Do blog posts really drive purchases? [New Data]

Our 2023 Marketing Trends Report Shows that 29% of marketers use a website or blog to attract and convert leads.

The enduring importance placed on blogging is not shocking. have blogs Integral to most digital marketing plans Because they can:

• boost seo
• Improve overall site traffic and brand presence online
• Help potential customers learn more about your industry, brand, product or service

However, starting and running an effective, traffic-generating blog requires a lot of time and energy. Plus, if you’re a marketing manager on a tight budget, you might be wondering, “Will a blog post In fact reasons to buy?”

To answer this question, we’ve done some research to help you determine whether a company blog is a good fit for your marketing strategy.

Important Blog Statistics Marketers Should Know

Do blog posts lead to purchases?

Why blogs lead to purchases

How to lead readers to purchase

Creating Your Blog Nurturing Process

Important Blog Statistics Marketers Should Know

As mentioned earlier, blogs are essential to many marketing strategies, and there are statistics that show why. Here are some blog statistics we gathered from our Marketing Trends report:

• One in three marketers is leveraging SEO alongside their blog or website to land on the SERPs
• Blogs, Social Media Shopping Tools, and Influencer Marketing All Tied for Highest ROI of Any Marketing Channel

• 33% of marketers are leveraging blog posts in their marketing strategy.
• 2023 will see the first high use of blog posts, interviews, images and podcasts among marketers.

Do blog posts lead to purchases?

Development of other content strategiesLike video marketing, you can trick consumers into thinking that consumers will only buy products after seeing them on other platforms.

However, when we surveyed 300 consumers through Lucid asking, “Have you ever bought anything from a company after reading a blog post?” 56% said, “Yes.”

Furthermore, according to our trends report, blog posts along with videos, images and podcasts are among the media formats with the highest ROI.

Why blogs lead to purchases

If your company has a blog that discusses your industry or how your offering can help with daily pain points of the average reader, your audience can discover your brand’s expertise and gain trust. That trust and credibility can eventually lead to a purchase.

Why? Let’s say a prospect trusts the advice or information you provide in your blog post. In that case, they may believe your offering is of better quality than your competitors because your brand knows the industry, what customers want, and the pains your product or service solves.

Even if you prefer video, social media, or visual marketing strategies, it’s important to remember that while blogs can help you sell products, other content types cannot.

For example, videos and images can give potential customers only a glimpse of how a product or service works. However, blog posts can provide comprehensive information that would otherwise be cut from videos and images to avoid crowding an audience on social media.

Blog posts can also increase your search ranking and provide more opportunities to link directly to a landing or purchasing page. Consumers can find your content through search, then read your posts, and easily click through to the product purchase page after your content has persuaded them to buy the product.

Additionally, because most blog sites allow you to embed videos, podcasts, and imagery, your company blog can also be a great place to promote your other marketing assets while informing prospects about your brand.

How to get buying leads for blog readers

In the next year, consider a content marketing mix that includes blogging. How do you persuade buyers with your blog posts? Here are some quick tips.

Strategically place product page links and CTAs.

Mentioning your brand, product, or service where it feels natural in your blog posts is a great way to generate leads and purchases.

However, you can also use hyperlinks to link to product pages or cta button Which draws a little more attention to a product or offer without taking the reader’s attention away from the blog post.

At HubSpot, we usually have at least three CTAs related to the blog topic in each post:

• A text-based CTA in the intro
• a large banner image at the bottom
• A slide-in CTA that appears to the edge of your text when you scroll through the middle of the post.

This allows for up to three mentions of a product or offering without disrupting the reader’s experience.

The image below is an example of our CTA.

From top to bottom: A text-based CTA, a slide-in CTA, and a bottom CTA. ,image Source,

Provide a free resource:

You probably noticed that the examples of CTAs above include links to free resources. While it may seem counterintuitive, free resources can help drive consumers to your blog to make purchases. This way:

If your brand sells a subscription, service or product that is more expensive or requires approval from your company’s leadership, it may take more than a few blog posts to convince blog readers to trust your brand and invest in your product. may be required. In that case, you should focus on lead nurturing instead of sending blog readers directly to a purchasing page.

HubSpot and many other blogs have grown their contact and qualified lead lists simply by creating a free downloadable resource, such as an eBook, template, or research report, and offering it via a CTA at the end of the blog post.

Below is an example of a recent free research report resource we offered at the end of one of our sales blog posts:

To access free but gated – Offer readers will need to provide basic information about themselves and their company. From there, they receive an automated email or instant download of a resource when a Contact – or Lead – is created and enters our lead-qualification process to see if they might be an excellent prospect to reach out to. Can

HubSpot Blog’s free resource strategy pays off thousands of qualified leads per year that can convert into HubSpot customers. You can learn more about how to implement this on your blog Here.

Remember, quality beats over-hype.

in another Recent Clear Survey, one-third of our general consumer respondents typically read blog posts to “learn something new.” Meanwhile, about 20% read blog posts for entertainment.

It is important to remember that readers will likely find your blog because they are looking for information related to the industry in which they operate. They want to learn something related to their hobby or may need solution of pain point in their daily or professional life.

Odds are, they aren’t just looking for promotional material. If a reader visits your blog site and finds nothing but blog posts filled with product shots and cheesy advertising language, chances are they’ll lose interest in your content and won’t develop the sense of trust needed to make a purchase. Will get

It is wise to have some non-intrusive CTAs in your blog posts and mention your product or service whenever it feels relevant. Make sure your content primarily provides valuable guidance, advice and information to help your reader meet their needs.

For example, in This post about AI social media toolsWe give valuable insight into applying AI-based technology to the social media process, while listing HubSpot as one of the tools readers can use.

While we still mention our offerings, the post aims to show readers how multiple AI tools can streamline a marketing process.

Creating Your Blog Nurturing Process

Every brand has a target audience with different interests and content needs. While one blog strategy, such as free resources, will work well for a B2B company to generate qualified leads, other tactics, such as linking to a product in a blog post, may be more appealing to consumer-facing brands. Can

As you focus more on converting your blog traffic into revenue, keep these questions in mind:

• What information is valuable to my audience?
• Does my product require lead nurturing, such as a gated offer?
• Will the tactics I’m using seem over-promotional or irrelevant to my audience?

Want to learn more about how the HubSpot blog generates leads? view this post From one of our Content Acquisition Managers. Or, remove these tips How to earn money from blogging.

Before you check out those pieces, download the free resource below.