Monetize Your Blog

How to use your blog to generate sales leads

Blogs are hot. According to a new study by eMarketer, more than half of all Internet users read blogs at least monthly, and by 2014, readership will rise to more than 150 million Americans, or 60% of the Internet population in the U.S. Given those statistics, your blog can be a great way to collect contact information from your customers and, ultimately, convince them to develop a relationship with your brand. Here are a few easy steps to maximize your blog's potential for generating sales:

1. Make contact. There are several tried-and-true ways to yield contact info from your blog. For example, provide a mechanism for readers to submit questions from their personal email address, or offer something of value in exchange for their contact information. That "something" could be a useful white paper or article, an e-newsletter, or a video on a topic that would appeal to your audience.
2. Communicate with prospects. Think of every person who submits their contact information as a potential sales lead. Follow up with them via email or by phone to gauge their level of interest in your product or service. The people who seem the most interested in what you're selling are the ones you should spend the most time courting.
3. Develop familiarity. Maintain regular contact with your prospects — through email, for example. Keep them updated on any happenings at your company, and even send them discount offers that would lower the price of an initial purchase. Over time, your customers will become familiar with your brand and, more likely, do business with you over a competitor.
4. Make a sale! Help prospects overcome any objections by answering any and all questions they may have. If you're regularly communicating with prospects and developing familiarity with your brand, closing the sale should be the easiest step in the process!