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Generally, marketing activities are no less than the backbone for any business. Some of these marketing strategies and tactics are in-bound in nature, which means that they have a direct impact on lead generation. A prominent example in this regard is that of Content Marketing.

 

Due to its benefits as well as the potential of online lead generation, Blogging has become an important tool for Content Marketing. But Blogging has also earned a rather misleading reputation of being an effective lead generation tool for all businesses. Many people who run a business with the intention of making money online fall prey to this misconception. In reality, Blogging can generate leads but is not equally effective for all types of businesses.

 

Blogging for Lead Generation – A Quick Checklist

 

Blogging for Lead Generation

Image Credit: Flickr

 

A review of the following checklist can help you better understand the potential role of Blogging for lead generation for your business.

 

Do You Have the Blogging Infrastructure?

 

Whether you are a solopreneur or have hired a workforce, Blogging requires you to setup a framework or Blogging policy to follow. Firstly, you should research into the technicalities of Blogging for lead generation, such as competitive environment, best platform, etc. Then you should analyze your business potential in meeting up with the demanding requirements of corporate Blogging. For example, learning the ins and outs social media marketing or training your staff on it.

 

Can You Manage Sharing Blog Posts that are Best for Your Business?

 

Many a times, business owners have what it takes to start Blogging for their business. But they often miss the mark when it comes to identifying the topic category that promises the best returns in terms of high and repeat readership. Without this knowledge, it is not possible to assess whether you have what it takes to create and share content of that specific type or category. For example, your target audience may be interested in specific How-To guides but you may not have sufficient knowledge or expertise in the area to provide them with valuable content. Other examples of different types of blog posts include news items, customer testimonials, product reviews and demonstrations, etc.

 

Does Your Audience Insight Highlight Its Interest in Blogs?

 

For businesses that are all geared to start generating leads through Blogging must begin with an analysis of their customer base. This refers to the following categories:

 

  • Business-to-Business (B2B)
  • Business-to-Consumer (B2C)

 

The impact of Blogging is generally higher on a B2C than B2B customer base, mainly because individual customers consistently spend more time in reading and following their favorite blogs. Although some B2B blogs are also doing well, they require a much higher experience, authority, and expertise to build readership among such a target audience.

 

Are You Passionate About Writing?

 

Most small or home based business owners are required to create content for their blog on their own. This is mainly because of the limited scope and budget for implementing their content marketing strategies. As a result, it becomes important for business owners to have the writing skills to add value to their blog topic. Sometimes overlooked, the importance of your writing ability is such that it can bring either success or failure to your Blogging efforts and goals.

 

Do You Have What It Takes To Create Compelling Blog Posts?

 

In relation to the point above, Blogging is not only about writing and sharing innovative and valuable content. In order to make it truly compelling for the target audience, you must have the skills to develop an attention-grabbing blog layout, design, and format.

 

Can You Meet Your Need to Outsource Blog Writing?

 

Many entrepreneurs running small businesses tend to rely on their own content writing and curation skills. However, this is not a good idea for all of them mainly when there is a lack of the necessary aptitude for Blogging. It may even have the potential to work for personal blogs but when it comes to the business objective of generating potential leads, it is imperative to strive for creating high quality content. This is why many businesses resort to outsourcing their blog writing.

 

But the big question is if you have the budget for it or not. You might find many low-price alternatives to hand your project to, but they may fail to live up to their promises of creating original and good quality content. This is why you need to research well into appropriate options and then review the financial capacity of your business.

 

Can You Afford Your Desired Search Engine Results Page (SERP) Visibility?

 

If you think you can afford to hire an outsourced professional or company to meet your Blogging and content-creation requirements, then you must be prepared to invest further for SEO and a high SERP visibility. This means that it is not a one-time investment in getting content written for your blog. You will need to have a budget plan worked out for the coming months so as to avail the benefits of your initial Blogging investment.

 

Do You Have the Time to Follow Your Blogging Schedule?

 

Once you ensure that your business has all the necessary elements for effective Blogging to generate leads, you will need to pay due attention to the importance of time. It is not possible for businesses to generate leads without building a strong readership along with regular or repeat followers. This is possible only when you blog with a predetermined schedule. Haphazard Blogging may help you a little in getting closer to goals like creating online presence, spreading brand awareness, etc. But to generate leads, you will have to commit a certain amount of time in completing the different Blogging steps and tasks.

 

Are You Ready to Be Active On Other Social Media Marketing Sources?

 

Attracting traffic to your blog is a prerequisite to your objective of generating leads. In order to increase your blog’s traffic, you will have to be tech-savvy, active on other blog sites, responsive to comments and feedback, proactive in initiating conversation, leaving your comments with valuable information, and so on. This means that other than the time required for your own Blogging schedule, you must have the time to perform regular and compelling activities on various social media sources.

 

Can You Afford to Be Patient?

 

Blogging is a promising tool for online lead generation but requires time and patience till measurable results become visible. In Blogging terms, patience refers to perseverance towards continuous content creation, sharing, and related SEO investment. This means that you must assess your assigned budget in the initial and following Blogging expenses.

 

In short, you should never make a hasty decision about starting your business blog with the aim of generating leads in the future. This is because Blogging might not be as effective for your business as it has been for others. You should always assess its requirements against your capacity so as to make an informed decision.

Persuasion

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