FreeDigitalPhotos.net – Stuart Miles
I was scrolling through a HubSpot email marketing piece that included excerpts of several blog posts. Near the bottom, I found a post about doubling blog subscribers. Who wouldn’t rush to click their ‘Read more…’ call to action’ (CTA)? Are you NOT interested in how to increase blog subscribers – the number of visitors to your blog who will come back over and over again?
The solution recommended in the Hubspot email, of course, was something easily accomplished by those subscribers to their own software system. The HubSpot software system focuses on inbound marketing. But, the idea itself was something any small business owner or leader can learn to adopt into their market planning. Essentially, their recommendation was to add a new ‘click box’ on each landing page they use in their marketing efforts. The idea was to alert, or remind visitors to their website that they also have a Blog or newsletter, and that it is a quick, easy process to become an official subscriber.
Most blogs or websites include some type of subscriber box or RSS feed – or both – to make it easy for visitors to become regular content readers. The best ones only ask for the most basic information, not a full blown form asking for every single way that you can be reached. Nothing will turn off a potential subscriber faster than having to take a long time filling out a form. Who wants to feel like they are going to be stalked as soon as they sign up? Get just the contact information you need first: name, company name and email address. that’s really all you need from a blog or newsletter subscriber. You can gather more information later, as your business relationship grows.
Increase blog subscribers starting today. This is a simple, very basic and critical key to a successful blog. In many cases, this basic rule is a necessity to becoming a successful small business. The more readers see value in the content you produce and publish, the more likely they are to become paying customers.
Ideally, more regular readers will increase sales opportunities for any small business blogger. The more regular readers of your blog there are, the more will likely convert into paying customers. Or, those regular fans will be willing to tell others about the valuable content you provide, encouraging them to subscribe as well. The faster a blog’s readership grows, the better bloggers do in the quest to garner the attention of potential customers. This is assuming that you have a marketing plan that includes timely follow through processes to move interested customers forward toward an actual sale.
Increase Blog Subscribers With This Simple Idea
While I am not a HubSpot customer, at least not yet, their article started my mind’s little gerbil wheel spinning. They had electrified my idea mill, sending it into overdrive. I should be adding a link or ‘click’ box in every issue of my e-newsletter, inviting people to opt in to read my blog as well. Any specialized landing pages I create for my website should have that simple ‘subscribe’ box included too.
Moving in yet another direction, all of my social media sites should include a simple way to subscribe to my blog.
How to Increase Blog Subscribers Using Social Media
- LinkedIn allows for three ‘website’ links on your Profile page. Use one of those to link back to your ‘Subscribe’ form.
- A standard Facebook account (personal page) allows for a website link. Use it to link people back to your Blog ‘Opt-in’ location. Likewise, for a Facebook Page (business page), you can utilize the ‘About’ tab, or use the option for customized tabs to invite visitors to subscribe to your blog.
- Twitter has a place for including a link to your website. Make sure that link lands on the page with your blog ‘Subscribe’ button or form.
- Goggle+ allows for customized links in your Profile. Take advantage of it to encourage new subscribers to sign on to your blog.
What about you? Do you have any other places to add an easy ‘opt in’ for readers that you’re willing to share with us below? If we don’t send out a clear call-to-action (CTA) as often as possible and in as many locations as possible, we are missing important opportunities. It’s time we took steps to increase blog subscribers in a big way.
Anyone care to share any successful tactics you’ve used to build your blog subscriber list? You can subscribe – or pass on to a friend or colleague – to my ‘Designing Strategies’ e-Newsletter and Blog by using this link.
