We’ve already discussed how important it is to maintain a company blog. Blogs house the content that attracts website visitors and leads for your business.
But to get leads, there is something that each blog post requires. It’s almost a shame how many companies have blogs and don’t incorporate this one important element.
What Do Blog Posts Need to Convert Website Visitors to Leads?
In order to discern whether blog readers are just searching for information or looking to move forward in the consumer buying cycle, each blog post needs a call-to-action.
A call-to-action is simply a request for readers to do something more than just read. What the call-to-action tells readers to do depends on each business and its business goals.
A call-to-action could ask readers to
- comment on a blog post.
- click through to a landing page about a new product.
- share the blog post using social media.
- sign up to receive blog updates via email.
It doesn’t really matter what the action is. The point is that you call readers to do something next – and that you do so somewhere in each blog post.
Why Does It Matter That a Call-to-Action is Included?
When people finish reading blog posts without a call-to-action, the next natural reaction is to click away. That’s how high bounce rates are made. But blog posts with a call-to-action included tell readers what YOU want them to do after they’ve finished a blog entry.
Sometimes that’s all a reader is looking for. Sometimes a call-to-action is all it takes to see a dramatic reduction in blog bounce rates.
Simply tell readers what to do or where to go next, and the most interested prospects will move on to that next step if the content was high-quality, informative, interesting, etc. There you have it: conversion from visitor to lead.
By including a call-to-action in blog posts, the company blog becomes a more effective marketing tool. Blog articles are tools for sending traffic to squeeze pages for downloads and purchases, for directing followers to social media accounts, and for building email marketing lists.
If you’re running low on blog post ideas, take some time to learn how Google helps you brainstorm blog topics. Once your content is ready to publish, be sure your links are active and directed to the correct webpage. Make your call-to-action clear. Then enjoy increased conversions of traffic to leads.