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Infographic: 7 ways to use your blog to drive traffic, leads and sales
With more than 600 million active blogs across the globe, the BBB understands that blogging is a powerful way to build your reputation, drive traffic to your website, and generate leads and sales. With so many blog platforms, layouts, and designs, however, creating a professional blog that converts can be overwhelming.
The good news is that with a few simple tips and tricks, you can create an influential blog that generates traffic, leads, and sales for your small business.
7 tips for using your blog to increase traffic, leads, and sales
It takes a lot of effort to create a blog that drives traffic. You can spend lots of time and money creating amazing content, but it won’t be worthwhile if you don’t have any readers. Growing your blog requires more than just good content; you have to follow a strategy to grow your platform. Here are seven ways to increase traffic to your blog to generate more leads and sales:
1. Invest in proper keyword research
With Google currently accounting for 85.55% of the search engine market and possibly using more than 200 factors in their algorithm for ranking websites, proper keyword research is an essential part of any SEO strategy.
By identifying the keywords your audience is searching for, you can tailor your content and marketing strategy around these subjects to drive more traffic.
If you don’t clearly understand what keywords your target audience is searching for when preparing to make a purchase, you’re leaving a lot of potential sales on the table. When done right, the average ROI of SEO is nearly $2.75 for every dollar spent – making keyword research a worthwhile investment.
2. Promote your blog content on social media
Social media is a powerful platform for business owners and entrepreneurs to promote their blog content. Research shows more than 3.6 billion people were using social media worldwide in 2020, with that number expected to increase to 4.41 billion by 2025.
Not only do social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter offer an opportunity to reach millions of people with your blog content, but they also allow you to build a community composed of your ideal audience.
When you provide your audience with a positive social media experience, they are more willing to:
- Recommend your brand (76%)
- Purchase from your brand over competitors (77%)
- Increase their spending with your brand (72%)
3. Include video content on your blog
With video content expected to account for more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic in 2022, it’s clear that video is a powerful way to generate interest, build trust, and increase sales.
Depending on your specific niche or industry, some of the most powerful forms of video content include:
- Brand videos
- Educational/How-To videos
- Event videos
- Explainer/Tutorial videos
- Live videos
4. Optimize your blog for ease of accessibility
You can increase your reach and build a larger audience by optimizing your blog content for accessibility. With more than one billion people (approximately 15% of the world's population) living with some form of disability, it’s essential to ensure that your content is easily accessible to everyone.
Optimizing your blog content for accessibility makes it available to a wider audience. The more people you can reach with your content, the more opportunities you have to generate sales.
5. Interact with your audience in the comments
The comments section of your blog is one of the best places to interact with your readers. When you respond to comments, you build relationships with your readers and show them that you care about their opinions.
Studies show that 57% of people will increase their spending with brands they feel connected to, and another 76% will choose to buy from such brands over competitors.
6. Personalize your blog to your audience
One of the most overlooked ways to increase your blog’s reach is to personalize your content to your audience.
With 85% of customers feeling like they are not receiving value from brands they engage with, it’s essential to provide your audience with content specifically tailored to their needs and to avoid being generic.
7. Include a CTA at the end of each blog
Every good piece of content needs to include a call-to-action (CTA) at the end to ensure that your audience knows what to do next. The right CTA can increase your conversions, with research showing that a personalized CTA has the power to convert leads 202% better than your basic CTA.
Get more tips for optimizing your brand's blog with help from the BBB
In today’s digital age, a blog is one of the most powerful ways to reach consumers. By incorporating the seven tips outlined above, you can optimize your blog content to increase your reach and build a larger audience. As a result, you will have more opportunities to generate sales.
For more great tips on creating a website that generates leads and converts, check out the BBB business news feed and the BizHQ.