With your online business website getting ready for launch, you have to lay the groundwork that will support the foundation of your business. We know sales are the lifeblood of any business. But in truth, sales are only a by-product of the market that patronizes its products and services. The level of sales your business will generate will depend upon the size of the market that your marketing efforts will acquire.
The larger the volume of leads that flows through your sales funnel, the higher the probability of converting a lead into a paying customer.
In this chapter, we will focus on two strategies that have been consistently proven to generate leads and sales for any business: Blogging and Affiliate Marketing.
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The popularity of social media networks notwithstanding, blogging, is also a frequent online activity by Internet users. Statistically, 28% of online time is spent on social media. Not far behind is reading blogs and other content at 23%. But this data can be misleading because of the 18.7 million people who blog, and 12 million blogs through various social media platforms.
Blogs serve a valuable purpose in that it provides content Internet users find useful. In fact, as discussed in the previous chapter the statistics for blogging as a business development strategy are so overwhelming it is considered the centerpiece of the content marketing process.
The demand for blogging is very high. According to Elance-Upwork, writing ranks second behind IT services in terms of demand but is also its fastest-growing segment. Elance-Upwork also maintains through its research that 64% of small businesses prefer to outsource content writing/blogging to freelancers rather than doing it in-house.
This is not surprising because of two reasons:
1. Effective blogging requires skill and strategy.
While writing is a skill we are all taught the moment we can hold a pencil, the truth is while most people can write not many can blog.
Blogging is more than just writing words on a piece of paper or tapping away at a keyboard. First and foremost, a blog should have a purpose.
Are you blogging to provide information? Are you blogging to address issues or pressing concerns? Are you blogging to promote a product or service?
Your purpose determines the following:
- Content
- Tone
- Writing Style
- Distribution Channels
- Use of Keywords
The last one, “Use of Keywords”, is of particular importance because keywords help your content get found online. But these keywords must be relevant to the topic you are blogging about.
More importantly, these keywords must be used strategically. Search engines will penalize you for “keyword stuffing”. This is the practice where content writers stuff their blogs or articles with the most competitive keywords. The result is content that reads grammatically and phonetically wrong.
Instead of supporting, the unmitigated use of keywords ends up detracting from the main idea of the content.
The most effective way to use keywords would be to have them in the title and within the first 100 words of the first paragraph. For SEO purposes, it is advisable to have the keywords in the first sentence of the first paragraph.
Keywords must also be used sporadically within the body. For a blog post that is 800 words long, the keyword should appear no more than six times including the title and the first paragraph.
As a blogger, you will have to figure out the best way to reconcile the quality of content with the use of keywords.
2. Blogging takes time and effort
If you are a hands-on e-commerce entrepreneur, and you should be, you will not have time for blogging.
For blogging to yield profitable results for your online business, the activity must follow these important guidelines:
- Frequency – you must blog as frequently as possible. Studies on blogging frequency show that the more often you blog, the higher the probability of landing a sale.
- Length – the longer the blog, the better. The ideal length of a blog is 1,600 words. This serves two purposes. One, a long blog keeps the reader longer on your web page and lowers your bounce rate. And two, a longer blog enhances your image as a reliable resource person.
- Content is King – the content you write about will determine whether people will subscribe to your services or not. Content must always spur the reader to initiate your desired action.
With these considerations in mind, as an entrepreneur, you will be much better off outsourcing blogging to a freelancer or a content marketing agency. You should allocate most of your time managing your business and attending to orders for your products.
Blogging for Profit
Whether you decide to outsource blogging or to do it yourself, here are a few guidelines to consider when blogging to benefit your business:
1. Identify Your Purpose
I cannot begin to overemphasize the importance of having a purpose when blogging. Purpose points you in the right direction and charts the course to where you want your readers to go.
For an e-commerce website, of course, you want your blog to generate leads. Therefore, you should present content that provides answers or solutions to questions or issues your audience may have.
