Tag Archives: Using blogging and article marketing to generate sales leads

Blogging, Article Marketing, & 21st Century Illiterates

Since 2003, I have actively used my writing (articles, reports etc) to promote different aspects of my business to potential customers. The (well) written word has always had this powerful effect on people.

I have learnt from personal experience – and observation of others over the years – that creative writing, weaving useful information with promotional copy, in a way that does not offend, can generate valuable sales leads.

In June 2012, after changing hosts, and re-organizing my website content, I launched this Word press blog to manage the changing content I have been serving to my different target audiences since 2005, when http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com first came online.

This blog aims to attract buyers for NOT one, but a variety of services (and products) I offer:

  1. MS Excel-based custom spreadsheet software development
  2. Web Marketing Systems Development (including web content writing)
  3. Best Practice Systems Development/Extension Advisory Services Support for Farm Businesses.
  4. Performance Enhancement Talks, Seminar and Coaching Programs for my target audience of Entrepreneurs, Corporate Decision Makers, Employees, Parents, Teachers & Students.

This Blog Is Part of a Larger Web Marketing System

Using my skills as a multipreneurial service provider, I deliver products and services that help clients achieve their goals at work and in life, with less effort, and at less cost.

This is what I do – and it’s why I call myself a Performance Enhancement Specialist. There’s a good chance that you belong to one or more of the groups I identified above. And that means I may be able to help you.

The above is why even as I publish new posts on this blog, I WILL progressively relocate my over 171 articles from my main website (http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com) into it, so that they can be more easily found by people who need them. This also will make it easier for me to update them – the static HTML pages built in Dreamweaver over the years, always made doing that a bit tedious in the past.

Data/statistics for my articles have helped me identify topics attractive to visitors fitting my client profile. I’ll be publishing posts here, to serve more of such audiences. By implication therefore, this blog is now an integral part of my re-invented Web Marketing System.

What I’ve enjoyed the most about using my Web Marketing System, is that it has repeatedly served as a SELLING TOOL with which I have closed profitable sales opportunities with clients. In many interactions with prospective clients, I have successfully used different aspects of my web marketing system in face to face meetings, to demonstrate to, and convince them to engage my services, or extend my mandate.

And this is apart from people who have purchased my products online after finding them through an article I wrote on a subject that interested them.

So, if you’re here and wondering why I have IMPORTED my write-ups labeled with dates going as far back as 2003, into this blog, the above clarification should hopefully have answered your question(s).

High Website Traffic May NOT Necessarily Win You Clients

Here’s the most important lesson I’ve learned in using my website as business marketing tool. This is a truth that I always make a point of alerting clients to – IF they listen:

You do NOT need tons of website traffic to sell your services. Depending on the kind of service you provide, it is actually possible to get more business than you can handle from as few as 1 to 3 clients in a year.

So, your website and all your web marketing efforts can be deliberately set up to CONVERT such high value/premium prospects into clients when they visit it.

If ten such people visit your site in one year, and one or two engage your services, you would be better off, than if a million visited but none stopped long enough to buy. Same rule applies when selling products. Some information products cost $29 USD. Others cost $3,500 USD. The two products may not target the same kind of visitors or require equally high traffic.

I operate this blog based on the above insight – gained from experience. And I also put my understanding of this fact, to the best possible use for my clients.

How I Can Help YOU

We all have our strengths. My greatest strengths are my adaptability/work related stamina, quick-learning skills, versatility and resourcefulness. I have used them to the benefit of my employers in the past, and clients MANY times since becoming self-employed over 10 years ago.

It’s those same multiple competencies that I now offer to any visitors to this blog who may seek solutions I offer. As long as you are sincere, and prepared to provide a clear brief about what you want done, you WILL get value for your investment in my services.

Take a tour of this blog, and review the depth and variety of experience based content on offer. Notice the deliberate effort made to include anecdotal accounts ane industry relevant research based information, to enrich your reading experience. That’s what will demonstrate to you that this blog is NOT an ego trip.

There’s more to see on www.spontaneousdevelopment.com

This blog is however NOT all there is. I say this at the risk of stating the obvious. I have set it up to make it easier to create, and maintain NEW useful content to visitors – some of who may fit my desired client profile.

However, I’ll also be incorporating links to different sections of the larger website in some of the write ups that are related to the theme or subject of any post I make.

Four key areas I will incorporate links for are:

(1). Creating automated MS Excel applications

(2). Developing low cost Web Marketing Systems

(3). Providing Farm Business Best Practice Ideas and Solutions

(4). Performance enhancement learning events

(5). Information products

FREELANCE WRITING

As you will see from the link provided at the top of this blog, I offer to write for interested persons. Since 2004, I’ve done A LOT of freelance writing for clients (in a wide variety of industries) in the course of developing web marketing systems for them.

Do You Have A Topic/Subject or Theme You would Like Me To Write A Blog Post About?

If yes, click here to send in details of your request for me to write on it.

You can use this as a risk-free way to evaluate the quality of my writing, if that aspect of my services interests you.

FINAL WORDS: About Article Marketing

From 2005, I leveraged articles marketing online, to attract traffic and generate pre-qualified leads for the services I offer as an MS Excel-VB Solutions Developer and also a Web Marketing Systems Developer.

Articles Marketing helped me achieve name recognition quite quickly. And it also helped me sell many of my information products.

However, following the recent Google algorithm updates, article marketing as a strategy suffered a drastic setback due to the abusive manner (frowned upon by Google) that some people had used it to create duplicate content online.

As a result, I’ve NOT submitted any new articles to Ezinearticles.com since December 2011, because I’m trying to decide on a safe and effective way to continue using that strategy. Some people have already thrown the Article Marketing baby out with the bath water. I believe that’s a mistake. And it might cost them later. A smart way is always to adapt.

That’s what I do quite well i.e. adapt. It is also why I love the following quote:

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write. They will be those who cannot learn, unlearn or relearn” – Alan Toffer

I believe article marketing done with integrity still offers major benefit. And it can be done to complement one’s blogging efforts. You just have to spend time learning HOW.

Now that this blog is up, I’m beginning to gain clarity on how I can use my Ezinearticles.com submissions to complement my blogging efforts.

Tayo K. Solagbade | 02 July 2012

Update(25th Aug. 2012) – I have since resumed publishing articles on EzineArticles.com:

1. 14th Aug. 2012 – Speaking Success: Abuse Your Audience and Lose Credibility (True Story).

2. 15th Aug. 2012 Ideas for Exploring Low Cost Feed Ingredients, When You Have No Laboratory On Your Farm

Click here to view my over 170 other published articles at the Ezine Articles Directory: