Do Blog Posts Lead to Purchases?
In the marketing world, there has always been fairly significant importance placed on blogging as a channel for advertising. Whether you’re running your own blog or just paying for articles in someone else’s, there’s always room in the budget for blogging. A blog is great for your website’s SEO, improving traffic, and keeping your customers informed about your industry and the services you provide. But running a blog can also be expensive and time-consuming, leading many to wonder if it’s really worthwhile. Every business owner has asked themselves at least once – do blog posts really lead to clicks and, more importantly, purchases?
The Advantages of Blog Posts
The short answer is yes, they do. In surveys, a significant percentage of customers tend to answer that they’ve bought something based on a blog post, with numbers fairly comparable to the results for videos and other forms of marketing. While a blog alone isn’t really enough for a balanced marketing campaign, it’s clear that having one on your site is well worth the time and money. It’s helpful for drawing in potential customers, getting your brand name out there, and even selling products. But what is it that makes blog posts such an effective marketing route?
Why Blogs Work
The biggest advantage that a good blog offers your company is credibility. Including real, accurate information that’s relevant to what a prospective buyer needs to know is a great way to establish yourselves in their mind as professional, experienced, and trustworthy. Potential clients reading your blog posts can come away with a positive impression of your company and its expertise. They’ll get the impression that you know your industry well, know what customers need, and are willing to offer advice or services that go beyond what your competitors do. While blogs aren’t as flashy and exciting as video content, for example, they offer an opportunity to provide in-depth information while also boosting the search engine rankings of the rest of your site. As part of a balanced marketing strategy with other content, a well-researched blog can do wonders for your website.
Blog Tips and Tricks
There are a couple easy tips and tricks that can make a big difference. Here are some that we believe will help your blog posts convert better.
Sprinkle Links and CTAs
You can bring up your products and services organically in your blog posts, but definitely don’t forget to liberally sprinkle in some links to product pages as well. The advantage of a hyperlink is that it doesn’t distract from the flow of the post, and it helps the blog read more like a credible article than a piece of advertising. You can also place CTA (call-to-action) buttons elsewhere on the page, so you’re giving readers the opportunity to click through without interrupting their reading experience.
Offer Free Resources
If you’re more focused on gathering and building leads than offering direct purchase links, try giving your readers the opportunity to download a free resource, like an e-book or template. This gives your readers the chance to interact further with your company, while providing you with a list of emails of potential leads. Try including this as a CTA button at the bottom of your blog post.
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