by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

This is a great time for you as an entrepreneur to consider starting your own home business.

Due to the rise of digital technology, there are many more opportunities than ever before to launch a successful business from your home. There are plenty of home businesses to choose from, whether you want to build a full-time career or are just looking for some extra income. Your choice ranges from online tutoring and freelance writing to selling products on Etsy and drop shipping. So, should you run a business from home? In this article, you’ll find answers to some questions you may have and information you need to get started.


CONSIDER THESE FACTORS BEFORE STARTING A HOME BUSINESS

1. Is there enough space?


Before launching your business, you have to know how much space you need to operate and flourish. You absolutely must maintain a separation between your business and your personal living space.

You can make your choice in one of two ways. First, check out your living space and see if there’s a place for boundaries to create a work area that is free of distractions.

Do you have a spare bedroom, study, or a quiet corner off your living room that you can use?

The second choice is to make a list of the materials and equipment you’ll need. If you can imagine putting new printers, monitors, cables, wires, mic stands, and boxes in this workspace, then go for it.

If not, you might want to consider renting a small workspace. That would be an added cost, however, a separation between business and personal living space is of utmost importance.

To avoid frustration, keep a buffer between your work area and where you rest. You don’t want your business activities to disrupt the flow of how you live and relax.


2. Is a special license required?

Before starting a home business, you should check with your attorney who can ask you important questions regarding how you’ll operate and the types of services or products you’ll offer.

If you need inventory or machinery, you might need special licenses or certificates.

Before you purchase any materials, inventory, or equipment, talk with your attorney and local government officials.

Although there will be a fee, it will be much less than the frustration and headaches of fixing mistakes after your business is moving along. It’s best to ask for advice first rather than start your business and have to shut it down later.


3. Is permission required?

You may need to get permission to operate your home business if you live in an apartment building or your home is part of a homeowner association. Read your lease or check with your landlord before altering your apartment to suit your business.

Check with your board president or the association’s attorney.

If you’ll have clients or customers visiting your business, there could be parking challenges, or if your business creates any excess noise or disturbance it will probably upset your neighbors.


4. Is there a need for special equipment?

If you start a home business in the pet care, catering, or retail area you may need special equipment.

You’ll need a laptop and a Wi-Fi connection. If you need machines, bulky items, or containers, be sure they’ll fit in your living space, your furniture is protected, and your family is safe.

Otherwise, consider renting an office or commercial space.


5. Do you have the right business strategy?

Create your business strategy before deciding to buy equipment, build a website, and market your brand.

Consider the following:

In which area will you participate?

What distinctive skills or abilities do you have to compete?

Which customers will need your solutions?

How will you set apart your business from your competition?


It’s vital you craft your strategy FIRST and your plan SECOND.

Your business strategy needs to find and fix 1 BIG problem.

Once you have your strategy, you can then develop a plan to carry it out.

You can begin to work on your website, marketing message, pricing strategy and the tech part.

Decide on your social media strategy and decide which platforms will work best for your ideal customer profile; TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Instagram.


What are the benefits of starting a home business?

Starting a home business can be a very rewarding experience. If you have the right planning and dedication, you can have a steady source of income and a lot of flexibility.


The following are some benefits of starting a home business:

1. Low Start-Up Costs

Compared to traditional businesses, the start-up costs are minimal. Therefore, as an entrepreneur, it’s easier to get your business off the ground without having to invest a lot of money upfront.

2. Flexibility

When you work from home, you can set your own hours and work when it’s convenient. This can be especially beneficial if you have family commitments or other responsibilities that make it difficult to commit to a regular 9-5 job.

3. Tax Benefits

Your home business is eligible for certain tax deductions which can help reduce your overall tax burden.

4. Increased Productivity

When you work from home, there are fewer distractions and interruptions which can increase productivity. You can focus on the tasks at hand and get more done in less time.

5. Personal Satisfaction

Starting a business from home can give you a sense of personal satisfaction, a sense of pride, and accomplishment as you’ve created something from nothing.


What are the pros and cons of starting a home business?


Pros:

1. Low Overhead Costs

It’s easier for entrepreneurs to get their businesses started, as most of the equipment and supplies needed can be purchased or rented at low cost which saves you from having to invest large sums of money.

2. Flexible Hours

Working from home allows you to set your own hours and work at your convenience. This is especially beneficial if you have a family or other commitments that prevent you from working a traditional 9-5 job.

