Your blog is (literally) the most valuable marketing tool you have in your toolbox. Period.
Your blog not only helps you bring visitors to your website, but it is also the best way to capture the contact information of your visitor.
To understand the power that your blog brings to the table let’s take a moment to understand how Google works.
How Google Works
As I am sure you know, Google’s search engine is a powerful tool. Without search engines like Google, it would be (practically) impossible to find the information you need when you browse the Web.
If you think about it this way, Google’s search engine is like Janet (from “The Good Place”). Janet has an answer for every question (for those you haven’t committed to binge-watching the show yet).
Google has multiple answers for every question…those answers come up in SERP’s (search engine result pages).
The Google search results page (SERP) is made up of a variety of search result types. This is a visual representation of what a SERP page might look like (you’ve seen this before…unless you live under a rock):
Every time you create content on the internet you have a chance of it showing up on this page. Blogs are one form of content, you can also create videos, social media content, podcasts, etc.
The more content you’ve created and shared, the more likely it is that browsers will find your content.
So, what does this have to do with turning your website into a lead generating machine?
Well, in my experience in coaching over 2,000 small businesses and entrepreneurs over the last 7+ years, I have found that most business owners don’t see the value in creating blog content until they understand the benefit they will receive. But, we’ve covered that…so, let’s move on to the tips I have to share with you on how you can optimize your blogs so that you can capture leads.
Sound good?
There are many strategies you can implement to capture the contact information of your blog visitor. In this article, I am going to share with you (5) ways you can start capturing leads to get you started.
5 Ways to Turn Your Blog into a Lead Generating Machine
Social Share Buttons
First of all, you’ll want to make sure you add social share icons to your blog posts.
The social share icons give your visitors an opportunity to share your blog with their friends, family, and followers on their social profiles.
While this tactic won’t help you capture more leads it will give you more exposure which in turn can lead to more visitors. More visitors = more opportunity to capture leads.
Social “Like” Boxes
Be sure to add the social like box of your preferred social media platform to your website also.
This is the social like box for Facebook that’s located in the right side margin of my blog on Your Marketing Coach website.
The Facebook like box allows our visitors to follow us on Facebook while still staying on our website. Inside the like box widget, they can see friends who have liked our page and also our recent posts.
This tool is perfect to get visitors to follow you on your social platforms without leaving your website and you also have another way to communicate with your followers! It’s a win-win!
Again, this isn’t a strategy to help you capture leads on your marketing list, but, it is helping you gain followers that you can now communicate with on Facebook.
BTW, Twitter and Instagram also have like boxes like this as well if you are looking to grow your following on those platforms.
Sidebar Ad
The next tactic you want to deploy is also located in the right side margin of your blog. It’s called a sidebar ad. I’m sure you’ve seen them before.
Bloggers will often times rent that space on their blogs to advertisers. It’s a great way to monetize your blog.
But, for business owners, this is a prime real estate spot where YOU can advertise YOUR offers, promotions, or free resources!
You can use the right side margin to advertise an upcoming event, run an ad for a special promotion you are running, get visitors to sign up for an upcoming webinar, or give away something for free in exchange for their contact information.
When you are deciding what you’d like to place here keep in mind the reason why they showed up on your blog in the first place. Be sure to customize your offer to the topic of the blog that they landed on to help you get better results.
In-Text CTA’s (Call-to-Action) Links
The next tactic you can use to capture leads is to add in-text CTA’s (call-to-action) hyperlinks. CTA hyperlinks are links that you include in the text of your blog article that links to other blogs on your site, other resources, or landing pages where you offer your visitor even more free content.
By linking your text to other blogs it helps your SEO and keeps your visitor on your site longer (increasing the likeness of them opting into some resource that you are offering).
You can also link the text to a popup lightbox that gives your visitor an opportunity to sign up for another resource you are offering (without leaving the blog they are currently reading).
Footer CTA (Call-to-Action)
And then the last section that I’d recommend that you add another graphic with a CTA to a free resource is in the footer of your blog.
If your visitor has taken the time to read your entire blog there’s a good chance that they’ve connected with your content.
Use the footer of your blog to offer (yet another) opportunity for them to get access to more valuable resources that you’ve created. Keep in mind, just like the other free resources that you’ve offered, you want to make sure that your free offer is in alignment with the blog they just read.
If you think about it this way – once they read your blog, what’s the next most logical step that you would suggest that they take? That should be your CTA.
Wrapping Up
And there you have it, (5) tactics to help you turn your blog into a lead generating machine.
Need help with getting the graphics you need to optimize your blog? Check us out here.
