Content marketing is a powerful and complex tool that can help business owners reach potential customers across all industries. Over the years, the definition of “content” has morphed to match new marketing software and technology.
I thought it would be a good idea to take a few steps back and talk about blogging. In 2022, blogging is more important than ever before. Here are some of the benefits I think you should know:
- Companies that blog receive 97% more links than those that don’t.
- Close to 80% of internet users read blog posts.
- Blogging businesses generate 67% more leads than those that don’t.
- 47% of shoppers read 3-5 blog posts before buying something online.
As you can see, a robust content marketing strategy can help you grow your lead list, boost engagement, and skyrocket sales. If you’re wondering how to write interesting conversion-worthy content for your website, you’re in the right place!
Today, I will share several tips and tricks you can use to improve your blog and turn more first-time readers into active customers.
Are you ready? Let’s dive in!
Chose Compelling Topics
The first topic I want to discuss today is choosing compelling topics for your blog. One of the biggest mistakes new marketers make is they write about what they think their audience wants to read. While this strategy can sometimes work, it’s far from laser-accurate.
The best way to pick engaging topics is to get to know your audience. Customer research can help you better understand the goals, pain points, and interests of the people clicking on your site. You can use the data you obtain from your research to build targeted buyer personas.
Essentially, buyer personas are profiles that define the people who visit your site. For instance, an online pet store owner would have a customer personas sheet for dog owners and a totally different one for cat owners. These customer profiles help business owners decide what type of content they should write for their blog.
I suggest reviewing your personas and thinking about ways you can help customers in each group solve problems and get one step closer to their goals through your content. I can’t stress the importance of choosing a specific audience for each blog post you write. If you write for your intended audience, you’ll have a better chance at holding their attention, which can help increase engagement and conversions.
If you’re struggling with building personas, here are a few ways to enhance your research strategy so you can learn about your visitors and create better blog posts:
- Conduct a site-wide survey with segment-specific questions
- Reach out to your email subscribers.
- Ask your social media followers to share their thoughts.
- Review your on-site analytics
Include Video Content
Next, let’s talk about the type of content included in each blog post. Believe it or not, many business leaders and marketers can publish more than written text and still see substantial results. The most common substitute is video content.
Video marketing is an extremely powerful strategy that can enhance brand awareness and help you build trust with new visitors. When it comes to on-site engagement, you’re 53% more likely to make it to the first page of Google if you have videos on your website.
I like that you can use existing content as a springboard for new videos. For instance, sometimes, we go back and look at old or outdated posts. Instead of writing something new from scratch, we create a video for our YouTube channel and embed it directly on the blog post. I’ve found that this is a great way to freshen up and repurpose existing content while still helping users reach their goals.
You can also create video versions of your most popular posts. Sometimes, we cover our top blog posts in-depth and answer user questions in a video. Afterward, we include the video with the original article so users can get additional context while reading our content.
Show that You’re Trustworthy
Have you ever visited a website that didn’t feel trustworthy? Most of us have, and it’s not a good feeling. You never want your users to question the validity of your brand, product, or service. Social proof is an excellent way to establish yourself as an expert and connect with new visitors through existing customers’ feedback.
When shoppers see that your business is reputable, they are more likely to buy something from your online store. I’ve had tremendous success, including social proof directly on our blog. The type that gets the most traction is user reviews. I believe this is because 92% of shoppers look at reviews before they make a purchase online.
Including reviews strategically throughout your blog posts is easier than you think. Simply find one of the posts that talk about specific features or products, and quote the reviewer in the article. This seemingly insignificant change can impact the conversion rate of your product-oriented blog posts.
You can also use live sales notifications and trust seals to build trust from your blog. Sales notifications are alerts that appear when other customers take action on your site. For instance, if someone is reading a blog post, and another user buys the product featured in the post, the first user will get an alert that says something like, “Alex C. purchased (product)!”
Users see sales notifications and trust badges as seals of approval. The thought process is simple, “they trust this company; why shouldn’t I?”
Adding social proof signals to your blog can help build your trustworthiness in the community and lead to more people reading and referencing your blog.
Share Your Content on Social Media
Did you know that over 4.55 billion people use social media? This startling statistic is one reason why you should consider the benefits of sharing your blog content on social media.
You can bet that your target audience is on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. If these people have never heard of your brand, how will they know about your blog? Sharing your content on these platforms means you’ll have a better chance of connecting with potential customers and building your email list and social media following.
I suggest creating curated social media posts that strategically share your content, promotions, and customer engagement opportunities. Speaking of engagement, don’t forget to visit the comments section of your posts and talk to your followers. People are far more likely to engage with businesses on social media if the brand bothers to speak to them first.
Use the segments you created around your customers to divide your blog content into categories for each type of customer. As you run these various content and promotion campaigns, measure your results. You may find that certain types of content on specific platforms lead to more conversions. Uncovering the best social media platforms to share your blog posts is a crucial step in creating a conversion-worthy blog.
Encourage Visitors to Take Action
The last tip I want to talk about today is how to close your blog posts. Many new bloggers don’t end their articles with a clear call-to-action (CTA), and as a result, visitors leave without doing anything extra.
If you took the time to develop a goal for each blog post, you should have a much easier time encouraging visitors to take action. For example, if your goal is to educate your customers and convince them to subscribe to your email list, you may want to consider showing a popup with a relevant lead magnet.
Relevancy and personalization do play a role in the sales process. In fact, research shows that personalized CTAs see 42% more conversions when compared to ones that were not personalized.
Here’s another way you can use your goals to encourage visitors to take action; let’s say you decide to create blog posts that talk about the features of your product. If visitors make it to one of these posts, they are obviously interested in what you’re selling. Instead of letting them leave without connecting with you, you could trigger a free quote option that allows prospects to get in touch with you first.
There are plenty of CTAs to choose from based on your unique marketing goals and industries. I suggest starting with 2-4 goals and getting more ambitious over time.
Back to You
As you can see, blogging is still crucial for your success in 2022. The tips I’ve presented today will help you get more value from your company blog, which will undoubtedly lead to more subscribers, sales, and engagement.
Your blog will change with your business. I recommend reviewing your buyer persons every quarter and making adjustments based on what you’ve learned. If you continuously update your personas, you can ensure that your content reflects the needs of your readers.