3. Tax Benefits

Your home business is eligible for certain tax benefits that can reduce your overall taxes.



Cons:

1. Limited Resources

Unlike larger companies, home businesses often lack marketing budgets, experienced employees, and access to capital.

2. Isolation

In a traditional office setting, there is lots of interaction with colleagues. As an entrepreneur working from home, you may not have this level of interaction.

3. Distractions

There are often more distractions than in a traditional office setting. It can be difficult to focus on tasks and complete projects on time.



How to Balance Work and Family Life While Running a Home Business

1. Set Boundaries

Set clear boundaries between work life and family life. Set specific hours for work and family time. Also, designate certain areas of your home for each activity.

2. Prioritize

Be sure to prioritize your family over the business. You need to take time off to spend with your family and be sure you are present during important events.

3. Schedule Breaks

To be sure you’re not overworking, schedule regular breaks throughout the day. This ensures you stay focused and productive and will also allow you to spend quality time with your family.

4. Utilize Technology

To make your life easier, take advantage of technology. You can use tools like online calendars, video conferencing, and task management software to simplify your workflow and increase efficiency.

5. Outsource

To free up more time for you to focus on your family and other parts of your life, consider outsourcing non-essential business tasks.


So, should you run a business from home?

Running a business from your home can be a great way to become your own boss and attain financial freedom. Nevertheless, it’s most important to carefully weigh the pros and cons before making the decision to start a business from your home.

With the right strategy and a plan in place, you can successfully balance your work and family life and achieve success.


Get Your Business System With Autoresponder Here

by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

Although AI (artificial intelligence) has been around since the 1950s, it has taken time to achieve significant progress. You may not be aware of it, but these days you interact with it daily. It has a wide range of uses. Different types of AI work in different ways. Please keep this in mind before you decide to benefit from AI.


What is AI?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a sector of computer science that involves creating smart machines that perform tasks using human intelligence. Advances in machine learning have made it possible for AI systems to affect almost every aspect of the tech industry.

AI enables a rational use of time resources. Computer systems can analyze information effectively. For example, AI software can proofread a document in less than a minute. AI helps people and businesses achieve strategic goals, gain actionable insights, make critical decisions, and develop innovative products and services. Every tech company can invest in AI-oriented technology, from autonomous vehicles to robotic border control robots.


How is AI used?

AI is used in many ways which include:

Bots for marketing purposes

Stock trading advising

Smart assistants like Siri and Alexa

Entertainment recommendations from top platforms such as Spotify and Netflix

Spam filters on email and other social media chats

Monitoring of social media resources

Forecast reports and disease mapping

Medical recommendations adjusted to personal needs and preferences

Joined-up manufacturing and distribution


More trends in AI will appear in the future. Advances in robotics and AI have made it possible to create delivery drones and driverless cars.

There are different devices that can recognize a human voice and a human language with almost 95% accuracy. Robotic transcribers can change spoken language into written words.

China has promoted the use of facial recognition and there is a great opportunity for artificial intelligence to be used in, accurately, recognizing personal emotions.

The healthcare industry has implemented artificial intelligence for various purposes. It’s being used to spot genetic sequences and identifying molecules. Medical facilities are using AI for virtual health assistants and chatbots to provide medical information, understand the billing routine, make appointments, and to complete other administrative tasks.


As a time saver, you can use artificial intelligence for your small business in the following ways:


1. Content and social media posts

ChatGPT

Writing content is one of the most time-consuming tasks there is. You can use ChatGPT to explain scientific concepts, draft emails, answer questions, translate languages, and write copy. The output quality is determined by your query’s quality and specificity. You MUST fact-check anything you have AI write, as it can be rather inventive.

Grammarly

Another free tool that uses AI is Grammarly to improve your writing. With it, you have a choice of plans and the free one offers vocabulary enhancement, and checks spelling, style, grammar, and plagiarism.

Notion AI

Notion AI is a mixture of ChatGPT and Grammarly in one place. You just start a new page, type a sentence, and then scan over it with your mouse. You’ll get an option to “ask AI” and clicking it will enhance your copy or respond to your requests.

2. Interactive customer service

Chatbots have been around since the 1960s and really became popular in the 1990s and are getting smarter each day. Customers can ask complicated questions regarding their accounts and get specifics; all due to artificial intelligence, which pulls data from previous conversations. Now, you don’t have to be limited to a certain number of phone lines to keep your business operating 24/7. You can have a chatbot answer questions using business VoIP services.

