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9 Steps to Optimize Your Blog for Lead Generation

marketing on the internet

In late 2015, just 6 months after launching, Apple Music had 10 million paying subscribers.

An impressive figure, right?

Especially when you consider it took Spotify 6 whole years to reach the same number!

Now Apple Music has 15 million paying users in 100+ countries.

At 9.99$/month, that’s nearly $150 million in revenue, every single month…

All from a product that didn’t even exist one year ago.

Not too shabby, aye?!

So how did Apple hit these numbers so quickly?

(Hint: the answer will seem OBVIOUS in hindsight.)

See, when you buy an iOS device (like the popular iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Apple Watch)..

You must register an Apple ID via iTunes with your email address.

The number of using iTunes?

Oh, you know…

Well over 900 million!

And we’re not just talkin’ emails, either!

Most of those accounts also have credit cards attached to them.

So all Apple had to do to turn those leads into sales was to simply announce an opportunity to click the “buy” button!

Which is precisely what happened with Apple Music – they launched an “okay” product, honestly not as good as the competition, yet they still inevitably made millions upon millions in revenue.

That’s the power of having a list of subscribers

23513-BlogBannerRequest-062316-03And here’s where so many business owners go wrong…

It’s fantastic to build your social media presence, necessary to produce great content for your blog, and definitely a plus to establish a professional brand.

But…

And this is absolutely crucial…

If you’re marketing on the internet and you're not generating new leads consistently, it’s downright impossible to grow your business!

Luckily, though…

It’s not difficult to optimize your blog for lead generation.

And squeeze every last penny out of your ad spend.

So don’t put implementing this off until the time is “just right”…because it never is.

Get started today with the following 9 simple steps to engage your readers and get them on your list!

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In list building, begin with ONE specific goal in mind.

You're blogging to make money, that’s a given.

But how are you going to get to profitability?

Do you want email subscribers, phone numbers, or members for your exclusive Facebook group?

All are effective lists, after all.

Basically, ask yourself:

What’s your customer experience going to look like?

And realize that sometimes things will change based on your editorial calendar.

Let’s say you’re in a pre-launch phase, and you want to keep readers engaged and build anticipation before you release the product and start selling.

For example…

Harry’s, a shaving product site, generated 100,000 leads in a week via their pre-launch page, which is a great way to ensure profitability from day one!

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“If you build it, they will come.”

The words are simple, motivational, and they feel true on a gut level.

If you're marketing on the internet, and you work hard and provide value, people should come and want to buy what you’re offering, right?

Wrong.

Take Google…

They’ve wasted the better part of a billion dollars, hundreds of employees, and years of time into Google+: a social network that painfully few people enthusiastically use.

Why did Google+ tank so hard?

Well, they made some sort of Facebook slash Twitter-like hybrid, which no one really asked for and no one really wanted.

There wasn't initially a ton of innovation, despite their cool “invite only” launch.

So it’s struggled to find it’s niche, it’s audience.

Now…Google can afford to waste hundreds of millions and years of time on a “moonshot.”

Can you?

Probably not – so get things right the first time by knowing what your audience actually wants.

  • What do they want to buy?
  • Which of their needs aren’t being met?
  • How can you offer them value?

Do your research.

When marketing on the internet, use this information to present a targeted offer that differentiates you from your competition.

How? It’s simple.

You…

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How do you know who to target?

How do you understand what leads want—and who they are—so you market to the right folks?

The first thing you’ve got to know is WHO your perfect audience is.

Here are a few questions that will help you get started…

  • Who’s buying from your competitors? If someone’s already buying similar products, it’s easy to “poach” their business. Figure out who’s giving the competition money and target similar-minded people.
  • What problems does your product solve? You should be targeting people who have pain points that your offer addresses!
  • Where does your perfect customer frequent online? Find and study those forums, Facebook Pages, and websites. Read Amazon reviews and diligently note how people frame their problems and desires.

Click here for more help in defining your perfect audience.

Make a careful study of your audience and really learn their pains and frustrations so you can make them offers they simply can’t refuse.

(Figuratively—not literally—of course!)

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Once you know who you’re selling it to, it’s time to get ‘em on your list!

But first, you’ll need a mechanism to do so (if you’re not set this up already).

It can be tempting to use all the tools out there…

Multivariate split testing software, event-triggered automated email campaigns, behavioral cross-network ad retargeting, et cetera.

It’s all useful stuff, right?

Right—but when you’re just starting out marketing on the internet, you should focus on the only things you need to make money…

Which are rather simple:

You need a blog with an opt-in form.

Your blog is the central “hub” where you share content, providing value to your prospects, and inviting them to sign up and become a lead.

You’ve probably heard it a thousand times…

“The money's in the list”

And thankfully a blog (along with your email marketing service provider) are the only truly non-negotiable tools you need to generate a money-making list in today’s age.

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Apple Music launched with a 3-month free trial period for new subscribers.

And here’s what’s important about that…

In 2016, people expect some kind of “bribe” for signing up.

“Get free updates” or “join my newsletter” just don’t cut it these days.

In the world of list building, we call a compelling bribe a “lead magnet.”

