Get your blog visitors to become clients or else all the website traffic in the world is pointless.
That’s from a business perspective, anyway.
Too many bloggers get caught up in the time consuming job of developing great content.
But they forget that the overall purpose of their blog is to create a business, not just content.
In fact, the whole point to delivering great content is to get your blog visitors to become clients.
Isn’t it?
But if you really want to get your visitors to become clients, then you have to stay on target.
That means that from the beginning to the end, your blog must be an effective sales funnel.
And each of your blog posts needs to mirror that strategy.
Move Your Blog Visitors into your sales funnel
When people first visit your blog they should be directed into your funnel.
Usually they’re looking for some particular content.
They want to learn something or solve a problem.
This is all good.
But that’s just the opening to your funnel.
While your readers are focused on getting the content that they’re looking for, you need to be taking advantage of their presence on your site.
One of the best ways to do this is to offer them some way to become a client or buyer.
You can do this in a variety of ways.
I won’t talk about this in detail right now, though.
I just want you to understand the golden opportunity you have when people visit your blog.
Not Just People… but the “Right People”
You need to attract the right people to make this work.
So the first thing you want to do is make sure the right people visit your blog.
You can get this rolling in the right direction by making sure the content that you share is highly relevant to the service or products that you’re selling.
If people are coming to your blog to solve one problem, but you’re trying to sell them solutions to other problems… then you’re not going to have much success converting them into clients or buyers.
So here’s the fix.
You need to have content that is exactly what they need.
Content that will help them solve a key problem in their life or in their business.
Once they visit your site to consume specific content that they’re really interested in, you can use your blog to convert them from passive readers into active prospects for your business.
Zone in on your unique audience
One of the best ways to get the right people to your blog is to know the people that you’re after.
That’s right.
You have a unique audience.
That’s because you’re just a little different than everyone else out there.
So, what is the unique audience you are targeting?
What is your customer or client Avatar?
Know exactly what your unique audience wants.
Then make sure your content is designed to give them exactly that.
If you don’t know your audience, well then, you have to do things to find out more about them.
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Look and see who your competitors are.
What kind of people make up their audience?
And why do those people follow their blogs?
What kinds of key problems are your competitors offering?
You can also learn about your prospective clients by going to social groups and forums to find out what kinds of problems they are talking about.
Do what you have to do.
But make sure you find out what problems your audience needs solved, and what content they’re looking for.
Content that gets your blog visitors to become clients
Of course, you need to write great content.
Once your readers are on your blog, they will judge you based on your content.
But even before that, you want to make sure they get there.
So make sure your topics are spot-on.
But also make sure that your headlines are designed to lure your audience.
They not only have to be catchy, but they have to promise a solution to people’s problems.
When people sense a solution to their problems, they will click over to your articles.
From that point on, you have them in your sales funnel.
That’s where your blogging business begins.
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How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
Now I’d like to hear your comments.
How do you get your blog visitors to become clients or buyers?
Please take a moment to share this article on your social sites, too.
Thanks so much 🙂
-Donna
Now that is a new perspective I have received on blogging. Often one may be consumed with the need to create content, and the goal is to have clients at the end of the day. However, the fact of viewing your blog as a sales funnel that provides the channel to converting can be overlooked. Having quality content that is tailored towards your target group often generates desirable and valuable results of your blog. Thanks for sharing looking forward for Part 2.
Paul Simiyu recently posted.. Undisputed Reasons Why Your Website Needs To Be Responsive
Twitter: affiliateforBD
April 9, 2019 at 1:01 am #
Hi Donna Merrill,
I visit your site for something else. But I have got what I need.
Following three sentences help me lots.
“So make sure your topics are spot-on.
But also make sure that your headlines are designed to lure your audience.
They not only have to be catchy, but they have to promise a solution to people’s problems.”
I will read the rest of the related two articles soon.
Because I have to learn from you about sale-funnel.I have read about sale-funnel before, but your approach is easier and cleaner.
Thank
Hi Donna!
I’m glad that you wrote this article.
Too many people seem to be blogging without the right objective in mind – as if blog comments or social shares will pay the bills. Ultimately, they need to have some sort of objective that moves people towards a goal – becoming a client, making a purchase, or at the very least, connecting further through an email newsletter or something.