3. Banking

Chatbots are used, for customer service with banks, to answer inquiries regarding money transfers, credit score monitoring, loan applications, password resets, fraud prevention, and insurance claims at any time of day.

4. Generating invoices

You may not have employees yet or you’re a solopreneur or just starting a business. You can use programs like Quickbooks and Xero to automate and autocorrect invoices.

5. Human resource management

Small-business owners don’t have large budgets, so hiring someone for everything you don’t know how to do is not feasible. If you have employees, You can use HR management software like Zoho and Gusto which use AI to prep payroll, track time off, schedule shifts, and create workflows among other things.

6. Website builders

You can use AI to build website templates in moments. Based on your prompt, they can also apply themes to your site and include features like security, content writing, and live chat.



Although AI can be a wonderful tool, there are risks. It is not perfect. Artificial intelligence gets data from millions of sources and you should ALWAYS check the information. That data can be discredited research, include bias, and just might be fake.

Artificial intelligence systems are more vulnerable to hacking than other software and this can lead to a host of problems.


Before you decide to benefit from AI technology, remember different types work in different ways. Artificial intelligence technology can be strengthened by continuous machine learning.

Companies are continuously exploring ways to get the maximum benefits from AI. It has redefined how business processes are carried out in the fields of marketing, financial services, healthcare, etc.

These tips on artificial intelligence for your small business will help you get started in your business.

Get Your Business System With Autoresponder Here

by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

You may have dreams of becoming an entrepreneur and owning your own business, which is great. Just remember that it takes time, patience, and persistence. The process may seem bewildering. The first thing you need to do is brainstorm some ideas.

Do some thorough market research in areas that interest you. Explore whether or not there’s a need for the product or service you choose. Will it solve a problem better than the current available options? Is there a potential to fill gaps in the marketplace? Once you’ve made your choice, write out a business plan.

You should start small and expand later. There will be some startup costs, so be sure you have income and or savings set aside to get you through to the-making-profits phase. Do this by overestimating needed startup capital, carefully watching your expenses, and considering your funding options.

If you’re not planning to run a one-person business, you’ll want a solid, top-notch principled team. Look for the best people for your team.

Once you’re all set up, you need to aggressively advertise your product/service. Get an attractive logo that helps people identify your label and place it on all platforms across the internet including social media. Interact with your potential customers through follow-ups with promotions and discounts or just with free quality information related to the goal or purpose of your website. These are some things to be concerned about when starting a home business.


What should you consider before starting a business?

You should focus on your business journey and not compare your success to anyone else. You need to get into the right mindset. It takes consistency, follow-up routines, and laying out steps to achieve your goals.

Consider the following:

Determining your business concept

Scaling your business

Financing

Where do you prefer to work; a workshop or an office

Time to devote to your business

Your passions and interests

Your expertise or skills

The kind of support needed to start a business

Partnering with someone

Whether a franchise model makes more sense to you

Selling information rather than a product



Once you’ve decided what your business will be, you’ll need to get it up and running. You can do this by setting up a blog as your place of operation online.

You’ll need to choose a domain name and a blogging platform for your blog as well as a hosting company.

Now you’re ready to go.

Here are some ideas for a start.



What are some pitfalls of working from home?

Here are some things to be concerned about when starting a home business:

Remaining Focused

Some people are expert multi-taskers. If you’re not one of them, you need to devise a more formally structured day like in a traditional office setting.

You should have a dedicated office area, if possible, one with a door or a corner just for work or use a café for an hour a day so that when you go there your brain signals it’s time to work.

Keeping Boundaries

Although working from home has its flexibility, remember how easily time can be snatched away from your workday. Remember your work is as real as any traditional office job. Set up a schedule for hours and breaks.

Working Too Much

With any job, there is always more to do. If you’re serious about working from home for the long term, you’ll need time away from the computer and the stress of work for this lifestyle to be sustainable.

Feeling Isolated

You’ll need to create social interactions. You can:

Schedule lunch or breakfast get-togethers.

Use online social networks such as Facebook or Twitter as your virtual “water cooler” during the day.

Use Skype, phone calls, or chat instead of email.

Get involved with networking groups or local meetups.

Spend some time working in shared office spaces.


In conclusion, launching a home business can be exciting, although the real challenge is to keep it going. Work with established brands, come up with ideas, experiment, don’t be afraid to fail, be open to feedback, and network with others. All of these are things to be concerned about when starting a home business.


