Lead Generation Through Blogging

There’s a lot of talk about using social media for lead generation these days, but many people overlook the one medium that’s been a staple of Online lead generation since the beginning of social media: blogging.

When a brand turns to social media they’re looking for a solid ROI, and blogging is often the best place to start in building a solid strategy. Adding a blog to a brand’s corporate Website turns a traditionally static Website into a dynamic one, driving fresh content that prospects and search engines need. Acting as a foundation, adding a blog to a business Website can transform it into a dynamic resource to serve a particular audience while generating search engine traffic with every new blog post.

Integrating a blog to attract visitors brings an on-going flow of prospects to your Website, which in turn provides opportunities for those visitors to navigate to other parts of your site that support lead generation. Adding sidebar elements that promote lead-generation campaigns can begin the process by appealing to two main categories: those interested in a product offer and those interested in content. Both appeal to different positions in the leads and sales process.

By adding a call-to-action promoting content, you appeal to a visitor that may not particularly be interested in learning about your products or services, and rather wants to learn more about who you are and what your expertise is. Offering valuable content related to your field of expertise can include things like webinars, industry research reports, whitepapers and other content that provide valuable information for prospects. Other leads will be interested in direct product-focused information, so it’s always important to include an additional call-to-action that promotes a certain product or service. Using a combination of both offer types alongside dynamic blog content can be a powerful lead-generation machine.

Once you begin your strategy of leveraging your new found traffic, it’s important to test placement of your lead-generation calls-to-action to maximize results. Instead of simply placing them in the blog’s sidebar, try placing them between posts on the blog itself, or appending a quick call-to-action to the end of each post you publish. Test different areas to see which produces the highest response rates and optimize your campaigns accordingly. Beyond optimization, the most important thing to remember is that content is king, therefore providing unique, consistent content on a regular basis is the foundation to leveraging a blog for successful lead generation.