Have you made the move from blogger to content marketer?

Blogging is very important, but as a business owner what is even more valuable is evolving this into content marketing.

The key to graduating from a blogger to a fully-fledged content marketer is having a system in place to grow leads and make sales.

Unfortunately, selling still has icky connotations, but as Dan Pink confirms in his latest book by the same title, ‘To sell is human’. If you like, don’t look at it as selling, look at it as delivering even more value to people who want your help.

Here are nine ways to help you graduate from blogger to content marketer.

1. Bloggers focus on the writing. Content marketers do this too, but are equally focused on the overall business. They understand that writing is just one step of the marketing process.

2. Bloggers write great articles and share them with the world for free. Content marketers do this too, but they go further and create additional resources like eBooks and online training courses for the readers who want to explore their ideas further.

3. Bloggers write to help solve readers’ problems. Content marketers do the same, but they also demonstrate how a commercial relationship could help solve the reader’s problems even better, if they want.

4. Bloggers build a captive audience of blog subscribers. Content marketers do the same, but they also ask for these people’s email address in order to grow their permission email asset.

5. Bloggers are focused on increasing their readership. Content marketers do this too, but are equally focused on the conversion rate of readers to email subscribers.

6. Bloggers share useful content from other bloggers so their readers benefit. Content marketers do this too, but they also promote other people’s products that are valuable. They serve as an affiliate and collect commissions every time their readers buy something.

7. Bloggers connect, interact and get to know their readers. Content marketers do this too, but they also track this activity in a database. And they have a process in place to better understand how they can help each contact.

8. Bloggers use analytics to know where their readers come from, what content is popular and how long they’ve stayed on their blog. Content marketers do this too, but they also know what articles eventually lead to sales, how much these customers spend, and then create more of the effective content.

9. Bloggers write content that is based on what resonates with their readers and what they ask for. Content marketers do this too, but they also have specific lead nurturing processes to deliver content based on each person’s specific interests.

As you graduate from blogger to content marketer, you’ll find your marketing output will deliver much better business results. I welcome your comments, questions and feedback below!

Thanks to Dan Norris and his recent podcast for planting this concept in my mind. 

My latest tool is the Content Marketing Checklist which is a free download. It’s a one page tool with 24 things you should look to include on your website.