2. Conduct Keyword Research
If you don’t have the benefit of an SEO expert to conduct keyword research, you can outsource this to a freelancer or do it yourself via Google Adwords. Using the right keywords will go a long way in directing people to your blog page.
3. Research Your Target Market
Find out what issues interest your target market. You can do this in a number of ways:
- Send survey forms via e-mail marketing or as a Call-to-Action on your website.
- Engage in focus groups
- Engage with community members in your social media network
4. Provide Relevant and Useful Information
Blogging requires research, and this is another reason why it takes time. When you share content on the Internet, it is there for the world to see. Anyone can access it. If you want to enhance your reputation as an expert, you have to validate your facts, figures, and information.
For the audience to patronize your blog, it must be relevant. For the blog to serve its purpose, it must be useful. Your blog has to be well-researched, organized, and presented.
5. Introduce Yourself to the Market
Do you know why companies like KFC, Starbucks, Walt Disney, Facebook, Microsoft, Alibaba, and Apple have stood the test of time and become iconic global brands?
It’s the same reason you know who Col. Harland Sanders, Howard Schultz, Roy Disney, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Jack Ma, and Steve Jobs are. Long before Zuckerberg and Facebook came along, these were publicly identified as the men behind the products.
They shared their stories with the market and let their consumers know who they are. People identified with their struggles and their purpose for putting up their businesses.
A blog is a great way to introduce yourself to the market and give your business a face and name your customers will identify with.
6. Tell Relatable Stories
Share with your readers the stories which led you on this path to e-commerce entrepreneurship and how your values influenced your business model, quality of products, and services.
This is a very effective way to engage your readers, share your purpose and vision, and develop a relationship with your market. Aligned purpose and vision create a powerful connection that builds customer loyalty.
7. Share Customer Experiences
If you have customers or subscribers who have disclosed to you their experiences in using your products and services, ask their permission if you can share these in a blog.
Testimonials are another powerful tool in building your online presence and reputation as a resource person and expert. Entice your customers to share their stories in exchange for free products or big discounts on succeeding purchases.
8. Follow the 80-20 Rule
When blogging for an e-commerce business, it should not just be all about business.
Feel free to blog about other topics that may not be directly related to your business but offers relevant information and interest to your audience. For example, if you are selling health supplements, you could blog about the upcoming NBA Finals or Manny Pacquiao’s latest fight.
The rule is to blog 80% on business matters and 20% on issues that are not related to your enterprise, or vice-versa.
Shortlist of Topics to Blog About
If you are scratching your head on what you should blog about, here are a few choice topics:
1. History and other key information about your industry
Believe it or not, consumers will always want to know more about the industry you are in. It helps them make educated decisions when thinking about purchasing. And they will appreciate your effort in giving them the information.
2. Share Your Purpose
Tell your readers why you decided to start this business. Share with them the various turning points and circumstances that made you decide to pursue this career path.
3. Share Your Business History
Share with your readers your experiences with this entrepreneurial journey at this point. Don’t be afraid to share the times you experienced failure and disappointments. These stories add soul, heart, and spirit to your enterprise.
4. Industry Updates and Developments
This is especially valuable if you are e-mailing your blog content to existing subscribers. Readers appreciate being given advanced information on new product releases, promotional activities, and other new development.
5. Advice on Your Products and Services
“How To’s” and “Lists” are very popular blogs. These types of blogs are easy to read and follow. They are direct to the point and organize all the important points in the content.
“How To’s” and “Lists” are excellent ways to render advice on your products and services. Going back to our example, if you are selling supplements, you can create a blog on “10 Best Protein Supplements in the Market” or “How to Stack Your Supplements for Best Muscle Gains.”
If you decide to outsource blogging, make sure you regularly review the drafts prepared by your content writer. His material must suit your “voice”.
A blog is your online voice; it should capture who you are and what you do. When you read a blog that was crafted by another writer, you should hear your voice in your head.
Affiliate Marketing
Another effective approach to bringing more leads and potential sales to your online retail business is through Affiliate Marketing.
