Welcome to part 2 of my marketing series and we’re looking at ways to market your blog increasing traffic and engagement. If you’ve been blogging for years then you’ve probably tried many different marketing methods tweaking them along the way. However, for beginners it important to use the methods that work and NOT to invest in those which produce no results. The good news is you have several resources available that outline the most effective marketing methods. For example, when I started out I knew I can read authority blogs and find out the best marketing tools so I don’t waste time or money on non-productive methods. Currently there are 10 marketing methods I would suggest to anyone getting started. These methods have been proven to work and will provide the results you want to obtain.
Here in part “2†we’ll be looking at “FREE†guides and how effective they are in building loyalty and engagement. Let’s get started…
The Philosophy – Free Product
The way this marketing strategy works is very simple and the objective is to build loyalty by providing value for FREE. Over the years many people desperate for information will be promised a solution and will have to pay for a guide or tutorial. However, offering that EXACT value for free can have a dramatic impact on your loyalty and traffic rate. For example, a free product can be…
- Free eBook
- Training videos
- Coupon for product
- Free Trial
Having a marketing funnel while utilizing a free guide will allow you to build customer loyalty, marketing products and build your brand all at the same time.
Research
Before you can start implementing this strategy it’s important to do your research. The best approach is to find a common problem within your niche and then offer a complete solution for FREE. If you’ve been blogging for years based on “1†niche then you shouldn’t have a problem locating a common problem because you know your audience and the content that resonates with your readers. Next, you have tools at your disposal to streamline the research process. For example,
- Google keyword planner
- Your current email subscriber
- Research your competition for popular content
- Niche relevant forums
- Blog commenting
Once you’ve completed your research it’s time to put your content together, however, your not going to publish it on your blog because you’ll have to create an ultimate marketing funnel.
The Funnel
Pat Flynn created a free eBook which took him 2 months and marketed it through a funnel collecting email subscribers. What were the results? He was able to collect 10,000 email subscribers within 60 days and this number still continues to grow. Here’s why this strategy was so effective…
First, he found a common problem in his niche and created an ultimate solution. Next, he offered the guide for free in exchange for their email address and this open up the doors for future marketing through a follow-up sequence. Next, it was an important strategy for building his brand and traffic through social media when people shared his free eBook.
Your goal should be to create a landing page so you can collect the visitors email addresses. This process isn’t difficult as your have enormous tools that’ll streamline the funnel process allowing you to be up and running within minutes. Simply integrate your ESP with these tools and you have a funnel ready to go. In the end, you’ve provided value and a future marketing funnel.
Winning Your Customers
By simply providing your valuable eBook for free you should have converted your visitors into “loyal†readers. However for those of you not still convinced than you have others ways to win over your customers than just providing a free product. For example, you’ve captured the email address during the eBook download process and now they are part of your follow-up sequence. It’s about providing value so when you start emailing them make sure you provide as much value the second time as you did the first. Online marketing is all about engagement and to increase this element you have to provide something that others are NOT providing.
Here’s what you learned…
- Value builds loyalty
- Offer your value in exchange for email addresses
- In your follow-up always provide them with value
- Always promote your brand