Use Your Blog to Generate More Leads NOW!
Lead generation is the hot topic we’ve been exploring for the last two weeks. Many of you have personally reached out letting me know this is an area you have struggled with and need to improve on to boost sales before the end of the year. I’ve received several requests for more practical lead generation strategies to help grow your business immediately, and I’m happy to oblige.
This week, I’m going to focus on blogging, one of the most powerful lead generation tools at an entrepreneur’s disposal.
Do I Really Need a Blog?
First and foremost, by creating blog articles that educate your customers on your product or service and the industry it’s in, you position yourself as a go-to master in your audience’s time of need.
Second, but of equal importance, blogging is a platform that allows you to generate traffic. Whether you send a link to your blog in your weekly newsletter or post a blog teaser on your social media channels, when people click on your article they are directed to your blog platform which is housed on your website. Instead of paying for search engine optimization or social media ads, you are able to generate your own “organic” website traffic. (Of course, to be successful at generating this traffic you need to know how to disseminate your blog articles to your target audience effectively!)
Some “Lead Generation” Benefits of Blogging
- Blogging allows you to increase the number of “Google indexed pages” on your website, which is an important factor in determining how much website traffic you will ultimately generate. The more valuable pages you publish, the more favorably search engines like Google look at your website. This allows you to attract more people to your site via search engines. Static websites that don’t continuously generate more content have far fewer Google indexed pages.
- Blogging gives you the ability to boost the number of relevant keywords you have high search engine ranking for. For a business coach, for instance, those search terms might be “business coach Atlanta” or “Atlanta sales consulting”. The more keywords you rank for, the more traffic you will generate.
- If you regularly post blogs that contain valuable and engaging content, other blogs and websites will link to you, thereby generating more website traffic.
Quality Matters.
Blogging is only an effective tool for lead generation if the blogs contain high quality, fresh, informative content. Your ultimate blogging goal should be to enable readers to TRUST you. You will inspire trust and confidence by consistently posting quality content that demonstrates your knowledge and expertise. In each article, your reader should walk away feeling that you care about them and have the practical tools they need to solve a problem.
Remember, your blog is not an advertisement or sales pitch! Every blog article must contain VALUE, or people simply won’t waste their time reading it. Blog articles that offer value will help position you – the blogger – as an authority figure and industry leader the reader can trust. This is critical in generating quality leads. When you use content to establish your trustworthiness and demonstrate your expertise at solving a problem, the content effectively does a lot of the “selling” for you, making it that much easier to convert leads into customers when you engage them in a sales conversation.
Be Likable.
Another key ingredient in generating leads via blogging is to be likeable. People buy from people they like. It’s important that your blog articles are infused with your unique personality. When someone reads your blog, they should feel like they are getting to know YOU. Blogs shouldn’t be generic or dry. They aren’t academic essays; rather, they should sound more like an intimate conversation that gives the readers a clear picture of who you are. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine, use humor and get personal. Share your thoughts, feelings, and personal stories of success and failure. The more readers like you and relate to you, the more leads you will generate.
3 Tips for Using Your Blog to Generate More Leads.
1. Call your readers to action! Every blog you write should contain at least one “call to action” or CTA. In this case, a CTA is an image or line of text that prompts your readers to take action. That action step might be attending an upcoming event, signing up for a webinar, downloading an eBook or signing up for your newsletter. The objective is to get a passive reader to become actively engaged with you so you can hold their attention, build a relationship and continue a conversation that moves you closer to closing the sale.
2. Offer blog summary downloads. Some of your readers will be so engaged in your material that they will sit down and read a 1000+ word article. But you have to be realistic – many people in your target audience don’t have the time or want to spend the time required to navigate lengthy articles. By offering a short, downloadable summary of your blog, you are able to capture the attention of those individuals who are short on time and convert them into leads. Your blog summary should provide a succinct overview of the topic, include powerful and practical takeaway messages, and end with a call to action. A smartly written blog summary also serves as a teaser that motivates the reader to bookmark your article and invest the time in reading it in its entirety.
3. Use Time-Delay Pop Ups. Have you ever clicked on a blog article and received a pop-up calling on you to “Join our email list” or “Download our free eBook”? Time-delay pop ups are an effective way to move your audience to take action so you can generate LEADS! When people who are reading an article see the value in what they are reading, they are more likely to immediately take action and follow your pop-up prompt so they can learn more from you. Those who do take action are telling you “Yes, I’m interested in seeing what you have to offer”.
Are You Using Your Blog to Generate More Leads in Your Business?
I can personally attest to the value of blogging! I’ve been consistently blogging about business since I launched Celeste Giordano Coaching. I am passionate about sharing high-value content, and have seen the power of blogging to build relationships and generate quality leads time and time again.
Some of you are open to starting a blog but aren’t strong writers or don’t have the time to sit down and produce blog articles on a regular basis. Others have a blog but aren’t quite sure to use it strategically to generate more leads. Whichever camp you’re in, I invite you to email me today at celeste@celestegiordano.com to overcome these hurdles and create a lead-generating blog engine that will fuel your business growth.
I am excited to announce the release of my first issue of The Blueprint: For Building a Legacy Business.
Sales is near and dear to my heart. Many small business owners hate selling but over and over again I’ve proven that anyone can learn to sell if they just have the right tools.
I love to lead my clients to success and as a business strategist my desire for this magazine is to help you in all aspects of your business. Several of my high-level clients, from various backgrounds, have contributed articles with tips, ideas, and insights for overcoming the struggles and challenges small business owners face.
The tagline of my business is Learn • Grow • Achieve • Prosper which are the steps to take to become successful. It is my desire as a connector and international business consultant that anyone who is struggling in business finds the help they need.
Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “double-plus” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with almost 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.
To learn more about Celeste, click here.
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