Blogging is a heavyweight tool for attracting new leads, owing to the fact that it’s great social media fodder and is discovered organically by search engines. It’s also great for converting ready-to-commit leads into customers.

But let’s talk for a second about the in-between stage, the one where you nurture new leads and get them to the point where they’re ready to convert. It’s an area that often gets neglected. New leads don’t just suddenly decide it’s time to convert — although, if yours do, you’re certainly doing something right!

In most cases, you need to nurture those leads by establishing credibility and trustworthiness. You need to find ways to move those leads from simply being passive information gatherers to parties who will be enticed by a clear call to action.

There are several ways a business blog can contribute to that process, and we’ll cover a few here:

Add blog content links to other areas of your site:

One of the best ways to nurture leads into becoming customers is to establish and reinforce your position as an industry expert. Find places on your site where you can catch a visitor’s interest with a link to a highly relevant blog post.

You don’t want to depend on the visitor to click over to the blog just to find the information that emphasizes your credibility. A link with a compelling title will naturally compel the lead to check out the post and possibly other posts as well.

Work mentions of your products/services into posts (when appropriate):

This one can be tricky, because you don’t want all of your informational posts to sound like advertisements. In general, there’s a simple litmus test: If it sounds like an ad, it’s an ad.

Instead, focus on providing information, but when there’s a particular item or service you sell that’s relevant to the point, make note of it. Leads understand that you’re running a business, after all; the key is not making them feel like the post only exists to press them into a purchase.

Encourage visitors to subscribe to your blog:

You stand a much greater chance of converting leads who become regular subscribers. A simple and easy call to action that allows the visitor to subscribe through email or an RSS feed will go a long way toward nurturing that lead into a convert.

Anyone who is regularly reading your content will naturally come to accept you as an expert in the field, and you’ll be the first place the lead turns when it’s time to purchase a service or product.