A blog can be a powerful tool for your business and could assist you in moving your products or services. The key is a subtle marketing strategy that engages readers, potential customers or clients in a way that they don’t feel as though they’re being strictly advertised to. Balance out your content to make the bigger picture matters and take a few pieces of advice to help you fast track your blog to a marketing success.
1 – Start A Mailing List
A mailing list is a great way to keep your readers updated and to keep them posted. The problem you’ll often encounter with mailing lists is that most people regard the send outs as spam or nuisance mail. You need to incentivize the mailing list, as most people won’t have any desire to subscribe.
There are a few ways you can do this, but the most popular is raffling off a free product or service. Even if it’s the lowest cost, people are willing to enter their email address to have a chance at winning something. If you have a similar small raffle every few months, people will be inclined to stay subscribed.
They will open the emails from your business to find out if they’ve won, and in the process, read about your current promotions, innovations, announcements, and new additions. It’s a great way to get people to explore your business, and a lower cost alternative to paid advertisement.
While slightly less effective, you can offer a coupon or discount for signing up to the email subscription list. If your business sells and ships a product to customers, you may offer a free shipping code for signing up. Some mailing lists give potential customers or clients special offers on their birthdays, and it’s a good way to show that you care.
You can also call the email subscription service an insider’s club. It sounds a lot less promotional to treat it as something of higher esteem than just a normal mail out list. It’s not misleading if you try your hardest to fill it with valuable content.
2 – Accept Customer Submissions
Most people are hesitant to accept a company’s word about its product or service because it’s natural for a company to only focus on the positive aspects of what it has to offer.
By accepting photos and reviews from users for whatever product or service you’re trying to move the most of at the moment, potential buyers will be able to see the satisfaction of other customers who have done business with you. This will convey a level of honesty that people look for before they make a purchase.
Post and update relevant frequently asked questions in a format that is easily accessible to your readers. If readers have a question that they can’t find an answer to, they’re going to go elsewhere. Collect questions from emails and comments on your posts, compile them, and answer them in a very direct and easy to understand way.
3 – Alternate Your Content
Readers won’t stay readers for very long if they feel like all your blog is trying to do is sell them things. Just like no one goes out of their way to watch commercials, no one will go out of their way to be blatantly advertised to. Try not to turn your blog into a sales catalog or an infomercial.
Market as subtly as you can. Alternate your posts about advancements and upcoming developments. Make your blog a good source of information that’s relevant to what you do. Try not to forcefully promote yourself, but make gentle suggestions to entice readers to make their purchase with you.
Offer coupon codes and specials when relevant, so readers looking to purchase a product or service you offer will be more likely to take advantage of the savings or additional benefits by choosing you over your competitors. Make sure you mention what sets you apart from your competitors. You can even match up your promotions to run at the same time as your competitors’ promotions, and offer a slightly better deal.
Post pictures and videos that give small behind the scenes glimpses of who you and your staff are and what you do. It affirms the legitimacy and professionalism of your brand. Give your brand some personality, as people deem them more trustworthy. They’re more likely to make a purchase from a brand where they can identify the people involved. This is because if they have an issue requiring a resolution through customer service, they know who will be tending to their needs.
About the Author
Written by Sage Barnard. She spends most of her time poring over different sales and marketing strategies. She often peruse tips from marketing websites to apply on her own blog. For more tips and advice, visit this DEV8 website.