Throwing up an affiliate link in your article or whatever isn’t going to cut it – it takes far too much traffic to make serious money without a funnel and specific strategy in place.
On the other end of things, if you do this right you really don’t need that big of an audience to do very well.
So, I am looking forward to part 2 and seeing how this post develops further!
– James McAllister
James McAllister recently posted..Branding Isn’t Everything – Balancing Branding Vs. Direct Response Advertising
Hi James,
Indeed, we have to have an objective in mind to monetize our blog. You are spot on because commenting and social shares never pay the bills. But they do have their place. It cannot be the main objective.
Throwing up affiliate links never work! The only way it will is if it is within the content of the blog post in such a way that it is helpful for the reader.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
Twitter: MosClement
March 21, 2019 at 7:58 am #
Hi Donna,
Converting website visitors to clients isn’t always easy, but if done right you can scale our business many folds. Guarav and Matias made exciting points which I so agree. Relevance is a key point to note here. If your content is relevant to what your blog visitors are searching for, you can quickly direct them to your funnel and convert to leads, leads to paying customer. However, if your upgrade is not related or connecting with your target market, it becomes difficult to transform them into buyers. Thanks for sharing!
Moss Clement recently posted.. 10 BUSINESS WRITING BEST PRACTICES THAT WILL IMPROVE YOUR WRITING FASTER
So true Moss!
Relevance is the key here! Our content must be a reflection of our blog. We cannot go all willy-nilly with different subject matters. People see a title, are interested and will come to your blog to get information. Eventually they will become loyal readers and from there customers if we give the proper calls to action.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
Twitter: vashishthakk
March 21, 2019 at 6:54 am #
Yes, you’re right.
I have been writing content on several niches on the same domain which is distracting my readers. Now, after reading your post, I have decided to prospect a customer/reader’s avatar and write content focus on him.
It makes it easier to think about what to write next.
Waiting for Part 2
Thanks
Vashishtha kapoor recently posted..Schema is the Fastest WordPress Theme of 2019 you’ll ever use
Hi Vashishtha,
Creating a good avatar will surely help you focus! Otherwise we are writing to all people and it gets a bit confusing not only for us writing but for the reader as well. We want to stay on point as to who we want to not only give some information to, but most importantly to sell to.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
A very resourceful piece. Knowing your target audience is key in determining the right content for them. I also agree that adding CTA helps convert blog visitors to clients.
Hi addy,
Indeed we always need to give that call to action on just about everything we write. This is why it is so important to know our target audience to fulfill their needs.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
Twitter: ravishingravism
March 19, 2019 at 3:19 pm #
Hi Donna,
Turning blog visitors into prospects is a challenge that every blogger should accept.
The effectiveness of this lies on the thin line of connection between your niche and the target audience. If your niche is not relevant to the audience then you cannot convert them.
Also there should be a human touch in blog posts.
As long as your blog posts are appealing to the visitors you cna influence them and turn them into prospects.
Thanks for sharing tips and ideas.
Gaurav Kumar recently posted..13 Best LinkedIn Alternatives to Welcome More Networking and Business Opportunities
Hi Gaurav,
You bring up a great point here and that is the human touch. When we are ourselves and share a bit of it to our visitors, they suddenly see us as a real human being. People identify with that more than anything.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
Twitter: ProfitChampion
March 19, 2019 at 12:10 pm #
Hello Donna,
Readers should always be presented with a clear option to “upgrade”. Blog visitors should become subscribers. Subscribers should become customers. And customers clients. At least that’s my take on it. If you don’t give them the opportunity, you are missing out on a lot.
Thank you for the post.
Mathias recently posted..326,963 Visitors Using Online Forums and Communities
Hi Mathias,
I have the same take on this as you do. We have to give our potential customers opportunity.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
Twitter: vishwa328
March 19, 2019 at 5:39 am #
Hello Donna,
Great points and insights. You really have to target the right people to increase conversions. I have seen that many bloggers especially the newbies are targeting totally wrong people and complaining about zero conversions. You have to understand the needs of your readers and providing helpful and relevant content along with products can bring more conversions. Just shared the post on my social networks 🙂
Regards,
Vishwajeet
Vishwajeet Kumar recently posted..Everything About Samsung Galaxy S10: A Phone of Matchless Distinction
Hi Vishwajeet,
Indeed, we have to target the “right” people for what we are offering in order to increase conversions. When we are communicating with them it is so important for us to know their needs so we can fulfill them.
