There is no doubt that blogging can be one of your most powerful forms of lead and sale generation, regardless of your niche. A lot of people talk about it, but I am here with first-hand experience.
I started SerpLogic as a blog years ago after my previous SEO agency was acquired. I noticed there was a severe lack of real-world online marketing advice out there and I wanted people looking for SEO help to have a blog resource that they could trust as being fluff free.
I started to blog about some controversial topics that the “guru” crowd wouldn’t touch, and that is what helped to catapult my blog, helping to accumulate a very loyal audience. Through my blogs, I would receive a lot of requests from companies looking for help securing quality links. Now, these were not mom and pop shops. These were multi-million-dollar companies located all over the world.
It was at that point I decided to pivot, turning SerpLogic into a full-blown agency. It wasn’t long after launching that we grew into a seven-figure agency. I have blogging to thank for that accomplishment, and to this day, the blog is responsible for attracting and converting huge clients.
Know why our blog is so effective at generating leads and sales? Because it gives people a reason to come back over and over. We have huge repeat clients that spend large monthly budgets with us, yet they still come back to the blog several times a month to stay up to date. It’s that extra value that keeps them ordering more. Then, you have the potential clients that are weighing all options, and eventually pull the trigger and hire us because of the no-BS value and information we provide on our blog.
Blogging allows you to create a voice for your company, and when you do it right, your audience will connect with you more and that helps to push a larger percent to convert. Don’t let costs be a fake barrier you use, because the truth is that anyone can start to blog without spending a dime. All it takes is your time. If you are busy all day, then wake up an hour early or stay up an hour later to write. Learn how to effectively blog as soon as possible, because it can single handedly help you grow your business.
These are my eight tips to help you start blogging your way to more leads, sales, and revenue. They can be applied to any business. The only thing stopping you are excuses.
1. Have a unique angle and offer something different.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of SEO and online marketing blogs, but they all spit out the same things. What made my blog so popular in the beginning was the topics I was writing about. I was talking about buying links when every other SEO guru was claiming that the only way to land them was by publishing content.
Sure, that strategy can work, but companies with budgets simply buy them. The ones claiming that content was king and the only way to score the best links were the same people selling links and participating in elaborate link schemes themselves.
When I started blogging I had no intentions of selling SEO services after having my previous agency acquired, so I decided to be very authentic and honest about what really goes on in terms of links. That transparency attracted a lot of attention, which then turned into clients.
It was content that wasn’t found anywhere else. While everyone else was pulling the wool over their reader’s eyes, I was calling the gurus out on their nonsense and explaining how the link industry works. I flat out said that links are the number one ranking factor and if you want the best ones you need to pay up.
2. Be consistent in terms of publishing frequency.
One thing I know that has helped me find success blogging is my consistency. I focus on creating several high quality posts every month, rather than pumping out smaller less valuable posts on a daily basis.
Most people don’t have time to visit a blog daily and read, and they would much rather come consistently on a weekly basis to consume a much more valuable post. I’m a big fan of long-form content because it allows me to really get my point across and it’s no secret that Google loves content with some meat. Our organic traffic numbers climb every month, and I can attribute that entirely to our blog and consistent posting of new content.
If you can only write one great post a month, then do that and make sure you post one every single month. When you start to gain traction, your readers will get accustomed to your posting schedule and if you miss a date or skip a period of time they will disconnect and find another source of information.
Remember, you will never be the only option, no matter how much better your content is. Make a conscious effort to always have new content waiting for your readers to engage with.
3. Guest blog on industry websites.
Guest blogging used to be very popular as a way to get links, but many publications are now deleting links and at the very least making them no-follow. Now, while there is still SEO value to be found from do-follow links, the best part of guest blogging is the referral traffic and the ability to turn readers of the sites you guest blog to into readers of your blog.
I don’t do it as often now as I have in the past, mainly due to my agency’s growth. In the past I have written for leading industry sites like Ahrefs, which helped me get a lot of exposure early on. I have no doubt that many of our loyal readers came from Ahrefs and I know for a fact several of our big spending clients have done!
That website has to be very particular when it comes to topics, and they can’t dive into controversial topics like buying links. Many people that read my guest posts there will click over to my website and then see that my content has no filter, and they like that approach.
They will then visit again, and after a few interactions, they will join my newsletter and then some of them turn into agency clients. Some of the agency’s that resell our services first found me through those guest posts.
