How to Generate Sales Leads With Blogs: A Beginner's Guide
When we really get down to it, a blog is a tool that’s meant to serve a purpose. Sure, you want your blog to be engaging and interesting to your readers, but is that the ultimate goal?
In most cases the answer is “no”.
What you really want is for readers to be so captivated by what you’ve written they decide to reach out.
This doesn’t mean you don’t care about providing value to potential clients. It doesn’t make you a money-hungry jerk or a bad business owner. And it’s not about putting profits before people.
It’s simply a matter of being realistic about what you’re trying to achieve— and that’s to generate sales leads with blogs.
Views, clicks, and comments are all great, but they don’t yield a return in terms of revenue, which is a problem. Especially when you consider how much of your time, effort, and resources go into producing blog content.
Remember, on average, it takes:
6-12 months to begin making substantial income from a blog
4 hours and 10 minutes to write an engaging, optimized blog post
3-6 months for a blog to fully benefit your search engine rankings
That’s a major commitment.
Fortunately, it pays off in spades. But you have to understand blogging for lead generation before you can increase profits.
Today I’ll be covering all the best tips and tricks for converting your readers into prospects.
How to Generate Sales Leads With Blogs: A Beginner’s Guide
Before we discuss how to create blogs that generate leads, let’s take a look at the value of blogging in terms of securing sales opportunities. You may be surprised to learn just how effective it can be!
The Importance of Blogging for Lead Generation
There are plenty of lead generation strategies out there, so you may be wondering what makes blogging the best approach to filling your sales funnel— and that’s a completely valid train of thought.
Here’s a brief overview of what makes blogging one of the top inbound marketing tactics:
Brands that publish regular blog posts experience 126% more lead growth than non-blogging brands
Businesses with an active blog are 13X more likely to achieve a positive ROI
61% of consumers have purchased something after reading about it in a blog
Posting 16 blogs per month generates 4.5X more leads than posting four or less per month
Long form blog posts (2,000 words or more) generate 9X more leads than short-form posts
5 Tips for Writing Blogs That Generate Leads
1. ADD A SUBSCRIPTION POP-UP
A lot of business owners shy away from pop-up lead captures out of fear they’re “spammy” or off-putting to readers, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Pop-up subscription forms are actually highly effective (and acceptable to readers) when done correctly.
The key is to keep it short and simple. Your pop-up lead capture should state a single value proposition and then ask for the person’s name and email. That’s it!
Examples of value propositions include:
Get The Latest HR News and Trends Delivered to Your Inbox
Subscribe for 10% OFF Your Next Purchase
Receive New Recipes Every Week
Also, don’t set your pop-up to appear the instant a reader opens your blog. Have it show up halfway through or when the person is about to exit the page. That way, you give the reader the opportunity to gain value from your post before making an ask.
2. USE A LIVE CHAT TOOL
Readers often have additional questions after reading a blog. This is especially true for more complex industries or topics (like cryptocurrency, for instance). Adding a live chat tool to your blog allows readers to receive an answer to their inquiry almost immediately—without navigating away from your website. It also gives you a chance to add even more value to their experience by sharing links to other relevant blogs or resources.
But most importantly? Live chat features are a powerful tool for brands looking to master lead generation through blogging. Many chat tools require users to log in via an email or social media account in order to start a conversation. Others can be set up to automatically send a lead capture form at the end of a chat.
Quick Tip:
I recommend choosing a live chat platform that integrates with your email marketing platform so new leads are added to your subscriber list automatically.
3. INCLUDE LEAD MAGNETS
A lead magnet is any free offer a business makes available to potential clients in exchange for their contact information. Blogs are a great place to promote these offers for a couple of reasons. To start, readers are already interested in the information you are sharing in your blog. Providing a lead magnet that’s relevant to the topic they’re currently researching allows you to provide additional value and appeal to their interests. And secondly, including lead magnets in blog posts turns cold leads (your readers) into warm leads (email subscribers) who are more likely to invest in your product or service.
Examples of lead magnets you can share in blog posts include:
Ebooks
Checklists
Resource lists
Downloadable workbooks
Spreadsheets
Webinars
Free templates
Coaching sessions
Case studies
Free trials
4. RESPOND TO COMMENTS
The comment section of your blog is the perfect place to connect with your target market. Whether a reader leaves a comment asking a question, or they simply say they liked your post, replying shows your commitment to your audience.
Plus, it’s an opportunity to offer additional value (and ultimately generate new leads).
Here are a few ways to generate sales leads with blog comments:
Share a link to another relevant blog post the reader might find interesting
Mention an upcoming event/webinar they can attend to learn more about the topic
Let them know about a limited time offer or special discount they can take advantage of
Invite them to join your online community for more resources and updates
Encourage them to follow you on social media, check out your podcast, or watch one of your YouTube videos
Just remember, your comment should focus on genuine connection and adding value first, and making a request second.
5. RETARGET YOUR READERS
The final way to drive revenue through your blog is to retarget your readers with personalized, engaging social media advertisements. This means your ads will only be shown to people who have visited your blog.
To do this, you’ll need to add a Meta pixel (piece of code) to your website. It allows you to track who visits your website and what actions they take during their session.
Once the pixel has been successfully added to your site, you’ll be able to create ads within Facebook and target them to a custom audience. Since Facebook ads integrate seamlessly with the Meta pixel, you’ll be able to pull your pixel data directly into your ad setup.
Need help getting set up? I recommend referring to this guide.
The benefits of retargeting are far-reaching. Your blog readers will be exposed to your advertisements after exiting your website, increasing brand recognition for your business and capturing the attention of prospects when they’re most likely to convert. And last but not least, you’ll be taking advantage of the mere-exposure effect— a psychological phenomenon used in marketing which states people are more likely to trust and buy from the brands they see most often.
Don’t Wait to Generate Sales Leads With Blogs
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I work one-on-one with my clients as an Edmonton copywriter and content marketing consultant, providing the high-caliber copy they need to communicate their value, captivate their audience, and compound their cash flow.
That includes blogs that generate leads!
If you’re looking to partner with a marketing expert who takes a purpose-driven approach to their craft and who will function as an extension of your business, I’d love to connect.
Request more info about my blog services below.