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View Full Version : Ways to capture leads with your blog posts?



veritasvisions
09-18-2015, 01:27 AM
The way i see it, and i may be wrong, but one of the main reasons to start a blog is to start capturing leads while providing amazing content. I think every blog post has to be extremely strategic. I think you cant give absolutely everything away, but offer the rest somewhere in the blog post via an opt in. What ways have you used your blog to gain traffic and leads?

WPCarer
09-21-2015, 05:20 AM
Yes, I think you're right. The only thing I would add is when trying for "amazing content" think about what your potential customers NEED. So for example, our target customer is someone who runs a WordPress site for business but really doesn't have too much expertise on how to maintain it and wants to makes things easier. So I write lots of blog posts about plugins that could make their job easier and informing them of things in the WordPress world that they may not know. Also, I like to use the blogposts to engage in the WordPress community and build relationships with bloggers etc within the industry.

Iseult

veritasvisions
09-21-2015, 06:41 PM
Yes, I think you're right. The only thing I would add is when trying for "amazing content" think about what your potential customers NEED. So for example, our target customer is someone who runs a WordPress site for business but really doesn't have too much expertise on how to maintain it and wants to makes things easier. So I write lots of blog posts about plugins that could make their job easier and informing them of things in the WordPress world that they may not know. Also, I like to use the blogposts to engage in the WordPress community and build relationships with bloggers etc within the industry.

Iseult

Yes I agree

MikeSweeney
09-22-2015, 07:20 AM
Definitely center your blog around a topic. Show people how to use things (plugins) in your case. I would include videos in your content. Show people what you do, how it works for you. Success you've had with it.

99social
10-18-2015, 12:01 PM
I think the best strategy that I have found is centering the blog post around a topic that solves a problem for your target audience - offer some helpful tips, but use your opt in as a way for them to either discover more information via your ebook/webinar, or hire you for your services to alleviate the need for them to do that themselves and have it handled by a professional.

tmcmahon
05-09-2016, 06:11 PM
In many niches (I'd argue most), I think it's better to "give everything away" in your blog content. You can give away the "what" without giving away the "how" if you're worried about competition.

Will you lose some potential customers who just do it themselves? Maybe. But more often than not people will go, "damn, that looks hard... I'll just buy it from them since I know it will turn out right". And for the people who do it themselves, now you're going to gain an engaged and loyal following who trusts you - and will probably become a referral source or customer in some other way down the road.

Plus, you can always repurpose your awesome blog content into an ebook and use that as your hook. Maybe you have twelve posts that all cover a specific part of a larger theme. Well, they could be spread across 53 chronological posts. Compiling them into an easy to digest/access PDF in exchange for an email address is a great value add to your readers.

ramz
06-02-2016, 11:50 AM
You could offer a PDF guide, tutorial or any other special content once they have subscribed to your blog, for example.

KristineS
06-03-2016, 11:29 AM
We do posts about how to use a specific products, including links back to the product on the website. This seems to drive traffic.

As to your first point, I'm not sure that the main reason a blog exists is to create leads. I think that's one of the reasons people blog, but there are a lot of other reasons as well. A blog provides transparency for a company and allows potential customers to get to know and trust the company, which is a huge piece of the puzzle when it comes to sales. People buy from people they trust. Blogs are also a good source of education. We use our blogs to teach people what they can do with what we sell. Blogs are also a great source of market research. I've used blog posts and social media to help us get answers to questions when we were planning a new product launch or curious about whether or not a particular marketing initiative would work. I do think lead generation is an important component of blogging, but I also think it's a mistake to focus mainly on that and ignore the other benefits.

Harold Mansfield
06-03-2016, 12:06 PM
I agree with Christine that a blog alone won't get you sales leads. It can be part of an overall strategy, but if you're looking to make the phone ring website, SEO, Marketing, Reviews, and advertising is how it's done...just like with any business.

Building a list is different. The best and obvious way to build a list is to provide (and promote) content and information that your target market cares about, that is original and not just a rehash of other content from around the web. Have an expertise in something and get out there more than just wring a blog.

Build a nice place to present that information, and then provide a way to capture the list that people deem as credible.
It's hard to build a list. Content and presentation has to be on point as well as the information that you're offering. Building a general list is a waste of time, You have to build a niche audience no matter how small or obscure.

It's not one good thing or trick, It's a combination of right steps from start to finish that includes your entire online presence, expertise, and marketing capabilities.