So, we can all agree that blogging is important in theory, but how does it actually translate to new customers? How do you turn a content consumer into a product or service consumer? To simplify it, there are three primary ways a blog reader can become a new customer.

Website Integration

The fact that your blog is integrated with your website makes a big difference. Think about it from a new reader's point of view. She comes to read a blog post (e.g. The Customer Lifecycle: How Following-Up Can Increase Your Conversions) and ends up seeing your logo and three navigation buttons leading back into your website, which is ready to convert. If the content you're providing is truly valuable, readers will be interested in the other content on the page (and not just other blog posts).

Internal And External Linking

With all of the great content you're producing, there are bound to be some linking opportunities. Consider words and phrases that relate to the products and services you offer. Is there an opportunity to link to a product page from that blog post? The answer won't, and shouldn't, always be yes. From time to time, however, it's a good idea to use your blog for internal linking (and again, not just other blog posts). Just be sure you don't overuse this method as you risk diminishing credibility. Also, be sure linking is accurate.

Calls To Action

Refer back to the KISSmetrics blog post example above. On that page alone, there are three distinct calls to action:

(1) "Learn More" along the top,

(2) "Get Free Email Updates" on the left- hand side, and

(3) "Free Trial" at the end of the post.

Note that this excludes the social sharing calls to action and the navigational buttons, which lead to the website. The idea is to either get the reader to the website or, better yet, a product page. If that fails, you want to at least get something from them to open the door for future conversations. For example, a follow on Twitter or an email subscription. Another great tool is the HelloBar Wordpress plugin. The HelloBar drives attention to your most important content.