Get Your Business System With Autoresponder Here

by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

Although you may not know the term “affiliate marketing,” it’s probably something you’ve seen in your online browsing. It’s a method of marketing involving a website (or several sites) promoting products and services for other companies and earning a commission through a referral system.

In the digital world, affiliate marketing has gained significant attention as a profitable business model for both companies and individuals. You have the opportunity to earn passive income for every successful sale, in the form of commissions, by promoting products and services.

Check out this site for statistics for affiliate marketing in 2023 and beyond.

Affiliate marketing is one of the most powerful digital channels for those looking to reach their target audiences and drive growth. You need to stay ahead of the game and prepare for the future, as technology evolves.

As more businesses embrace it as an essential part of their digital strategies, affiliate marketing will dynamically shift over the next few years.

Expect to see consumer behavior rapidly change in the future, due to increasing demand for personalization which could have major implications for affiliate marketing strategies. Brands will have to design their campaigns and offers according to this new reality.

New technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and predictive analytics (PA) will play a more significant role in assisting businesses with the optimization of their affiliate campaigns for the greatest effectiveness.


Is affiliate marketing still profitable?

Affiliate marketing is very profitable. With the rise of e-commerce and online platforms, numerous opportunities have opened up for affiliates to make income by promoting products and receiving commissions.

If affiliates focus on effective marketing strategies, good quality content, and target relevant audiences, they can continue to produce sizeable profits with affiliate marketing.

Following are six factors that make affiliate marketing profitable:

1. Niche Selection

To be successful you must choose the right niche; one that has a high demand for products/services and a large target audience. You can do thorough market research to identify untapped niche potential using tools like Google Trends, Amazon Best Sellers, and niche-specific forums.

2. Building Trust

Your audience must know, like, and trust you and perceive you as an authority in your niche, and trust your recommendations. Create high-quality content, with value, that establishes your expertise. You can engage with your audience through social media, blog comments, and email newsletters. To build trust with your audience, be transparent and authentic.

3. Strategic Promotion

The key to maximizing your affiliate marketing profits is effective promotion. Tailor your promotional strategies to your audience’s preferences and behaviors. To reach your audience effectively, leverage diverse channels such as content marketing, SEO, social media, and email marketing. To optimize your efforts, test different promotional methods and track the results.

4. Diversifying Income Streams

Although affiliate programs can be a profitable source of income, diversification of income streams can improve your profitability. Think about other monetization methods such as display advertising, sponsored content, digital products, and creating products or services of your own. Diversification can help protect your income and lessen any possible risk.

5. Adapting to Market Trends

Your affiliate marketing strategies should evolve just as the digital landscape is constantly evolving. Stay up to date with industry developments, consumer preferences, and the latest market trends. You can position yourself for long-term profitability, in the affiliate marketing world, by adapting to change and staying ahead of the game.

6. Consistency and Persistence

Success with affiliate marketing doesn’t happen overnight. You must be persistent and put in effort. Keep focused on your goals at all times. Over time, your efforts will pay off if you keep learning, experimenting, and perfecting your strategies.



What are the potential earning opportunities in affiliate marketing?

If you’re committed and put in the effort, affiliate marketing offers an abundance of opportunities. If you want a side hustle to make money or build a full-time online business, then affiliate marketing can be a good career option.


Here are some potential earning opportunities.

Commission-Based Earnings

As an affiliate, you earn money (a commission) for each successful referral or sale you make through your unique affiliate link. Commission rates vary from a small percentage of the product’s price to a fixed amount per sale, depending on the affiliate program and the niche you’re in.

High-commission Products

Some niches offer high-commission products or services. These usually have a higher price tag which results in greater commission payouts. They can include high-end technology, luxury goods, or premium services and lead to higher earnings per sale. Recognizing these types of products in your niche can substantially impact your overall earnings.

Recurring Commissions

There are affiliate programs that offer recurring commissions and are known as passive income streams. They provide affiliates with commissions on the initial sale and on subsequent recurring payments made by the referred customer. These programs provide affiliates with a commission not just on the initial sale but also on subsequent recurring payments made by the referred customer. These include membership sites, software-as-a-service (SaaS) products, and subscription-based services, to name a few. These are big moneymakers. Developing a customer base that keeps up their subscriptions can result in a steady flow of recurring commissions.

Affiliate Networks and Aggregators

Affiliate networks and aggregators act as intermediaries between affiliates and advertisers. These platforms bring together a wide range of affiliate programs from different brands and companies. Joining such networks allows you to access multiple affiliate programs, expand your product offerings, and potentially increase your earnings. Popular affiliate networks include Amazon Associates, ShareASale

, and CJ Affiliate.

Multi-Tier Affiliate Programs

An additional earning opportunity is multi-tier affiliate programs. With these, you can earn commissions on your own sales and on the sales from others (sub-affiliates) that you refer to the program.

Sponsored Content Collaborations

As your business grows, you may be presented with the opportunity to collaborate with companies and brands on sponsored content. Sponsored content is about getting paid to display products or services through various channels like media posts, blog posts, social media, videos, and more.

Display Advertising

When you’ve gained significant traffic on your blog or website, you can use display advertising to monetize it. Google AdSense is a great platform for this. You can place their ads on your site, and earn money every time someone clicks on them. Although display advertising will not be your primary focus for your affiliate marketing business, it can complement your affiliate earnings and generate passive income.

Digital Products and Courses

When you become an authority in your niche, you can design your own digital products and sell them. These can include online courses, e-books, video tutorials, or other educational content. When you sell your own products, the full profit is yours without sharing commissions with affiliate programs, potentially increasing your income.

Influencer Marketing and Brand Partnerships

As your online presence grows, you could draw the attention of brands looking for influencers to promote their products and services. These partnerships can lead to product reviews, sponsored posts, or brand ambassadorship. Collaborating in this way can open up more earning prospects because you can negotiate compensation based on your influence and reach.

Scaling and Expansion

Scaling and expanding your business is one of the exciting phases of your affiliate marketing business.

While you’re gaining experience, optimize your strategies, and develop a loyal audience. Then you can duplicate your success in different niches or target different geographical markets.

Scaling your affiliate marketing business allows you to increase your earnings and reach a broader audience.

Affiliate marketing is very profitable and becoming more so all the time. I hope this article gives you a glimpse of what’s in the future for affiliate marketing.


Get Your Business System With Autoresponder Here

by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

Many businesses, large and small, use social media as a vital component of their market mix. Globally, there are 4.9 billion people using social media platforms. So, having a presence on social is a good way to connect with both current and potential customers no matter your industry. Social media is a good way to reach your target audience, establish a loyal customer base, strengthen your brand, and increase your revenue.

This article details what you need to know about social media marketing including what it is, how it works, the best strategies, and how to implement it.


What Is Social Media Marketing?


Social media marketing is a form of digital marketing that uses social media platforms to promote your offerings and brand to your ideal customers. It involves considerably more than random posts on your business accounts. A successful social media marketing campaign requires good strategy and planning.

After you create your business profiles, you have to maintain and optimize them. Then, develop a content calendar that shows what you’ll post and when and where you’ll post. These posts will probably include a combination of text, images, stories, and videos that position your brand in a positive light and capture a relevant audience.

These posts will be unique and regular and additionally, you’ll respond to likes and shares and comments to monitor your standing and hopefully create a community.

Your social media marketing strategy may also include paid ads to allow your brand to appear in front of certain groups of people at specific times.



What are the benefits of social media marketing?


Social media is a powerful tool for marketing your business, due to its versatility and popularity.  Unlike traditional marketing like billboards, radio spots, and print ads, it’s very measurable.

Following are some of the most important benefits of a social media marketing strategy:

1.  Adds a Human Touch to Your Business

2. Drives Traffic

3. Generates Leads

4. Increases Brand Awareness

5. Builds Relationships


Here is a brief description of the top 7 social media marketing platforms for business.


There are several social media marketing platforms you may want to use when developing your social media marketing strategy. As you consider your options, you’ll find that some platforms are better suited for your brand and target audience than others.


1. Facebook

This is the most popular social media platform. When using Facebook, you can boost brand awareness, generate leads and increase sales, and gain followers. You can also display highly customizable, targeted ads. Keep in mind that Facebook comes with a lot of competition.

2. Instagram

Over time Instagram evolved from a basic platform to share images into a place where brands can engage their audience with beautiful photos and videos. It also offers reels, stories, live streams, and shops that can take your marketing efforts to the next level. This is one platform you want to use if your business relies on visuals to sell products/services.

