Blogging with Keywords is Home Building Marketing That Works!
Squarespace SEO and Blogging Equals Better Clients
For increased visitors and lead generation, a 100-page website will beat a 10-page website 90% of the time. And a 500-page website makes some site visitors staggering. The easiest way to add pages to your website is with a search engine optimized (SEO) blog that has keyword phrases that attract your target market.
Business blogging is a built environment professional's best marketing tool, and regular blogging will achieve sustainable lead generation results. Blogs, if written about timeless subjects such as "low maintenance alternatives marble flooring" are considered evergreen content that will attract new clients for years to come. I have personally seen organic traffic to my website increase 1200% in 12 months through keyword based blogging. 40% of companies are using blogs for marketing in the US and those firms that participate in regular business blogging get the following benefits:
55% more website visitors
B2C companies generating 88% more leads each month
B2B companies generating 67% more leads each month
71% of consumers say blogs affect their purchasing decision
With the potential for so high a return, there is little wonder why business blogging is becoming popular with design-build contractors, interior designers, landscape architects and A/E/C professionals.
View a case study of that shows the results of blogging.
The Basics of Home Design and Construction Blogging
There are marketing firms who state that posting one blog a month is sufficient. Research shows that those who blog 16 - 20 times per month receive higher website traffic and 2X the lead generation rates. Of course, article frequency isn’t the only aspect that organizations must consider when creating content for their blog. Businesses must also do the thing about the keyword they think searchers will find their posts by and then optimizing the content so that it is search engine optimized (SEO) friendly. It's also important that the blog targets your ideal client with words that you have a chance to rank for in search engines.
The content itself will be the determining factor on whether visitors become quality leads. There are several blogging best practices that built environment businesses must adhere to achieve the best results:
Solve problems that readers may have - Pass on informative and useful information which aid consumers in their everyday lives.
Show expertise - Built environment firms can use business blogging to demonstrate knowledge in specialty areas such as age in place renovation.
Build trust by being honest - Gain trust in several ways, through blogging and the alignment of the brand with your company values.
Ensure your Call to Action fits the subject matter - Place a Call to Action in the blog post that's related to the content. There is no point in writing about latest building design trends if the Call to Action promotes a landing page that shows changes to USGBC LEED designations.
Placement of a Call to Action
It is essential in business blogging that a Call to Action be placed in the correct position within the blog. Locate C-T-A's in the sidebar, at the bottom of the article and as internal links within the body copy itself. Give the maximum amount of exposure for your firm's core services and allows the content to generate the highest number of leads.
Promote Your Blog With Share and Follow Tools
Blogging is a long term strategy. Organizations that expect instant rewards will be disappointed unless they take the approach of blogging and sharing your articles every day. Standard marketing best practice calls for generating website traffic by promoting the articles you write.
Promotion and getting subscribers, especially in the beginning, is one of the hardest aspects of business blogging. It takes time for search engines to index pages on the internet and companies may find their efforts frustrating. Blogging for lead generation seems to drive the best results for built environment companies when you share articles on LinkedIn, Pinterest and with hashtags on Twitter.
By using social media, other bloggers, events, presentation, website banners and company e-mail signatures - businesses can generate a fair amount of traffic to their site. In fact, Twitter is one of the biggest traffic generators. Post an image based tweet with linkbacks to your blog and you will generate traffic. Do not forget to include an RSS feed and email sign up form, and tie it to your automated email service provider so that your blogs get sent to your most loyal audience.
Blogging is an important channel in a construction marketing campaign. It can achieve outstanding lead generation results if you follow best practices. It takes an understanding of your audience, intentional content and keywords, social media promotion and a voice that will resonate with your online readers. If you need assistance with a blogging strategy, call us for a free consultation. Schedule a call here.
Additional Information On Blog Writing That’s Well Worth Your Time
About Michael Conway
I'm the owner and strategist at Means-of-Production. My firm builds Squarespace websites, Houzz profiles, and content marketing and advertising solutions for architects, interior designers, design-build contractors and landscape design firms. Our all-in-one marketing tactics attract the right clients with exceptional architectural photography and brand messaging that sets you apart from the competition. Learn more about our consultation services.