Many marketing organizations recommend a marketing focus on customer-centric content and delivery. This style of marketing has a high conversion rate.
Instead of interruptive marketing that reaches out to prospective customers, inbound marketing is about building up content that can help consumers when they need it.
A large part of inbound marketing is focused on producing content: informative articles that empower consumers, white papers and ebook guides, and how-to articles that help them solve problems.
However much time you spend producing content, you should spend that amount of time or more promoting that content.
Promote your content and expertise on your social media with high-quality information.
Here are the blog guidelines you can use:
1. Use Long Lists
People like lists. Long or short, entertainment or pure utility, people like reading lists that provide some sort of value. That’s why lists are such popular content in every format.
But if you want people to click on your links to long-form list posts, it’s best to just jump into the middle of it.
Make a social media post with a seemingly random point on your list. For example, if you have a list of fifteen ways to organize your personal finances, post the point that will most resonate with your primary customer persona on Twitter.
Then do the same for Facebook. Chances are that your target markets will be slightly different on the different platforms, so feature the list point that matches your readership.
By jumping in the middle, it gives the impression that all of your points have equal importance.
It also avoids the frustration of seemingly gated content: if you post the first three points and tell readers to click on the link for the rest, it carries a negative gimmicky connotation that a random point doesn’t.
2. Repurpose Your Content into Visual Displays
Your content on your business blog is probably going to be text. It should be optimized and attractive, and you might have a separate slideshow and video version, but it will probably start out as a typed article.
And that’s perfectly alright.
But when it comes to social media, it needs to be more eye-catching at a glance. Turn part of the content into a quick infographic, or create a quick graphic that has the text of a list point with matching images or gifs.
Any time you can match social media posts with graphical content or, even better, make the post graphical content entirely, it’s far more likely to be shared and liked.
3. Getting More Engagement and Action
The first thing to do is to analyze the content to see which topics are used consistently and which are used sparingly. Then try to determine which content converts the best among the historical posts.
Optimize towards those types of posts as they convert better.
Next, content creators should build a new type of post (if they weren’t already), that is much more focused on calls to action.
That could include signing up for an email list, downloading software, a white paper or other materials. It could also be a call to purchase the product directly.
Then using analytics, test to see which post does best and focus on those in the future.
4. Re-orienting The Landing Page
The landing page is another key feature of getting more leads and conversions. Posting a bare page with just text is not going to achieve success when competitors are using so many different techniques.
Pop-ups that request the page visitor enter their contact information are effective for generating a lot of leads and a large mailing list. Those persons with mild interest will fill out the form which can be stored in a MySQL database for further data mining.
Additionally, visitors can be asked to provide additional information after they click out of the landing page. These pop-ups also get highly valuable information from visitors that want to ensure their specific demands are recognized.
Landing pages can even have more visible outreach in the forms of a human marketer immediately using language, movement, and expression to sell the product or service.
This can be implemented by a video that immediately runs on the page or an image that is inlaid into the HTML or Javascript directly on the page.
5. Search Engine Optimization
Of course, bloggers can optimize their page for the exact keywords and search terms that are most likely to convert to sales. This effort takes trial and error.
A good clue is to see which search terms are the most expensive in their category. Bloggers can then write content emphasizing those concepts, for SEO purposes
Bloggers should then start to get free hits from consumers searching for the term.
Similarly, every page should have an image on it that attracts consumers. The images should include tags and descriptions that match search terms and ad words mentioned above.
Continue A/B testing to find which of these works best and produces the most results.
While there is no silver bullet to increasing conversions and attracting more leads, bloggers can slowly but surely move towards that goal. As long as they are diligent and efficient, more visitors will lead to more conversions and more profit.
6. Provide Significant Value
When a new lead visits your website, it is important to make sure that they have landed on the correct page based upon what they’re searching for. This will help prevent the visitor from bouncing.
Make sure your content, meta description, and title are all congruent. The page your visitor lands on should contain helpful, relevant content that is easy to share.
The content should guide them to a downloadable lead magnet that provides more depth and answers. Once your prospect has downloaded the lead magnet, this is your opportunity to offer your product or service.
This is essentially a sales funnel. It may not seem like it because this strategy focuses on the needs of the customer.
7. Become a Resource
So the prospect has downloaded your lead magnet and still has not purchased. This indicates that you need to continue providing value and resourceful information to build trust.
Not only that, if you are a new brand you have to work on acquiring space in the mind of your prospect so they think of you first when they need your product or service.
How do you do this? Become a powerful information resource. You could operate a blog, podcast, email newsletter, interview experts, and more.
This builds credibility and strengthens your brand. Customers buy from the brands they trust and can remember.
8. Solve Problems
Provide value for free and fill your site with resourceful information, now it’s time to solve problems. Make sure that your product or service performs excellently and executes the problem for your customer.
At the core of your marketing, you need to have a solid product or service. As you continue to solve problems for your customers, word of mouth takes hold, and you start developing brand advocates.
Give your customers a pleasant experience when you solve their problems.
If you want to convert more leads into customers, the first action to take is providing value via a lead magnet.
This grows your email list with warm leads. Your prospects have a positive view of your company because you are already helping them before they’ve made a purchase.
9. Share Your Story
Your story is the strongest message you will ever carry to your audience. People are looking for authenticity in a business. The power of a clear and compelling story will build trust faster than any list of features on your product.
Businesses often forget their audience has feelings. People want to connect with you in a personal way. Go ahead and share your struggles and how you got to where you are now.
10. Make Honest Promises
Everyone is tired of clickbait so keep your titles enticing yet honest. Lying in any way to your audience will be detrimental to your business, and people can see right through false claims.
You should always be able to deliver on any claims that you make in your content. Many people are turned off by exaggerated promises and would rather have a step by step plan to improve their situation.
Follow These Blog Guidelines
Your uniqueness gives you the ability to say and create things in a way that no one else can. Your content is the perfect place to let your personality shine through. People love quirky personalities, and strong opinions so don’t hide behind your computer.
Your content should reflect your values and nature so your audience can relate and begin a long-term relationship with you.
Never be afraid to give away insanely useful content for free, promote others or ask your audience questions.
Building trust with your audience starts with being confident in yourself and your business. Contact us to learn more blog guidelines.
