Is a Blog a Legitimate Lead Generation Tool?

Published March 23, 2023

It’s an age-old question… should you be blogging to create leads for your business? After all, you’ve been told that Google loves blog articles.

Here is an interesting fact, according to hostingfacts.com over 3 million blog posts are published and 3.5 billion Google searches are made on the Internet every day.

That’s staggering! That means there is a lot of competition out there for service-based businesses.

Before you decide if you should or should not blog on your website and if it’s a true lead generation tool, let’s take into consideration a few factors:

  1. What is the purpose of a webpage or blog article and how does it fit into your overall website strategy?
  2. How does the purpose of an article affect your search rankings and website traffic?
  3. What is the commitment and is the ratio to grief vs the benefit worth it?

Let’s get started and discover if you should or should or should not blog for your business…

What is the Purpose of a Webpage or Blog Article and How Does it Fit into a Website Strategy?

According to Google’s Quality Evaluator Guidelines:

“Most pages are created to be helpful for users, thus having a beneficial purpose. Some pages are created merely to make money, with little or no effort to help users. Some pages are even created to cause harm to users. The first step in understanding a page is figuring out its purpose.”

Part of establishing the purpose of a blog is to understand proper expectations.

Are you going to blog to:

  • Create leads?
  • Provide information and inform people?
  • Talk about your success?
  • Help people?
  • Sell something?

If you said you’re blogging for the purpose of creating leads, you may be very disappointed.

Over the year’s we’ve learned that blogs don’t generate leads well by themselves.

You heard me right… they don’t generate  leads.

When done well, a blog follows the EAT pattern we shared in this previous article:

  1. Expertise –establish your competency.
  2. Authority – others recognize your expertise and share it.
  3. Trustworthiness – you are not a scammer and instead help people because you’re an expert authority.

So, if a blog doesn’t create leads, what does a blog do?

Simply stated, a blog demonstrates that you are worthy of someone’s time and attention.

It establishes that you are informed, experienced, credible, and reliable.

A blog is the entry point to a relationship based on an economy of value. The more value you create, the more people are inclined to spend their precious time consuming your content. Remember there are over 3 million blog posts created every day. The majority are not worth anyone’s time.

Don’t let that be you if you choose to blog!

I’ll get to the strategies of how to leverage this below. For now, understand there is an economy and you have to tap into it… and the economy is not a one-way deal whereby people willingly become a lead that singularly benefits your business. That’s how most business blogs operate and that’s why the overwhelming majority fail to meet their unrealistic objectives.

How to Create a Powerful Purpose for Your Blog that Google and Your Visitors will Love

First thing is first, you have to know the business you are “really” in from your consumers point-of-view.

What is your message and who is it for? This is the ultimate driver behind the purpose of your blog.

In this article, I talk more about messaging and its importance to your blog readers.

For example, you may discover through learning the “business you are “really” in” that the purpose of your blog is to inspire a specific group of people or inform someone of how technology can improve their lives, or how people can save money.

The options are endless.

The more you hone in on your message the more relevant, compelling, and powerful the purpose of your blog will become.

In addition, part of your message is also how your website is presented.

Is it clean, simple, structured and laid out well? Is it easy to follow and consume content?

Does the website load quickly and look appealing?

Are the colors appropriate to your message?

Colors are powerful tools as discussed in this article by Shawn Byrne titled; “HOW COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY IN WEB DESIGN CAN INCREASE CONVERSIONS”. He states:

“Over the years, colour psychology has been used to serve various purposes. Some colours have proven useful for conveying a message, both negative and positive. Colours have the power to calm, or to incite excitement and action. Colour can also influence the way you work out, the way you feel in a room or building, and even the way you choose what to order in a restaurant.”

How Does All of This Fit into a Holistic Strategy?

I never thought you would ask…

Do you remember what I said early on? Your blog is not a lead generation tool.

Here is what it is… it’s an information tool that establishes you with a person over-and-over again. The more they consume your content, you become their go-to-blog. We are in an information-based economy and the better that is understood the greater your success.

What you have to do is create a great sales funnel. Personally, I like Clickfunnels. (I encourage you to check out their site… it’s extremely informative).

On your blog, you may offer an informative video series, webinar, downloadable pdf… something that has even more value than your blog.

Once they give you their email address, you can take them through your sales funnel and offer them even more insightful value.

After offering them value over-and-over again through your email series, you can begin to convert them into sales.

The point – the blog is the entry point to a relationship. Landing pages that offer your blog readers more value gives them a reason to join your email list. By opting into your email, they are telling you they are interested in learning more and are ready to move into a conversion process.

In summary, if you master your message, create a great looking website, that has the right color to evoke an emotion and brand your business, and develop a sales funnel strategy… you will have a powerful purpose for your blog.

