Table of Contents
Introduction
Business blogging is an interesting concept. Many businesses have a blog, but often times there isn’t much planning or measuring going into how those blogs align with larger business goals. In most cases, someone on the team is simply assigned to publish content regularly, without any knowledge of whether or not the blog is generating traffic, sales, or rankings.
However, blogs can still generate good traffic and achieve “accidental rankings” that weren’t necessarily planned for. To convert those clicks into actual sales, it’s important to include the blog in the overall marketing strategy. This article will outline some strategies for integrating the blog into the sales funnel.
Why Do Blogs Need to Be Part of the Sales Funnel?
Most blogs follow the 20/80 rule, where about 20% of the content generates 80% of the traffic. It’s crucial to identify the 20% of blog content that is actually driving traffic and understand what drives that traffic.
Setting up position monitoring using tools like to track organic traffic can help determine which pages are driving the most traffic. It’s important to make it clear that the blog is part of a business and there is something being sold. This can be done through site-wide calls to action (CTAs) and contextual CTAs, which align with the searcher’s intent.
How to Include the Blog in the Sales Funnel
One way to include the blog in the sales funnel is to create contextual CTAs throughout the articles. Hubspot is a great example of using contextual CTAs that differ in each article and engage readers by providing “upgrades” to the article content. Another example is HomeDepot, which includes contextual CTAs showing related products next to each guide.
It’s also important to offer readers ways to follow the sales funnel directly from the blog. This can be done through site-wide CTAs and by setting up conversion tracking to understand how readers are interacting with the blog post.
Monitoring and Updating Blog Content
It’s important to regularly monitor the blog’s traffic and rankings because blogs tend to lose rankings over time. This can be done using tools like Search Console and Moz Pro rank tracker. Once rankings start to decline, it’s important to determine whether the content is worth saving. Some pages can be let go if they don’t have conversion potential.
For pages with transactional potential, consider updating the content to better align with keywords and relevant contextual CTAs. Conduct competitor research using tools like IMN’s Competitive Analyzer and SEMrush to see how other pages are ranking and what improvements can be made.
Republishing refreshed content with a new date can push the article back to the top of the blog’s archive and prevent it from getting lost. Internal linking and featured guides sections can also help maintain consistent rankings for important blog posts.
What if the Blog Doesn’t Rank?
If the blog isn’t ranking and there’s no organic traffic to convert, it’s important to reassess the goals of the blog. If the goal is sales, conduct keyword research and create effective contextual CTAs. If the goal is to build links and connections, research journalists in the niche to create content that will resonate with them.
It’s important to integrate blogging into the company’s overall marketing strategy. Encourage everyone in the company to submit content ideas for the blog and share articles that go live. Involve employees from different departments to write articles and create graphics. Maintain close communication between blog writers and customer support and sales teams to gather insights on customer needs.
Conclusion
Integrating the blog into the sales funnel is crucial to convert clicks into actual sales. Identify the blog content that is driving the most traffic and align it with relevant CTAs. Regularly monitor the blog’s traffic and rankings and update content to maintain rankings. Integrate blogging into the company’s overall marketing strategy and involve employees from different departments. By following these strategies, the blog can become an effective tool for driving sales and achieving business goals.