Blogging is an essential part of online marketing, as we all know. Online success today means landing as many pages as possible. Each ranking should be for different search terms that are related to your niche.

Many businesses overlook the fact that marketing content is different from other content.

Successful blogging initiatives must provide useful information and visually appealing content, without being pushy or salesy.

Blogs are at the top of the sales funnel so it’s not necessary to sell directly from them. Blogs are meant to be an introduction to customers, a landing page, or entry point.

Asking for a sale directly in a blog post would be like asking for a date. While you might eventually succeed, there are better ways to get quality leads.

This article is intended to be a guide for creating valuable, compelling blog content that will increase sales without asking.

1. Use visual data

A blog initiative’s primary purpose is to generate traffic. Traffic can then be converted into customers.

Visual content (images, videos, infographics, etc.) Visual content (images, videos, infographics, etc.) is easier to digest and draws more traffic to your landing pages. Recent research has shown that color graphics can increase the chances of content being read by 80 percent.

However, not all graphics will work. It is easy to become redundant using Shutterstock or other image resources. Use original, high-quality graphs and charts. Also, visual content that provides data in an easily-read format is best.

Visual demos, product breakdowns, and other appealing imagery activate parts of the brain that are not accessible by written content. Because they see the benefits it can bring to their lives, people will want to buy your product.

2. Do not stress word counts

Medium published some interesting research on the best-length blog posts. To determine if popularity and length are related, they searched the top search results for many terms.

The optimal post length was 7 minutes. It does not require a specific word count.

It’s better to not try to write a post of 2,000+ words that’s full of useless fluff. Instead, fill the page with useful information that people will be able to spend 7 minutes reading.

Medium posts are under 1000 words long and rank high in search results for “average blog length”.

Medium uses tons of data-intensive images instead of using lots of words to communicate their point.

It is wonderful to spend time reading comments and commenting on blog posts. This shows that readers are engaged. Blog posts by bloggers such as Seth Godin are usually less than 250 words.

I believe that any person who insists on a certain word count is wrong. To be more efficient, you should not focus on how many words your blogs can contain. Instead, provide valuable information to your readers.

3. Link Relevant Content

The Internet was created to allow people to share and connect. You know that all of your knowledge came from somewhere. Don’t be afraid of sharing other sources.

Link-building, as you probably know, is the process of creating links between your website and other websites to increase web results. This is why a recent survey of businesses found that it’s the most important part of an SEO strategy.

Linking to your blog content can be a way to let someone know you are thinking of them. You’re welcome to send them links to other useful resources.

Although a reader might not purchase something immediately from you, they will recognize your brand and be more likely to buy from you the next time they see it.

4. Be You

For bloggers, the most important thing I can offer is to be you. Your personality should shine through.

Your blog posts are not about selling products, brands, or businesses. You are selling yourself. People should feel a connection with you.

Research has shown that even B2B customers are more inclined to purchase based on personal emotion rather than logic or reasoning.

Soft selling is better than hard selling your products. Demonstrate your ability to simplify complex subjects and show people how you lead.

This is a better fit for the top part of the sales funnel as it introduces people to you as the subject matter specialist who can solve all their pressing problems.

5. Remember Your Sales Funnel

Because I need to visualize, I keep beating the sales funnel like a dead horse. It is easy to get distracted by your blog’s ROI and try to push for more sales calls of action. This is a serious mistake.

Blogging generates prospects, builds relationships, and positions your company as a valuable asset. However, you don’t have to open a blog. You are simply leading people through the funnel.

If a reader is interested in doing business with you, they will either contact you by email, leave comments on your blog posts, or purchase one of your online checkout options.

A blog is an important part of an ecommerce website. However, it is not ecommerce. Ecommerce pages include product listings and shopping carts. Your blog is your place to share knowledge.

It’s the TV sitcom, not the commercials that interrupt it. Although we may recall the slogans and jingles from the commercials, we still prefer the program itself over the sponsored ads.

You can’t be too salesy if you want your blog posts taken seriously and to provide real ROI.

6. Participate in the Comments

Although you should not promote your blog directly, it is acceptable to use some self-promotional language in comments, particularly when answering questions.

More than one-third of those who comment on blogs are doing so because they need more information on a particular topic. This is an excellent opportunity to link them to your ecommerce site.

Matt Cutts, former head of Google’s webspam team, points out that you should use your name to comment on blogs. A company’s response is less personal and will not be received as well.

Even if you don’t sell directly to someone, the comments are a good source of warm leads that you can refer your sales team to. These people are likely to be interested in your niche or industry and will soon become paying customers.

7. Show your contact information

Your contact information should not be included in comments on blog posts. However, it should be visible on your webpage.

Contact pages are an essential component of any website. They are included in almost all web templates for Joomla, WordPress, and other platforms.

You probably already know the importance of a contact page and how it looks. But, if you are reading this, you might not be aware of this example.

You can treat people who contact you by phone, email, and social media as sales prospects. These people are further down your sales funnel and closer to making a purchase. 

It is more efficient to focus sales efforts on these points than trying direct sales via a blog.

A blog is a simple way to get exposure for your brand and fill your website with SEO-friendly material. Each blog post is only one page. Real sales still come from the same channels as they were in the past.

Conclusion

Blogging is a great way to both market your content and makes money online. Although each blog post attracts traffic for long-tail keywords that are related to your niche they don’t introduce your business.

Blogging efforts won’t result in many direct sales, but that’s not the point. These are meant to make you a reliable resource that people can use for sustainable business.

Your blog posts should not be about selling directly. Instead, you should focus on creating valuable content that encourages people to remember, share, then return for more. They are simply researching to make a purchase decision.

When you give the information that people need, they will return to you eventually. At that point, your sales team can handle them. To maximize your return on your blogging investment, you should focus on creating valuable content.