3. Twitter

On Twitter, you use very short posts called “tweets” with text, animated GIFs, videos, and links to connect with your audience using short but valuable messages. A tweet can usually be up to 280 characters. You might be able to, build brand awareness and look for topics and information relevant to your industry and target audience.

4. YouTube

If you want to include videos in your social media marketing strategy, YouTube is the way to go. It’s a streaming social media platform as well as the second-largest search engine next to Google. If you have the desire and ability to produce meaningful video content, YouTube should definitely be one of the choices for your social media marketing strategy.  Using YouTube, you promote the unique features of your offerings, explain complex topics, showcase interesting processes, and much more.

5. Pinterest

This “visual discovery engine” inspires users who regularly search Pinterest for ideas that help them renovate their homes, plan weddings, take dream vacations, and fulfill other desires in their lives. If you provide products or services that can allow users to discover their dreams and achieve them, Pinterest is the way to go.

6. LinkedIn

If you are a B2B business, LinkedIn is a business networking platform that will be particularly useful. LinkedIn is geared toward professionals and allows you the opportunity to share your industry expertise. You can also use it to promote job openings within your company, connect to your employees and even generate leads through paid ads.

7. TikTok

TikTok, which revolves around short-form videos, is a newer social media platform that tends to target younger females. It may make sense if you’re trying to reach that particular demographic. As a business on TikTok, you can use hashtags that relate to your posts, brand, and offerings. When consumers search for these hashtags, they may come across your content.


What are the key components of a social media strategy?


A social media strategy is a plan that lays out your goals, the ways you’ll use to achieve them, and the metrics you’ll track to measure performance.

You might be tempted to post on a few social media platforms sporadically, but this is not recommended.

To really make the most of social media marketing strategy and increase your chances of success, you need a solid strategy.



The key components of an effective social media strategy include:


1. Audience Research

You should have a strong understanding of your target audience before posting anything. You can answer questions regarding what platforms they use, who else they follow, and what kind of content they prefer.

2. Brand Identity

Decide how you’d like to position your brand when you post on social media and interact with your followers. Think about the messages you hope to communicate.

3. Content Strategy

Content strategy relates to how you’ll use content to attract your audience and grow your brand on social media platforms. To be successful your plan needs to be specific.

4. Analytics

In order to measure performance and determine how to improve your strategy, you’ll use a process known as social media analytics where you collect and analyze data from your social media platforms.  This allows you to determine whether or not what you’re doing is working.

5. Ongoing Activity

As with most types of marketing, social media marketing is not something you do one time and forget it. You’ll need to post on it regularly, be engaged with your followers, and optimize your profiles on a consistent basis.


Remember that in addition to your social media marketing strategy, you will also need a professional business website so that those who discover your business through social media can check out your website to learn more about what you offer.


If you don’t already have a website, consider this.


If you’re just starting a business you can use this information for setting up your social media marketing strategy. If you’re already well on your way, it can serve as a reminder to use social media marketing in addition to your other resources.

Get Your Business System With Autoresponder Here

by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

If you’re a serious marketer using email marketing, you know you need to use an autoresponder. But, if you’re just starting your business, you may not be familiar with certain email marketing tools and how to use them to effectively and efficiently email people. This article is intended to show you how to make your marketing easier with an autoresponder.



What is an autoresponder?


An autoresponder is an automated system that sends a reply to a customer using certain rules. It can contain one email or a series of emails that go to subscribers’ inboxes after a trigger event occurs, such as signing up for something of yours they’ve seen online. The goal of the email is to engage your audience, as soon as they take an action, through a series of follow-up messages.


They are the simplest form of email automation. They can include a welcome email, a thank-you email, or an abandoned cart reminder as well as more complex uses for lead-nurturing and other campaigns.


An autoresponder series of emails will:

1. Help you bond with your email list so they get to know, like, and trust you. Thus, boosting your traffic and sales

2. Lend a sense of continuity to your email marketing

3. Allow constant communication between you and your audience




What are some examples of when to use autoresponder emails?


1. Follow-ups

This email is used for visitors to your site who have just given you their email addresses. This is mainly those who’ve signed up for your newsletter or whatever you promised when they filled in the form on your site. It’s a one-time email that goes out immediately after they’ve entered their contact information.


This is usually a welcome email saying hello and thank you for your interest. Then you can set up a series of emails to go out at particular intervals to keep engaged with this list.



2. Sales leads

These emails are for people who have expressed an interest in your product or service. They may have watched a video, so this email encourages them to start a free trial of some sort.



