
Creating leads is one of the most important goals for every company. More leads translate into more business, increasing revenue and profit. While there are many strategies to increase small business leads, blogging is a practical approach with several benefits. These days, every website has a blog section. It’s a trend! To do better with your small business, it’s always important to follow the latest trends.
Also, there are several reasons businesses invest their time and effort in creating good blog content. According to Hubspot, business blogging is a marketing strategy that helps increase your company’s online presence through blogging. Like social media, direct mail, email marketing, etc., a business blog is a marketing medium that supports business growth (source).
So, in this article, we will focus on the reasons to help you understand what blogs can do to generate small business leads.
How Creating Blog Content Helps Generate Leads
Whether you have a small e-commerce business, a digital marketing agency, or any other business, having a blog page on your company’s website is essential and meaningful in the digital world. Below are some crucial reasons that support why you should prioritize blogging.
1. It draws targeted traffic to your website
There’s a high possibility that you don’t frequently update the pages on your website. Then what to do? The answer is blogging!
You have an increased chance of appearing on the search engine results pages (SERPs) and attracting visitors to your website through organic searches every time you write and publish a blog post. However, you remain less noticeable unless you’re one of the largest brands in the world. Also, blogging effectively drives traffic to your website because you have a limited number of times to advertise your website or landing pages on various digital platforms.
According to blogging statistics, websites with blogs have 434 more indexed pages than those without blogs. It means that more customers learn about your company, products, and services; and choose your company over your competitors. (source)
2. It supports your SEO efforts
One of the best things you can do to support SEO efforts is to blog so that search engines can index more pages in their results, which is why they prefer new and original content. For this reason, content development is cited by 72% of online marketers as their most successful SEO strategy. (source)
Now, let’s move forward with another crucial aspect of search engine optimization, backlink building, regarded as the third most important element by many professionals and small business owners. When your website gains high-quality backlinks or inbound links through blog posts, search engines consider it a valid and significant website to its visitors. As a result, the website’s domain authority gets higher.
Statistics show that leads gained through inbound links have a higher close rate (14.6%) when compared to outbound leads (source). Therefore, this one is also a valid reason for your small business to have blogs.
3. It gives website visitors a reason to convert into leads
You have the chance to turn website traffic into leads now that some visitors are arriving at your site via your blog. That’s why blogging is an excellent lead-generating tool that gives the reader something of value, and value motivates people to convert more often into leads. According to studies, lead growth for businesses that blog is 126% higher than for businesses that don’t blog (source). However, to improve lead growth, you must also strategically insert effective call-to-actions (CTAs) across your blog. You may,
- Inform them to subscribe to your email newsletter to receive other informative stuff in their inbox.
- Add CTAs to relevant blog entries emphasizing how your products or services can meet their needs.
- Use free trials as CTAs on the blog pages.
Original and informative content helps demonstrate your value and skills (especially for B2B businesses).
4. It helps achieve long-lasting results at a minimal cost
In generating small business leads, you must focus on gaining more and spending less. Your website needs a blog page to help you in this situation. Blogging doesn’t hurt your pocket if you or your in-house staff can create engaging and original content. Essentially, it produces effects over the long term. You can drive results (traffic and leads) with only one effective blog post for months or even years.
You’ll become recognized by your target audience as an authority in your field if you constantly produce informative content for them.
5. It generates leads by understanding your audience
Blogs enable customers to communicate with the companies they buy from. When you create a blog, you have a fantastic opportunity to discuss topics that interest your readers and urge them to leave their comments. For example, a how-to or FAQ blog would help talk about their queries and the solutions your business offers them. Sometimes, even before they are interested in buying anything from you, they’re far more likely to enter the sales funnel believing the information you have included in your article.
While prospecting, your sales reps can also benefit from such blog entries. Since the articles talk about your audience’s preferences, it expedites the sales process compared to if a sales representative had to produce the assets from the start.
6. It projects a professional image
Companies that generate blogs can exhibit their expertise in their niche, effectively changing from passive observers to active players. Additionally, blogging enables them to inform clients by discussing their products and services, increasing sales by projecting a professional and approachable image to their clients.
Similarly, small businesses must express their personalities and expert views through their blog posts to uphold professionalism. The blog is the voice of your website. So, you should nurture it carefully.
Before wrapping up, You should remember that 81% of customers strongly believe blogs as a trusted source to get information (source). So, if you are still behind in using blog entries to generate small business leads, remember that it’s not too late to own this trend.