12 Ways to Use Value Added Content to Generate (and Nurture) Leads
Value added content is exclusive content that your audience cannot get anywhere else.Perhaps you have a blog and you've even been expanding into other forms of value added content. Yet you still are not generating the leads you want with that content.Value added content is the core of any robust inbound marketing strategy but you still need to leverage it. Merely publishing your content won't (usually) earn you customers.So here are 12 ways to use your value added content to generate leads: 1. Genuinely Help Your Readers Your content is not "value added" unless it is adding value to your readers. Your first goal with every piece of content you publish should be to help your readers - add value to their lives and businesses. Your potential customers can usually sense self-serving and useless content within seconds of loading your page. And when they sense this they "bounce" to another website. Keep your bounce rate low and generate more leads by genuinely helping your readers. 2. Build Trust in Your Brand Trust is an important part of any sales process. A purchase is an act of trust. Your customer is trusting that your service or product is going to solve a problem, improve his life, or help him reach his goals. A purchase is an act of faith in you, your business, and what you offer your customer. You need to build this trust early. Value added content is the perfect vehicle for building that trust. As you genuinely help your readers you build trust with them. Help them whether they buy from you or not and, paradoxically, they will be more likely to buy. 3. Invite Subscribers Email marketing…
Website Self-Evaluation
Some organizations contact us because they are aware that their websites need improvement but they are unsure what exactly needs to be done. In order to assist these organizations in prioritizing their web-work we provide free website evaluations and initial consultations (contact us if you want to take advantage of these services). To complement our evaluations and consultations we have developed this website self-evaluation. Don't just take our word for it - evaluate your own website! We encourage you to download the PDF version of this document for use in your organization. Call a meeting of the decision makers and knowledgable leaders within your organization, load your website, and discuss the questions for the sections relevant to you. Purpose: Should our website primarily be for members/employees or non-members/customers? (This is your audience) What content is our audience looking for? Is that content easily available on our website? What content is our audience looking for that is either missing or difficult to find? Design: What is the atmosphere of our organization/business? Does our website’s design reflect that atmosphere? Why or why not? How could our website better reflect that atmosphere? Is our website easy to navigate? (For example: Are the contact and blog pages where you would expect in the menu?) Is our site mobile optimized? Engagement: What is the most natural way for our audience to contact us? Is that contact info available on every page? Is there a way to streamline this contact method? (For example: a contact form is better than an email address and a social media feed is better than a social media link.) How easy is it for website visitors to share…
How to Monetize Your Blog: Building Your Subscriber List
Recently we talked about monetizing your blog without driving your readers crazy. We discussed some of the more annoying ways to make money blogging, including through pushing ads and promoting affiliate programs. [button id="4fd9b4f4b32921647383bf92ba393ba3" text="Read part 1 here" url="https://www.rystedtcreative.com/copywriting/monetize-blog-without-driving-readers-crazy/" target="_self" alignment="center" alignment_mobile="default" image="" icon="ti-book" icon_alignment="left" style="1" size="large" radius="0" border_size="2" shadow="simple" full="false" tale="none" margin="0px 0px 15px 0px" text_color="#ffffff" text_hover_color="" background_color="rgba(31,120,230,1)" background_hover_color="rgba(31,78,136,1)" border_color="rgba(152,255,161,1)" border_hover_color="rgba(120,246,131,1)" animation="none" animation_speed="2" animation_delay="0" __fw_editor_shortcodes_id="1cd8293c16122c55834fefd72712dc03" _fw_coder="aggressive"][/button]If you want to make money blogging, you probably want to steer clear of these money making methods - at least to a degree. At the right time and under the right circumstances, an affiliate program, for example, might make a lot of sense for a blogger. But for the most part, we recommend choosing other money making methods if you’re serious about turning your blog into a lucrative income stream (even if it’s just to supplement your coffee addiction). Cashing in on Your Unique Products Again, as we mentioned previously, offering products to your digital audience is a reliable way to earn a sustainable blog income - even while you sleep. But getting to the point where you’re ready to cash in on the buying potential of your audience takes far longer than it does to get through Google’s AdSense screenings and so forth. The foundation of your blog’s marketplace is your subscriber list. And that’s what we’re going to talk about in this post. Why should you build a subscriber list? How does social media factor into the equation? What should you expect from your subscribers? Most importantly: what should you deliver to your subscribers? Let’s get started. Unpacking the Basics of a Subscriber List You’re probably familiar with the concept of…
Why Your Website Needs a Blog
Your website needs a blog. Yes, yours. Whether you are painting houses, equipping non-profits, or selling herbal remedies for cats, a blog will demonstrate your authority in your field, increase traffic to your website, and increase lead conversions and sales. Ideally your phone is ringing off the hook with potential clients who were recommended to you and you have more work than you can handle. If this isn't the case for you then your organization needs a robust inbound marketing strategy. Inbound marketing is the creation of content that brings potential customers to you rather than requiring your marketers to always go to them. Most successful businesses generate sales through a combination of referrals, inbound marketing, and cold contacts. Inbound marketing has a higher return on investment than cold contacts and consequently is one of the most effective marketing strategies. At the top of the inbound marketing list of methods is leveraging blog content. According to HubSpot's State of Inbound 2017 report, 53% of marketers consider blog content creation as their top inbound marketing priority. Marketers are pushing blog content creation because it works and it will work for you if implement it well. Whatever it is you do you have blog potential. Some organizations think that what they do doesn't lend itself to a blog. Yet potential customers want to know about you, what you do, and how to improve their lives. If you sell feline herbal remedies, for example, write about how to cure common illnesses, how to improve your cat's activity level, how to encourage healthy mental development, debunk common myths about herbal remedies, give behind the scenes looks at your company, etc. Get creative and get…
How to Monetize Your Blog Without Driving Your Readers Crazy
Many people are drawn to blogging and boosting their online presence by the allure of earning an extra bit of cash - or even a viable living - from their website. While blogging is definitely a great foray into online money making, it can be more than a little frustrating to learn exactly how the money is made. A good number of bloggers make some kind of money from their online activity. But only a handful of bloggers make anything near what they’d like to make from their blogging venture. And often, it takes a long time to get to the point of profitability. So how do Bloggers Make Money? There are many ways to turn your blog into a stream of revenue, including: Affiliate Programs - you sign up for a program with a vendor that you frequent and get a cut of the cash when someone makes a purchase from that site through your link Sponsorships - a company that aligns with your blog’s purpose sponsors a blog post, usually in the form of sending you a complimentary product in return for a themed post featuring that product Ads - companies pay to rent a portion of your blog’s space in order to display their own ad information If you’re a blogger, you’re probably familiar with one or all of these methods of deriving income from the blogging platform. If you’re anyone who reads anything on a webpage on the internet, then you’re almost certainly familiar with these income generators - and you probably hate them. I personally hate ads so much that I have two ad blockers installed in my browser and find “adwalls” (companies that refuse…