No, blogging is not dead! It is even THE most effective way to create a sustainable business and a solid bond with your customers. Indeed, your blog can bring you big money, provided that you place your prospects at the center of all your attention. Because they are the ones who, in return, will allow you to live from your activity. Creating your site means developing your visibility on the Web and increasing your turnover. Discover right away how to sell with a blog.
Preliminary remark: this article is intended for entrepreneurs who have a product to offer their customers, whether it is training, a service, or a physical item (on your merchant site or in drop shipping). You will not find the answer to the question: “how to make money on the web”.
I won’t talk about affiliation or influence. You’re not going to find out how to make a living with a blog, or even how to get rich off the internet. No. You will exclusively learn the best practices to put in place to sell through your blog. Because this article is for people who want to develop their business sustainably with the help of the internet.
1. Put your blog at the center of your online ecosystem
Know who you are talking to online
To establish a sound foundation for your online communication, even if you’re building your business from scratch, describe the person you’re talking to. Who is your product made for? Who is your ideal customer? In fact, you can have more than one because not everyone who reads your blog is at the same stage of their customer journey.
The first, Paul, does not know you. He looks for the best solution to solve his problem; the second, Kate, has read some of your articles and has just left her email address to receive your e-book; the third, Fatoumata, is a fan of your universe. On your site, do as in life: speak differently to people you have just met and to those you have known for a long time.
Write regularly to sell through your blog
Who says regularity does not mean “permanently”, but simply: at regular intervals. When you create your blog, you can publish 2 articles per week. Depending on your results, you can then publish 4 articles per month. It will depend on your competition. You must therefore observe it in order to discover the common practices in your market sector.
Also organize your publication schedule with a spreadsheet. Some information is enough: date, subject, title, URL. Consider using a note-taking app to capture all of your ideas. The mind map is an interesting tool to organize them afterwards.
Take care of the quality of your web writing
Your goal is for the reader to discover your blog and then become interested in your products. He reads your articles if he finds answers there, and the algorithms favor qualitative content. Your site must therefore provide useful information. Here’s how it goes:
- the prospect types his question into his search engine;
- a list of links is proposed to him;
- well, your article appears on the first page, he chooses it;
- he scans your content and discovers several interesting articles there.
And the more time he spends on your blog, the more you increase the chances that he will then click on the commercial link that you have wisely positioned. The advantage of the perfect situation that the Wikipedia page generator just described is that the customer comes to you. Indeed, writing quality content serves your inbound marketing strategy.
Communicate about your activity through social networks
Imagine social networks as the messengers of your blog and your products. Each article you publish can be cut into micro-units of value, which you then share on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Of course, you need to know your ideal client’s preferred social network. You adapt the tone of your posts to this means of communication and interaction with your prospects. Feel free to include a link to your blog in each of your web posts. Want to learn more about online communication? Find out how to use Instagram as a social network for your business.
2. Apply these 3 pillars to sell with a blog
Write blog posts that help your readers
Do you want to turn a prospect into a customer? Help him. Bring him answers while explaining to him why your product is THE solution to the problem he currently has. Stay honest about the features of your services, while emphasizing the results it delivers. For example, if you offer online training, the person will have to provide personal work, that’s obvious. Say it, but go into more detail about the skills your teaching will help him develop.
Set up a sales funnel
Keep in mind that readers of your blog do not all know your universe and your offers. You will therefore offer content adapted to 3 categories of prospects:
- The first concerns the reader who discovers you, the one you have to persuade, to whom you have to show your expertise. At this point, you’re not talking about selling, you barely know each other.
- The second recognizes your quality. She appreciates your articles and wants to go further. You offer him a lead magnet to download, which allows you to retrieve his email address.
- The third is a client, or a fan. She knows you, subscribes to your content and appreciates your products. You can ask him for a customer testimonial.
Remember that at each step you will not persuade everyone.
Bet on careful customer care
Indeed, you must explain EVERYTHING to your prospects: where does he arrive when he clicks on a button? What is he committing to by subscribing to your newsletter? What are the different payment solutions offered? Be transparent and honest.
This is the best way to build customer loyalty. She will thank you and you can ask her for positive testimonials about your services or products. Also stay available by offering several ways to contact you:
- Your contact form should be easily accessible on your blog. Remember to program an acknowledgment of receipt when a customer writes to you (we always wonder if our message has gone well, right?). Also announce a response time to your interlocutor. This will prevent him from going to your competitor, disappointed and impatient.
- Set up an FAQ. It must respond to any objections that your prospect may have against you. Are your products expensive? Your training is long? Explain why. How long do your special offers last? What guarantees do you offer? What is the delivery time? Find pain points in your customer journey and unravel them. Your prospect must feel supported in their choice. Your FAQ should reassure him.
- Submit a chatbot. This allows your future client to have quick answers while being in the interaction. It is also a way to humanize the link with your customers. The Web disembodies and, with a chatbot, we know that we are dealing with an artificial intelligence. But you are the one who writes the answers upstream. So, you can express your personality there. Make humor, use the expressions that characterize you. Your reader will find your tone and the universe of your blog. He will then know that it is you behind the screen.
Create an intuitive user experience
Develop a fluid website. Your future client must find their way around easily and you must direct them to your objective: to sell through your blog. Define the key actions that will lead him to the act of purchase. Guide them with understandable information and easy-to-find answers. Your blog should be kept simple and intuitive.
To do this, place calls to action (or CTAs for Call to Action) in strategic places.
Think: what suddenly stops you when you’re ready to make an online purchase? What are your brakes? Do you appreciate a pop-up window opening while you are immersed in reading an exciting article?
An insert, strategically located between two paragraphs, allowing you to discover a product related to the theme of the article, isn’t it preferable? Choose. Your CTAs should also make it clear to your audience what to expect when they click.
