The biggest mistake with web marketing (and how to avoid it)

If you’ve felt like your web marketing has been spinning its wheels, you are not alone. In fact the most common question I get asked is…

How do I grow my audience?

If you are publishing wonderful blog posts and getting quite a bit of traffic, as well as writing compelling emails to your subscribers: well done.

However, if the size of your email is still stagnant and it feels like you’re not getting traction, then something important is missing. What is that?

Conversions

If you are doing the “blogging” part right and also the “email marketing” part right, then the missing piece of the puzzle is converting that blog traffic into email subscribers.

Blog readers want to get to know you better

If people enjoy reading your articles, you actually have an obligation to allow them to deepen their relationship with you. This means offering the reader access to more information on a specific topic and inviting them to receive your regular emails.

In marketing parlance, you need a call to action at the end of your blog posts where a reader can download a piece of premium content in exchange for their name and email address.

This takes place on a purpose-built landing page where the primary goal of the page is for the visitor to easily download the content. This process is known as a conversion.

The nuts and bolts of how to do it

Premium content

Firstly you need to release a piece of premium content that is truly valuable and that actually helps your visitor. Not a self-serving brochure or advert dressed up as a guide, but something people would actually pay for (if you asked them to). This is what you give away for free in exchange for someone’s name and email address. It’s like going to a business event and exchanging business cards with someone interesting. You both exchange something of value and it opens the door for future communication.

Landing page

A landing page is a purpose-built webpage where you house your premium content.  It needs to have a form where people can enter their name and email address in exchange for the download. Ideally it will have no distractions (like navigation bar or other options), and it needs to be incredibly easy for the visitor to use.

Since you are requesting their email address, always let the visitor know what and when you’ll be emailing them. This sets the expectation for future communication.

The holy grail

If you’ve got a stellar piece of premium content combined with an easy to use, high-converting landing page, then you can expect to see your audience grow in droves. Simply end each blog post with a call to action ‘offer’ to download your content, just like I do below. It’s such a simple tweak but can transform your marketing from spinning its wheels to taking off!

To help grow your audience, download the brand new Landing Page Design Template so you can house your premium content on a page that converts.