You’ve always got to remember that you’re competing for your audience’s attention…and not with just other marketers, either.

When marketing on the internet, you’re competing with whatever’s on TV, innumerable distractions on the ‘net, whatever’s for dinner, and a million other things your prospect could be doing with their time.

So make sure to give people an incentive to join your list (like Apple’s trial offer).

“But I don’t know if I have anything valuable to give people for joining my list!”

Hey, that’s a-okay!

In a minute, we’ll talk about how to quickly and easily create the perfect lead magnet.

But first, let’s talk about something that’s just as important…

And that’s creating the type of content that gets people to want to opt-in for your lead magnet in the first place!

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When people come to your website, you want to shine the spotlight on your absolute best content.

Remember: blogs work by chronologically pushing old articles down the page as new content is released.

So even if you write something epic—a true masterpiece—it’ll become practically invisible to new visitors after a short while.

That’s why you’ve got to highlight your best content by, for example, listing it in a sidebar or footer widget, or in a separate “Start Here” page.

There’s more than one way to make discoverability easy, so don’t overcomplicate the process.

Just make sure you’re putting your best content where people can see it!

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While not 100% necessary, there are benefits to having a separate, dedicated page for your lead magnet’s opt-in offer.

So why bother?

Well, first of all, a dedicated capture page gives you a specific URL to share in guest posts, on social media, and elsewhere.

Second, sending folks to a separate page makes people focus on the lead magnet offer and nothing else, which improves conversions.

FYI: it can be confusing to hear the terms landing page, squeeze page, sandwich page, or capture page. Just remember that all these terms mean pretty much the exact same thing.

So what goes on your capture page?

First, a strong headline that captures attention.

And note that you don’t have to be “the best” at anything to have a great headline offer.

For example…

In the 1960s, everyone knew Hertz was a bigger company than Avis. So what did Avis do? They made “We Try Harder” their tagline…and started renting their cars like hotcakes!

No matter how experienced you are, you can create a genuinely compelling opt-in offer when marketing on the internet.

Discover how to write irresistible headlines in 15 minutes right here.

Also remember to minimize the number of fields you use.

The less hassle, the more likely people are to sign up.

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Putting lead capture forms in multiple strategic locations around your blog increases the odds of capturing an email address every time someone visits your site.

Too many marketers are shy about asking for opt-ins.

They make their sign-up boxes bland and hide them in places nobody goes.

Don’t be like those people!

Apple Music wouldn’t be making $150 million/month right now if the company wasn’t so darn bold about requiring everyone to jump through hoops to use their products and services.

They know it’s annoying to register for an Apple ID and an iCloud account. They know it’s annoying to use iTunes as a hub for every single piece of media you share between their devices.

But they make you do all those things anyway because they require you to be on their list.

After all, hundreds of millions of customers still love Apple, so why not take a page from their book?

Don’t be afraid to maximize your chances—and profits—by using “in-your-face” opt-in boxes and buttons strategically.

Step #9. Test and experiment!

23513-BlogBannerRequest-062316-06Once you’ve set up everything, it’s time to start driving traffic…

And then you test, test, and test again!

Look—we can sit here all day, and I can tell you everything I know about marketing.

But unless you make a commitment to go out there, take action, and test things for yourself, you’ll never know what actually works.

Makes sense, right?

Without testing, you’re relying on hearsay, hope, luck, and your gut instincts—none of which are reliable indicators of what actually works in the real world.

So commit today to keep taking action, testing, and experimenting to see what works until you start achieving the lead flow you’re looking for.

And then keep moving forward and doing it all some more!

Okay, let's wrap things up…

How to make people WANT to join your list

23513-BlogBannerRequest-062316-05Here’s the thing…

Your visitors have NO reason to share their email address unless you offer something of value in return.

This is why Apple Music offers a free 3-month trial, remember?

And it’s also why we discussed the importance of creating a compelling “bribe,” or lead magnet, to build your list back in step 5.

This isn't optional.

Now, creating your first lead magnet might seem tough, but there's a simple process for making one in just a few hours

Meaning you can have an irresistible lead magnet that can explode your conversions…TOMORROW.

So to help you get started right now…

We've put together a FREE 10-Day Online Recruiting Bootcamp with all that you need to start marketing on the internet.

You’ll learn about the specific tools and techniques you can use to connect with prospects online, so you’ll never have to chase anyone to make a sale, or deal with cold calling and rejection, ever again.

These methods allow you to build your business automatically—where prospects reach out to you (instead of you having to reach out to them).

You can take advantage of these methods starting today—no matter how much (or little) online prospecting and recruiting experience you currently have.

The bottom line is that, in today’s age, you don’t need to be pushy, obnoxious, or overly-aggressive to build a successful business!

So don't wait a second longer to communicate your story and value to the world…

Simply click here and you'll get access to EMP's 10-Day Online Recruiting Bootcamp.

Here’s to your success!

 

Until next time,

Andrew Draughon
Director of Content
Elite Marketing Pro

FREE INTERNET RECRUITING COURSE

Finally, An Easy Way To Recruit Into Your Network Marketing Business – Rejection FREE – Without Wasting Your Time & Money Chasing Dead Beat Prospects & Leads…

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