-Donna
P.S. I seen the shares on social media and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
Twitter: karmically
March 19, 2019 at 4:26 am #
I used to write on topics of interest and value to my targeted reader and then realized I needed a way to capture their information and start building a relationship, Donna. That’s when I started placing specific lead magnets related to the topic within the blog post. Consistency of message and writing on topic is important but finding a way to keep in touch is important too. In my experience, I find it easier to make the sale, even if it is micro one when the person has been an email subscriber for some time.
Hi Vatsala,
It is so important to capture someone’s information, even if it is for our email list. This way they make a “mini commitment” to us and that is the first step for a lot of people sometimes. Through our emails we get to know one another much better and form a relationship that way. When the know like and trust factor comes to play, it is easier for them to purchase what we are offering.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
Twitter: ryanbiddulph
March 18, 2019 at 8:37 pm #
It is all about the right people Donna, folks who love your content. I find customers and clients clearly love me staying on topic, solving their blogging tips. The process is simple; solve 1 problem for 1 targeted reader, persistently. But too many bloggers panic when money does not appear to show up, and in a frenzy, try to solve multiple problems for readers in different niches, changing topics with the wind. If you have no continuity, say bye bye to your blogging business.
Ryan Biddulph recently posted.. Blogging is a mirror
Hi Ryan,
You said it my friend. We need to focus on one problem at a time for folks and be consistent with our message. It is so true that when some people get frustrated because money isn’t coming in they do go into that “frenzy” stage lol. That just takes them away in the wind. One cannot build a business that way.
Thanks for stopping by,
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
Twitter: Lisapatb
March 18, 2019 at 4:18 pm #
Hi Donna, I love your new graphics that take you to past posts, what are you using for that? Very neat! I’m finally putting in CTA’s in my posts. It took me years to get going with that and once in a while I still forget and go back and edit. So your post is a great reminder for me why I am still blogging today 🙂
I love providing info but at the same time I have to make a living at it too 🙂 I have a new one coming up just for my real estate clients – they don’t understand Instagram so I’ll be explaining why some folks should consider using it. Thanks for the tips here Donna. Hope you are enjoying some sunshine today there.
Lisa Sicard recently posted.. Instagram for Business in 2019 – 5 Reasons You May Need It
Hi Lisa,
For the longest time I too wasn’t doing any call to action. When I started I just put up an affiliate site on my sidebar thinking that people would all come marching in he he. But that’s what I was learning to do. Calls to action are so important. In many posts I put it into the blog post itself a few times. Sometimes I will do a review. I like to mix it up.
As for the graphics, I use Canva for just about everything.
Enjoy our Spring weather,
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
Twitter: Lisapatb
March 20, 2019 at 4:02 am #
Hi Donna, I love Canva, went premium this year. Those images look like a plugin. Very interesting. Thanks.
Hi Lisa,
I too went premium this year and it makes so much difference.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1
Twitter: marquitaherald
March 18, 2019 at 4:14 pm #
Okay, you know how artsy fartsy I am so I have to begin by saying I really like the images you’ve used to illustrate your post! On topic, I think the issue of attracting the right people is relevant no matter what business you’re in. As a writer and occasional mentor to first-time authors, one of the most common stumbling blocks I have to deal with is the “But EVERYBODY is my reader!” mindset. Your point about having an avatar is so very important. Once you have that image in your mind of who you’re speaking to it makes it so much easier to develop meaningful content. Thanks for the inspiration Donna – looking forward to Part 2!
Marquita Herald recently posted..Stories of Becoming: Second Chances
Hi Marquita,
Indeed, our images need to reflect our content. When I think of my avatar way back when I made her, I can notice the difference it made in my business. I was trying to please everyone at first and quickly had to learn that I was on the wrong road. I put so much time and energy in creating the avatar that she still to this day sits on my desk top. (She did mature a little lol) But when we do this, we stay on point and focus on the specific needs of people who come to our blogs to get the information they need.
See you on part 2,
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..How to get your blog visitors to become clients – Part 1