4. Entice your readers to share your content on social media.
Just like in the real world, people surround themselves with others that share the same interests. In my situation, SEO agency owners tend to run in the same circle, and some of my earlier content was heavily shared by them. Some liked what I was saying and became resellers and shared on social media, which introduced us to other agencies.
Then, some SEO gurus shared it and tried to say link buying wasn’t a real thing. While they might have intended to discredit my early blog, they actually helped us gainer readers and clients.
Your most loyal blog readers will naturally share your posts because they genuinely like what you have to say. For others, some need a little nudge to get them to hit the share button. Another reason to boost each post with some paid Facebook promotion is to attract real social proof early on. When someone sees that the post has several likes and shares already, they are more inclined to follow suit and do the same.
Also, make sure that your social share buttons are mobile-friendly. Not all plugins are, which is mind boggling.
5. Master interlinking to your offer pages.
This is where a lot of blogging efforts fail to miss the mark. You write this amazing piece of content that provides a tremendous amount of value and then the reader just disappears. Thanks for the content, see ya!
The average website visitors need to be told what to do. They aren’t mind readers. If you have a very powerful paragraph that is explaining the benefits of a product or service you offer, then by all means link out to it. You will have some readers that are primed perfectly at that point and will click right over and convert.
You will want to interlink to product or service pages where a direct purchase can occur, as well as to other interesting blog posts that are relevant. Some readers will need to consume more content before they are ready to convert, so give them plenty of options within each blog post.
Linking out to landing pages, lead forms and email opt-in offers are also advised.
6. Welcome comments and discussion.
Comments can be the best thing for your blog if you manage them right, but a complete disaster if you allow them to become a free for all. Even with spam blocking plugins, you need to take it a step further.
You can either require users to register on your website in order to comment, or you can use a third party option like Disqus. When you use an option like this, you will see more comments with profile pictures. This creates a more personal and human environment rather than just faceless comments with anchor text as names.
Yes, some people still think comment links boost SEO. They can help if done right, but entering your name as “free Viagra” on a comment will do nothing. At the end of each blog encourage the reader to leave comments and questions. This is something I do at the end of each blog I publish. Many people will have questions and if you take the time to answer them you create not only a fan of your blog, but you will also often see them turn into customers.
7. Offer an email opt-in.
Do you know how we generate a large percentage of our revenue? From our email list. This should not come as a surprise, as email marketing is still highly effective as long as you have a well-built list.
For my blog, we don’t have opt-in forms like a regular site would, because my audience is immune to them, so we encourage them to create an account in our dashboard, which then adds them to the email list. I also find this gets us a much higher caliber email lead.
But, most blogs will want to incorporate a sidebar opt-in and even offering in the middle of content as well as the end. If you publish solid content someone will be more apt to give you their email address because they want more of the value they found from you.
Many opt-in plugins have split-testing capabilities, which I suggest you take full advantage of. You never know what kind of offer will pull the highest percent of conversions unless you test every option.
8. Drive traffic to your blog through paid social media.
It’s easy to say that you should promote your blog on social media, but the truth is, most of your followers on social media already read your blog. In fact, they more than likely found your social media profiles because they read your blog.
So, constant posting on your social profiles is like speaking to the same crowd over and over. There is no reason to constantly pester and annoy your social media followers by reminding them that you have a blog. They already know. Focus on providing them other value, and then turn to paid social media to help put your blog in front of a new audience.
Facebook is the obvious choice here, and I would focus 95% of your available budget there, and then test some Twitter ads with the other 5%. The targeting options that Facebook allows are hard to beat, making it very easy for you to target people that like your competitors on Facebook.
Spending a few dollars to boos every blog post can really help you attract a loyal audience, and it’s something that I do with each post myself. Facebook gives you access to the entire world.
Conclusion
If you aren’t blogging yet, use this post as motivation. A blog eventually turned into a seven-figure a year agency, which has changed my life and business for good. Every website can benefit by having a blog, so follow these tips and put them into action as soon as possible.
If you get stuck and can’t think of what to blog about in your particular niche, take a look at the websites that are dominating the top of Google for all of your main keywords. Successful companies online will have a blog and one that is updated daily.
There are only so many topics you can write about, so don’t be afraid to look at other blogs to get some content topic ideas. The hardest part about blogging is getting started and then staying consistent. It’s not an overnight solution, but those that are dedicated and constantly publish will eventually see the results.
If you have any questions leave them in the comments below. I have been blogging successfully for the past several years and it has worked very well for me. I’m happy to help you experience success through blogging as well.
