Boring blog? Anemic traffic? Learn 4 ways to turn your boring blog into a lead gettin' machine!

Your blog is your buddy...your business buddy, that is! At least, that’s the way you should start thinking about it. Because your business is online, your blog is more than just a virtual representation of your business. It’s literally your business partner!

 

She works around the clock, serving as a valuable source of information and promotion to your customers — before, during and after business hours. She also helps generate profit for your company by pushing leads farther along the sales pipeline.

 

1. Invest in Your First Impression

If you aren’t investing time and energy and value into your website, you’re essentially telling visitors “I’m an amateur and I’m not really serious about my business.” You’re also sending a message that you don’t really believe in your own products or services.

 

First impressions are HUGE in a click through world. A professional looking web presence will grab attention and say “Look at me. I’m successful, credible and confident. I’m worth doing business with”

 

2. Design + Engagement = More Conversions

Everything from content to color schemes cannot be underestimated when designing your blogsite. Most of the time, your site is the first thing leads will see when researching products and services, and within seconds of landing on the home page they will decide if they’d like to do business with you. Catch their eye with colors that pop and natural navigation that leads them through the sales funnel.

 

Don’t over-clutter your site with irrelevant images and gibberish that undermines your ultimate message. Take a test drive around your own website..better yet, enlist a friend or colleague. Will your visitors be able to identify the key features of your service without having to scroll or click around a dozen times?  If the site is not incredibly easy to navigate, chances are you will lose that lead. Click, click. GONE!

 

3. Speak To Your Customers, Not At Them

Knowing your ideal customer helps you speak their language, but more than that it’s about speaking intelligently without insulting or seeming condescending. Create a feeling of dialogue, versus straight facts and figures. You should also know how your product or service benefits them. What is their life like and how can you make it easier?

 

All of your content should clearly communicate your desire and mission to help your customer. Prioritize your content, keeping the most important information toward the top. People have extremely short attention spans! If your piece of content is lengthy, try breaking it up into smaller subheadings, bullet points or numbers, or even sprinkle in some relevant images. Avoid overwhelming your readers.

 

4. Close With A Call To Action

Make sure your website can close the deal for you by providing an obvious call to action (CTA) Whether it’s a “Free Download Now” button, or a “Buy Now” link, you should always provide a path for your leads to follow. Never leave a webpage without a clear call to action.

 

Additionally, position your call to action in a way that draws more attention and increases conversion by playing with size, color and positioning. It’s possible to have multiple calls to action; for example, your primary CTA could be to “Free Webinar Registration,” while the secondary CTA is “Learn more.” To avoid reader confusion, differentiate your primary call to action from your secondary. Create an effective call to action button by anticipating what your leads’ concerns will be, and including it on the button text. Don’t forget to incentivize the user or create a sense of urgency.

 

 

When optimized, your blogsite has the potential to attract, nurture and close more leads, so spend the time to do thorough market research before you design the site. This will give you valuable information about what your ideal customers will best respond to. If your blog seems to be floundering, and not attracting leads like it should, you may need to consider overhauling the site and concentrating on the 4 important elements I discussed here.

 

By investing a little time and money into your website, you can transform it into an efficient lead generator to supplement your marketing efforts. If you don’t have the time or expertise to implement these tips yourself, consider the services of a reputable web designer. Many are very reasonable and it will be money well spent. Remember, you’ll never get a second chance to make a first impression!

 

Need help with WordPress web design services? Home Business Soup uses and recommends Build A Blog by Lorraine McNulty

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