It’s an interesting phenomenon that many business owners and marketers are still spending time writing regular blogs without considering how to use that content as a sales conversion tool. You wouldn't consider posting on social media without an image or a link, so why are you sending out your blog posts, generating interest and then not guiding potential customers to your services?
Hopefully you have outsourced blogging to an expert in order to free up your time, but whether you write blogs in house or use a digital marketing agency, when you consider how much time it takes to write high quality blog posts you need to make sure you are making the most of this time invested.
Often it's the case that a potential customer is reading your blog as it answers a specific problem they have searched for on Google - and so if you are the answer to their specific problem, make sure they take action!
Blogging is time consuming- so make sure you're making the most of your content!
Calls To Action -the basics
You may hear your marketing team or agency contact talk about the importance of call to action or CTA.
In essence a call to action is an invitation to take action off the back of reading a blog, seeing a social media post, or consuming any kind of content. It could be a button that clicks through to your website or an invitation to share the blog itself. However it's important to know that it can be so much more! The trick is knowing which call to action to choose from to get the most from your blog, and that will depend on the type of business you are in and your business goals. Hiring a content marketing specialist is the best way to ensure that you're using the best call to action for any given type of content, but the tips below will help you with a few considerations.
The call to action you choose to promote should be linked to the subject within the blog post. For example if you’re a HR company talking about successful habits of effective leaders, it makes sense to invite your reader to find out more about your leadership event in May. Or if for example, you’re sharing a recent customer case study, invite your readers to sign up for a free consultation to explore how you could offer them a similar service. In essence, the call to action should feel like a natural extension of the blog.
Blogging is one of the most versatile tools you can use in content marketing as it opens up many varied types of call to action. There is no need to stick to the same call to action each time, and actually you really shouldn't. The great part about creating regular blog posts is it actually gives your company an opportunity to try a variety of calls to action so that you can see which ones help to convert into paying customers the most.
There are many types of call to action to choose from, but here are five of our favourite ideas to inspire you to into getting the most out of your blogs:-
1. Share on Social Media
Social media shares are golden for improving your search engine rankings or SEO. When content is shared it sends a signal to search engines that your content is relevant, high-quality, and authoritative, and this in turn means your business will rank higher in the search results. When a reader shares your blog they are effectively doing your sales or business development job for you, so it pays to invest in helpful shareable content, so really, don’t be shy about asking readers to share it!
"Once your audience starts to comment and share your post your brand visibility will gain huge momentum".
2. Invite Comments
A blog post is a great way to build a community. Simply ask your readers for feedback by leaving a comment below. This gives you an opportunity to build a community who will return to your website and interact on future posts. It grows trust and helps you to show you are an authority in the subject. All this helps to nurture readers into becoming future customers and/or advocates of your business.
Blogs are a great tool to stimulate comments and debate
3. Place an Enquiry
Most of the time it’s way too early for a reader reading your blog to buy from your company. They are, after all, most times in the awareness or “discovery” phase of the sales funnel. However, using your call-to-action to generate leads can allow you to keep in contact with these prospects as they consider a purchase. Make sure you provide something of value, which could be a free consultation or a custom made quote.
4. Provide a limited-time offer
More and more marketers are using limited time offers to entice new customers and overcome any nagging barriers to sale. After all, who doesn't want to get something exclusive that's perceived to be in short supply? One example is offering readers something exclusive by way of thanking them for taking the time to read the blog- perhaps it's a free three month subscription to your service offered for a limited period and initially only available to your blog readers before launching the offer to a wider audience.
5. Spark a Debate
Sparking a bit of controversy into your blog will without doubt increase your audience reach, however you must tread carefully with this tactic. For example, you must really be an expert in the subject matter and you must of course ensure you are not denigrating or slandering anyone or any organisation. Most importantly of all you must treat your own personal brand with respect. It’s great to show a human side and your own vulnerability, but disparaging comments about yourself or your company stick. However, if you hit the mark on a hot topic in a thought provoking way, take full advantage of this opportunity to turn comments into a heated debate. Once your audience starts to comment and share your post your brand visibility will gain huge momentum.
Hopefully this will have helped inspire you to make sure you are getting the most out of your content marketing and blogs.
Curious how content marketing could help your organisation reach its marketing goals? Contact us for a free no strings consultation.
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