitor is on the verge of leaving the page. This technology will identify when your blog reader is about to click off the page, either using the back or forward buttons or by exiting the browser.
The pop-up with launch onto their screen and remind them to sign up to your newsletter or offer them your perk, depending on your preference.
You can test out a selection of different pop-ups to find the ones that convert the most leads, then invest more time and money into developing these pop-ups.
Make The Most Of Your Page Space
Some website users install pop-up blockers, so you will need to make sure that you maximize your chances of generating a lead with your blog post by placing some sign-up offers on the page.
As such, you should make the most out of the additional space on the page to include large sections that encourage users to provide their contact information.
Consider creating sidebars that follow the users down the page and provide them with your offer or ask them to sign up to your newsletter for further updates.
You could also use the space at the top or bottom of your page to encourage readers to input their contact details in return for free resources or deals.
Again, trial and error will help you to find the best solution, so consider changing your approach every few weeks, or even trying out new approaches on different blog posts.
Once you have some data on how each approach performs, you can make a decision on which has the highest conversion rate and is more likely to earn you the leads your business needs.
Connect With Commentators
Business blogs are a valuable way to grow your network and create long-term relationships. One of the best ways to quickly create these relationships with blog followers, identify potentially profitable leads and get them into your sales funnel is to connect with commentators.
These might be commentators on your blog post or anyone who makes a comment or engages with your social media posts. Respond promptly to their comments and build up a relationship with them.
From there, you can then provide personalized marketing solutions that will increase your chances of earning a high-value sale. This targeted approach is known as account-based marketing (ABM), and it can help you to make the most out of your resources and get more high-value clients.
Suggested Read:- How to make money from different niches of blogging
Promote Your Blog Posts
As well as sharing your blog posts on your social media pages, you could also consider integrating them into your adverts.
This approach will show potential leads that your business doesn’t focus exclusively on sales. You will also offer added value by providing free information and resources on your blog.
While promoting a blog post on an advert might seem like a bad investment, if you do it wisely, then you can get the information you need to funnel your new lead through the sales process and, hopefully, earn a high-value sale.
Consider offering the blog post as a free resource, but only if the visitor sends over their email address to sign up for your newsletter or blog updates.
As highlighted above, once you have their email address, you can continue to communicate with your new lead and show them the benefits of working with your business.
Conclusion
In today’s competitive market, you need to make your business stand out from the crowd and use every possible strategy to generate quality leads that convert.
While there are many lead generation tools and strategies on the market, the first step for any business needs to be optimizing its blog. These tips should help you to understand how your blog can generate leads so that you can put this valuable resource to good use.
Author bio:-
Hannah Stevenson is the Content Marketing Manager at UK Linkology, one of the UK’s highest-ranking link-building and most respected link-building agencies. A former editor, she now runs a personal blog and content marketing service for this renowned organization.
Image Courtesy: Pixabay
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