5 Ways to Use Your Blog for Business Growth

Blogs are one of the best ways to get your audience interested in your brand. The content you post on these pages will impact the way customers perceive your company, and in turn, affect who sticks around and continues to engage with your business. 

If you’ve mastered the content marketing aspect of your strategy, you’re likely wondering, “how else can blogs help me grow my brand?” We’re glad you asked. There are several ways to see exponential business growth through your blog. 

Today, we will take a look at 5 of the best ways you can use your blog to get more email subscribers, social media followers, sales, and more. 

Let’s dive in!

Build Your Email List

Email marketing has a staggering 4,400% return on investment, making it one of the most profitable ways to grow your company. Consumers that relate to the content you share on your blog are likely to subscribe so they can receive new posts and email newsletters right to their inbox. 

But they will never subscribe if you don’t ask. Adding a contact form that encourages new visitors to subscribe will result in more people giving their email address and joining your list. 

If you want to increase your chances for success, keep your form field limited to the information you need. We suggest starting by only asking for an email address and name. If you want to take it a step further, you can pose an optional question that you can use to segment your audience. 

For instance, if you own an online pet store, you may ask new subscribers to check a box next to the pets they own. If someone checks the cat box, you can segment this user and send them cat related content and offers in the future. The fact that you’re only sending information that the user cares about will boost your open rate, and consequently, your conversion rate.

Grow Your Social Media Profiles

Next, let’s talk about the ability to grow your social media platforms from your blog. Social media is used by over 3.8 billion people worldwide, so you can bet that your target audience spends time on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. 

If you want to get users connected to your social media pages while visiting your blog, you should consider adding social feeds to your website. 

You can put your social media profiles on your blog’s sidebar, which gives users twice as much content to view on-page. Not only will this tip help reduce your bounce rate, but it also offers visitors an honest and transparent look at the things you’re posting on your social media channels. 

Connecting different marketing platforms is not an uncommon trend. But the recent connection between social media and blog content has led to some pretty exciting possibilities. Imagine a user is browsing your blog because they are thinking about buying a product from your online store. On the sidebar, they see one of your social media posts where you offer an exclusive discount to your followers. 

If a prospect is on the fence, this simple interaction could be the thing that seals the deal.

Build Social Proof 

Next, let’s talk about the value of social proof. Essentially, social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people are likely to do something if they see other people doing the same thing. When we are talking about marketing, social proof can show new users that existing customers and other brands trust your product. 

There are several areas where you can display social proof on your blog. For example, adding the latest customer reviews on pages that discuss your product can encourage sales, or at least warrant a more in-depth look at your product offerings. 

You can also add social proof from businesses. You’re likely familiar with McAfee’s trust seal that appears on many reputable websites. You might not know this, but that’s a direct sign of social proof. The thought process here is simple, “If McAfee trusts this company, I should too.” 

Put trust badges and testimonials on display if you want to build trust and rapport with your audience with social proof.

Showcase Special Offers

Now, it’s time to talk about ways to get sales directly from your blog. You can use a mixture of the tips we mentioned earlier to make this strategy work. For instance, showing a pop-up that gives users 50% off their first order will help you build sales and grow your email list. Let consumers know that they can take advantage of this offer by subscribing to your email list. 

You can also add one-time use discounts to product pages from within your blog. Let’s say you own an online sporting goods store. You could go to all of the relevant blog posts about football and include an exclusive discount for people interested in buying football gear. 

When you monetize your blog using this strategy, you’re always putting a relevant offer on display for your audience segments. If someone is reading your blog post about football, they are obviously interested in the sport, and thus are more likely to need the gear you’re offering.

Engage with Your Audience

The final tip we will discuss today focuses on engaging with your audience. If someone lands on your blog and is passionate about what you have to say, they will likely leave a comment on the post. Don’t let comments go unnoticed. 

Spend time each day responding to blog posts so users can see that you’re interested in what they have to say and want to start a conversation. In today’s marketing climate, users are looking for businesses that want to engage and actively display their brand personality. 

Answering users gives them confidence that they can reach your brand if they have a question about a product or service you’re offering. 

Think of it this way: if you commented on two blogs with similar products, and only one of your comments got a response, where would you be most likely to spend your money? Odds are, you would want to give your hard-earned cash to the business that made an effort to continue the conversation. 

Final Thoughts

Your blog is one of the best marketing tools you have at your disposal. There are countless ways you can grow your business using the tips we’ve mentioned today. 

Depending on your industry, you may have to make adjustments to how you segment your audience and secure sales, but the principles remain the same. You have a much better chance at growing your business if you use your blog as a meeting point for your other marketing platforms.

Most customers that find a website are simply there for information the first time around. Securing these connections to your other marketing channels ensures that you’ll have the opportunity to nurture your leads and show them why your business is worth their time.