Affiliate Marketing is an arrangement between the owner of the online business website otherwise known as the “Merchant” and other website owners who are alternatively referred to as “publishers” or “affiliates.”
For the purpose of consistency, I shall refer to the online business website owner as “The Merchant” and the publisher as “The Affiliate”.
The affiliate shall be tasked to contribute to the sales of the merchant by hosting links, banners, product information, and even blogs on his website that have been designed for the purpose of generating interest in the merchant’s products and services.
In exchange, the affiliate receives a percentage of the merchant’s profits on the items he helped sell.
There are three ways in which an affiliate can attempt to promote interest in the merchant’s products and services:
- Pay-Per-Click. Every time a prospective customer leaves the affiliate’s website by clicking on the link that goes to the merchant’s website, the affiliate gets paid a certain amount of money.
- Pay-Per-Sale. The affiliate gets paid by the merchant every time a sale is made as a result of advertising posted on the affiliate’s website.
- Pay-Per-Lead. In this process, the affiliate is paid a certain amount of money whenever a lead or potential client signs up at the merchant’s website as a result of advertising done on the affiliate’s website.
Growth of Affiliate Marketing
The origins of Affiliate Marketing can be traced back to 1989 with the launch of William J. Tobin’s PC Flowers & Gifts on the Prodigy Network. Through its affiliate marketing arrangement with the Prodigy Network, PC Flowers & Gifts was generating sales of more than $6 Million per year by 1993. PC Flowers & Gifts stayed with the Prodigy Network until 1996.
Amazon.com started its affiliate marketing program in July 1996. The mechanics of Amazon’s affiliate marketing program required their affiliates to place banners or text links on their websites for specific book selections or to access Amazon’s Home Page directly.
Affiliates were paid a commission whenever a visitor would click the link to Amazon’s Home Page and make a purchase. Many marketing historians believe that Amazon’s business model for affiliate marketing is the one popularly adopted by merchants today. In 2006, it was estimated that the global earnings of marketing affiliates totaled $6.5 Billion in commissions from a variety of retail and e-commerce websites.
Advantages of Affiliate Marketing
This is a marketing approach where the affiliate posts the advertisement on his website and just waits for the money to start coming in. Affiliate Marketing is efficient for the merchant because he does not have to pay anything until his website generates results. Affiliate Marketing follows the “Pay-per-Performance” business model.
For the merchant, by posting ads on many websites as possible, he increases the probability of generating more leads that can be converted into paying customers. Thus, affiliate marketing is similar to blogging in that it is a game of numbers.
Disadvantages of Affiliate Marketing
There are a few disadvantages to the Affiliate Marketing program. One, the merchant has to share the profits with another party. Even if profit-sharing is the standard mode of payment with Affiliate Marketing, some merchants may not be compelled to share as much if the Affiliate Marketer fails to deliver the expected quantity of leads or sales.
There is the ever-present risk of a prospective lead being put off by the merchant’s products and services. This will be the case if the Affiliate resorts to implementing unsavory or questionable business strategies to bring in lead to the merchant’s website. It could well tarnish the reputation of the Merchant.
Putting it all Together
Blogging and Affiliate Marketing can have a synergistic relationship. You can negotiate with affiliate marketers to have your blogs posted on their websites and post online ads at the same time.
There are affiliate marketers who are bloggers at the same time.
Remember, affiliate marketing uses various processes and strategies to generate leads for the merchant’s business and blogging is a standard feature in the affiliate’s toolbox.
A well-written, well-crafted blog can spur interest and compel a call to action by clicking on an online ad that leads directly to your e-commerce website. Whether done as separate activities or in synergy with one another, blogging and affiliate marketing have been proven to be effective strategies in bringing leads to your e-commerce website.
Roel Manarang is a seasoned entrepreneur who helps businesses succeed through design and digital marketing. With over 10 years of experience, he has assisted 170+ global companies. Roel is the founder of Workroom, a digital marketing company, and Tycoon Philippines, an acclaimed business and finance blog. Find him on LinkedIn.
