When you think of social media, the first platforms that come to mind are most likely Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. But have you ever considered a blog to be a source of social media?
Believe it or not, blogs are essentially what social media is meant to be. They are a source of information for an audience that allows for interaction with the author, the content and others. Blogs can be consumed, shared and commented on, making it a perfect source of social media. So how and why should companies use blogs in their marketing campaign? Let’s take a look!
Hi, my name is…
A blog is a great way of introducing yourself, or your company. A blog gives your company an identity and a voice that the audience can connect with, which ultimately leads to visibility on the web. It’s important to select a tone and try to stick with it within your blog posts as much as possible. People are always interested in the person behind the curtain pulling the bells and whistles, and your blog is a great way of letting them know who that person is.
Educate and Drive Interest
Blogs shouldn’t be used as a source of displaying promotions and sales, but that doesn’t mean blogs can’t be used to generate sales. A great way of promoting your product or services without being direct about it is by creating educational posts about what you have to offer. Show your audience how to use your products or the benefits of using your services.
Let’s get a show of hands of who wants more of the right traffic to their site. I’m sure most, if not, all of you are raising your hands. Well you can make that happen with blogs. You can link to your the products or services that are relevant to your topic within your blog posts. This is a great way to direct your audience to your site and potentially turn them into a lead, which we discuss a little further down.
Let’s Not Get Carried Away
You want to keep your blog active with fresh posts on a weekly basis. But you don’t want to overdue it. Your audience should anticipate new, fresh content, but you could scare them away by overloading them with too many posts. And you’ll want to be selective in your topics. Sometimes you may need to think outside the box a little. Think about all the content people are skimming through on a daily basis. What is going to help your blog posts stand out from the others? A good topic or headline is key to the initial conversation yourare trying to start with your audience.
Call To Actions
We mentioned earlier about turning a visitor to your site into a lead. So how do you do that? It’s actually quite simple with a blog. Let’s say you successfully lead a person from your blog to your website. Once there, you should have a call-to-action button all ready to further direct your visitor down the sales funnel. Your call to action could be a free whitepaper, fact sheets, webinars, etc. This should direct them to a landing page containing a form for the visitor to fill out their information. And that’s it! You’ve successfully created a lead through the use of your blog.
To Conclude
A successful blog can be placed right at the top of your digital marketing plan. If done correctly, it can generate leads, spread your reach and ultimately lead to sales, but it takes time and effort. This means you have to do your research, device a plan and be sure to keep it fresh and new. And best of all, your blog is your own and it’s your choice on what you wish to create.