How Does the Purpose of a Blog Article Affect Your Search Rankings and Website Traffic?

Purpose creates value, and value is the economy of inbound content marketing.

Think of it like this… in your business value is exchanged when you have something to offer a person who is willing to pay money to solve a problem, meet a need, or fulfill a desire.

The more value you create, the greater your purpose, the more money someone is willing to spend.

The web is the same way.

Except, in this case, you are not exchanging money. You’re exchanging valuable information for someone’s time so that they can learn from your expertise and build trust with you.

At the end of the day, Google is not in the business of supplying your customers.

Google is in the business of providing their customers (those making searches) with the information they are looking for.

The better the information you provide, and the more others see your information as valuable and share it on their websites, the greater the influence you gain on Google.

Remember, your goal isn’t to sell on your blog. It’s to provide valuable information that leads to an inquiry.

If we analyze Google’s mission, they tell us everything we need to know:

“Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

(see source at: https://www.google.com/about/company/)

Google wants to help their users find information about tactics, techniques, and relevant information about what they type in the search bar. By knowing your blog’s purpose, creating high-end content, and creating a valuable path to “customership”, you’re far more likely to please Google’s algorithms. You’ll rank higher with authoritative, high-quality content.

What is the Commitment and is the Ratio to Grief vs the Benefits of Blogging Worth it?

Ultimately, you have to decide that for yourself. Blogging is not a short-term gain. It’s not a wind sprint, it’s a marathon. If you need quick results, the inbound marketing via blogging isn’t for you. Instead, consider Facebook ads.

Regardless, you still need to create a well-thought-out content, promotion, and sales funnel strategy. In today’s environment, it’s vital.

A sales funnel is an invitation, not a unique sales proposition or an ask.

To invite someone to dinner requires some work. You have to know what your guests like and don’t like, you have to prepare the meal, and you have to set the table. Additionally, you have to clean house beforehand and be prepared for the clean-up afterward.

Creating a blog is a lot like that. It takes some initial work to create the message, strategies, and the path to executing the tactics.

You have to carefully nurture your content, ensure it’s relevant, and ask your blog readers to do something.

Then… you have to deliver on what you asked them to do.

So, Is it Worth It?

Once it’s set up you bet it is, if you’re willing to make the investment!

The only thing you have to do is create the great content you are already an expert in.

I hear it all the time…

“Don, I just don’t have time right now!”

I get it, it does take some time. Here are the dangers and the benefits of blogging vs not blogging:

Dangers

  1. If you’re so busy today that you can’t create lasting marketing, you will be in trouble when the work settles down and you don’t have much cash flow because you weren’t marketing. Then you’ll have to scramble to acquire business. Then… repeat, repeat, repeat. So frustrating!
  2. It can take a lot of time to meet one-on-one with people and offer them value. Thus, reducing your time, potential sales and cash flow.
  3. It takes time to research, create, and manage content.

Benefits

  1. Once created, your content is working for you.
  2. Through your research, you will start to meet incredible partners who can introduce you to a whole set of new prospects you could never reach on your own.
  3. You will learn significantly more about your business, customers, and partners and that can lead to new ideas, strategies, and tactics to help you grow your business.
  4. Once your sales funnel is set up, it’s automated.
  5. You can reach far more people at one time, over-and-over again than you can one person at a time.
  6. The financial cost is much less than traditional advertising and the upside potential is greater if you see blogging as an investment over time instead of as an immediate lead generation tool.

Should You Blog for Your Business?

In summary, it depends.

It depends on your mindset, how much you’re willing to learn, and how flexible you are at trying new strategies and tactics you’ve never thought of before.

Do you believe in networking and do you enjoy connecting with others to provide value back and forth? If you’re a “customer” hoarder, then blogging won’t work for you. It’s the economy of value and reciprocation that makes blogging work.

Are you willing to work on your business? Blogging will force you to do that and ultimately make your business more efficient in your marketing and sales.

Believe me, when I say, I’m just scratching the surface with you.

The bottom line is that blogging isn’t something that you just do.

Blogging is a tool that accomplishes many tasks at one time, over time.

Blogging will help you increase your sales, but it isn’t the sales tool.

It’s the introduction tool.

Think about it, you don’t ask someone to marry you on a first date. Or, at least I hope not.

If you keep your perspective clear and follow a plan based on purpose, you will experience the results you’re looking for.

Would you like to know more about how to earn more traffic to your website in 90 days or less based on what we talked about in this article?

Join me in an upcoming FREE, in-depth webinar training.

Click here or on the image to learn more

Author
David President,
Design Source Media

Share this blog

Building brands of the future.

Let’s find out how we can help each other.

More Blogs

5 Myths About Websites

1. Having a website is expensive 2. Only e-commerce retailers need a website 3. The more elements on the site…