“Blog as a Landing Page” is the Key to the Marketing Conversion Kingdom

The traditional path for B2B and B2C marketing is Landing Page -> Lead Form -> Sale/CRM/Conversion. A landing page is like “putting the prospect on the spot”. We give them a page with only one link – “Submit/Read the eBook/Download/Purchase” and expect between 1% and 20% to follow our orders.

When I am sent to a landing page, I am usually not ready to make the decision. I’m interested in what I’m reading, but not ready to grab my wallet or give the other side my name, phone number and email address. I often have to open another tab, and visit their website, as the landing page doesn’t have an “I’m not ready yet, but I’d like to look around” option.

Turning the Lights Out!

Imagine going to a store at a mall. You choose an item, and all of a sudden, all of the lights in the store go out. The only lit area is a thin path between you and the cash register. Otherwise, it is completely dark. We don’t allow retail to do this to us, and shouldn’t do it to our prospects.

No one is saying never to use an isolated-sandbox landing page, but I would like to offer “Blog as a Landing Page” as an alternate option that is good for both marketing teams and prospects.

Blog as a Landing Page or “Landing Runway”

The blog is a lighter version of your product and technology pages. Blog posts illustrate your competitive edge and prowess to the world, but with less-formal structure. Your content writer (hopefully) adds personality to the blog posts and your prospects (decision makers and influencers) visit your blog on a regular basis.

The blog is a “landing runway”. Not everyone runs from a homepage to a datasheet full of 3 and 4 syllable words. For those who want a gentle take on what you do – before or after reading the heavy stuff that you have on your site – the blog is it.

Choose Your Own Content Journey

Be confident. You are marketing a good product or service. Let the audience “stroll around the grounds” until they’re ready. Let them choose their own content journey. It may take a few visits.

Every page on a startup or technology website should have a link to a CTA (Call To Action) form. On blogs, you can have your web developers create a tag that adds your CTA form to the bottom of every blog post. When visitors scroll down on your other pages, add a “Get a Demo” (or whatever) icon that follows them as they scroll down.

As long as your visitors can convert on every page, you are relaxed and in a good position.

Building Respect For Your Brand

When you take prospects from a LinkedIn, Facebook or AdWords paid campaign to a blog post, you are gently nudging them all the time, but you are also giving them space – and respect.

Blog as a Landing Page = More Middle of the Funnel Leads

Blog as a Landing Page also builds more middle of the funnel leads. You may measure less new immediate leads by allowing prospects to “stray away from the submit button”, but over time, you will end up with more middle of the funnel leads who will convert one at a time at their own pace.

Build a mountain of middle of the funnel leads for your marketing team’s sake! Any good marketeer will know how to take a % of middle of the funnel leads to the finish line.

Blog as a Landing Page – Bowing to Content as King

If content is king, then Blog as a Landing Page is the key to the conversion kingdom. Your blog is your library of content marketing.

Content stands strongest when not on an isolated island, but when backed up by your mountain of powerful and accessible content.