Blogging | Forum « Company blog with no sales pitch and still generate leads?? Possible

Company blog with no sales pitch and still generate leads?? Possible (9 posts)

Topic tags: blogging, clients, company blogs, Leads, sales pitch

Udit Hooda said
11 months ago:
Dear All
I have a travel company http://www.travelsenseindia.com that offers tailor made tours to India. I am very keen to use social media and esp blogging(& there is enough to write about in this topic) for our marketing mix.
When I had started reading about how to effectively use social media, I had a totally different view of it and now it has been totally changed. I completely understand that a ‘sales pitch’ attitude for the blog is a recipe for disaster and one needs to offer useful and free information to the readers without any undertones of selling a product.
This said and clearly understood, HOW does one benefit from the activity of blogging?? is still amiss for me. Although I understand it to some extent…..but if there is absolutely no sales pitch, how do we get leads? Also I ask this question while taking it for granted that we do all it takes to to get the blog up and running and it is getting a lot of traction and so on.
Should I take it for granted that once we exhibit a great knowledge about India and travel related questions, readers will take us as an authority on the matter and subsequently become clients and buy their tours from us?? or will it happen in some other ways??
@udithooda | # | Top
Erno Hannink said
11 months ago:
Hi Udit,
You get clients in 4 phases and you need to do 3 things.
Phases
1. Readers
2. Subscribers
3. Fans
4. Clients
Need to the following to get from one phase to the next:a. Quality Content
b. Listen& Interact
c. Create products
So you create great content on your blog and make sure your opt in with an attractive offer is in sight on every page. People may pop over to your offer on your website, but first they need to trust you before they will buy.Receiving quality content in (weekly) newsletters will help to build trust with your visitors and subscribers.
Interact with your subscribers and followers and they will become fans.Now you know what they want, how you can help them, what language they like to hear.
Build products for that and you will end up with clients.
Does this make sense?
See this http://ernohannink.com/from-visitors-to-clients-and-the-3-things-you-need-to-do/
@ernohannink | # | Top
Kathy Bernard said
11 months ago:
Erno said it better than I could! Nice job.
What I was going to add is the importance of continually sharing knowledge about HOW to travel to India and WHY to travel to India (the travel destinations, culture, beauty, people, etc.). Run pictures of beautiful destinations and interesting locations/people. Feature testimonials from real participants along with their pictures to give people the sense that your company is solid and has a long history of satisfied customers.
People are naturally suspicious of Internet and social media offers (particularly about international travel) so everything you can do to build your reputation and the sense that you are a legitimate company will help.
@kathybernard | # | Top
Udit Hooda said
11 months ago:
@ernohannink Hey Erno thanks a lot for the insights…..could have put it better. I get the connection/flow of things now and would it be safe to presume that this will be a time consuming process?? I do not mind that at all. I understand this is a trust building exercise and trust doest come in a day.@kathybernard Thanks a lot for the inputs. I already have a extensive list of tops around the themes you mentioned and looking forward to get them out to the people.Building trust in some ways comes natural for my company as all our work for the last years comes from referrals, now we need to digitise it.Looking forward how it goes
@udithooda | # | Top
Erno Hannink said
11 months ago:
@udithooda – this is something that takes times yes. When you publish more posts, publish guest posts, share on Facebook daily etc. it will go faster Above all, have great content.
@ernohannink | # | Top
Rob Peck said
11 months ago:
@udithooda Where are you in India? We are running a Kerala PPC campaign with some great results, would be happy to share what I know.
One tip — focus on wedding packages, engaged people are ‘easy’ to find on social.
@robpeck | # | Top
Jason Hubbard said
10 months, 4 weeks ago:
On the company blog I write articles based around our involvement in motor racing, teams and drivers we sponsor. Along with pieces on interesting cars that have been converted to using our product. Its not a sales pitch, but the product is mentioned in the article but the article dosen’t revolve around the product. It seems to work for us, also I think I’d be bored stiff if I had to write about our products all the time, lol…
@jasonhubbard | # | Top
Udit Hooda said
10 months, 4 weeks ago:
@jasonhubbard Thanks Jason
@udithooda | # | Top
Mac said
10 months, 4 weeks ago:
ya know that SME generates all the content and does not directly sell anything. Sure, they run the summits, but that is posted on the side like an advertisement. Give the readers a reason to start coming back.
@richardmclaughlin | # | Top