3. Customer service

The goal of customer-service emails is to establish clear expectations for response time, specify self-service resources, and communicate known issues.



4. Onboarding

Onboarding is the process of introducing a new user to a product or service and guiding them through the early steps of using it. The reason for this is to help them understand the product or service’s value and encourage them to engage with it more deeply which leads to increased user retention, satisfaction, and user lifetime value (LTV).


You can use tutorials, welcome messages, guided tours, and other resources designed to make the user’s first experience with the product as smooth and intuitive as possible.



5. Upselling

This email is used after your customers have been using your product or service for a set amount of time. It offers your customer an upgrade to a long-term plan.



Autoresponder emails are an essential part of your email marketing strategy because they allow you to send your subscribers the right message at the best time. Whether you are a blogger or an eCommerce store owner, they can help you maintain a healthy email list (through double opt-in), welcome and onboard your subscribers, and save valuable time.


An autoresponder is a must-have tool if you have an online business and want to successfully and efficiently email people. It saves precious time.


Although you gain quick results with an autoresponder, remember the human element. Things change quickly these days, so “set it and forget it” no longer exists. You have to continue to test copy, see how your customers react to different types of autoresponders, and add new touch points.


Autoresponders will exponentially expand your reach without adding more time or effort to your workflow, once you figure out what works. So, make your marketing easier with an autoresponder.


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by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

If you publish a blog post or article and no one reads it, it’s still a post. Anyone can write one, although not everyone knows how to write great blog posts/articles people want to read.


Obviously, you first have to choose a topic.




How do you choose a topic?



If you’re familiar with a particular niche, you probably already have plenty of ideas you want to use. If not, then write about things people are searching for. If there are lots of searches, month after month on certain topics, that’s probably what people want to read about.



Here are some free tools for keyword research and SEO content optimization:

Moz.com

Google Keyword Planner

AHREFS

Semrush



Once you’ve chosen a topic, you need an angle or a viewpoint for your post or a direction. Choose an objective for your post/article.


That may be:

Sharing a solution to a tough problem

Refining an overwhelming topic into something understandable

Telling a suspenseful and emotional story that teaches a lesson

Identifying key trends on a topic, and using them to predict the future

Contributing original information about a field through your research and investigation



Now that you have a topic, select your format. Will it be a listicle or a how-to article?


1. A listicle format, also known as a list-post, are articles structured around lists. For example:

15 Blogging Tips For Beginners
10 Best Online Marketing Tools
10 Quick SEO Tips To Increase Organic Traffic
25 Tips For Content Marketing
50 Best Travel Tips: Advice From A Professional Traveler



2. A how-to article is self-explanatory, in that it shows how to perform a certain task. For example:

How To Start A Blog
How To Promote Your Business
How To Grow Your Business
How To Use Social Media To Grow Your Business
How To Write Great Blog Articles



Now that you have a topic and format, how do you write an article or a post that will rank on Google?



To write an article or a blog post that will rank on Google, you need to know about SEO (search engine optimization), the process of optimizing your site and content for search engines such as Google.


If your article or post is well optimized for a search engine, the higher you’ll rank on Google and it will have more visibility within the search results.


If SEO is well done, the ROI on your time and the money you’ve spent can be exceptionally high. When you’ve achieved a high rank for keywords that are directing traffic and sales to your site, you’re essentially getting “free” leads.


Of course, these organic leads are not totally free, since you’ve invested time and probably some money into your SEO efforts. But, unlike paid ads, organic traffic is a free source that keeps on giving.


Of the couple hundred plus Google ranking factors, there are three key areas you’ll need to familiarize yourself with:


On-page ranking factors—which relate to the content on your pages like keywords, title tags, and images that give Google a good understanding of your page.


Off-page ranking factors—that relate to indicators outside of your site like backlinks and social signals.


Technical ranking factors—which relate to your site’s performance such as accessibility, mobile compatibility, load speed, and more.




Now it’s time to write, but it’s really difficult to sit down and write from scratch – staring at a blank sheet of paper or a blank screen on your computer is daunting.


Since you’ve done research for keywords and decided on a topic, create an outline. With an outline, you just fill in the gaps. You don’t have to write an outline from scratch either. Use a template or make your own.


You’ll need to include:

1. The key takeaways for your readers
2. A smart headline
3. Arrange the major themes and section of the blog article outline
4. Insert relevant sources and any additional data and studies
5. Trim and clean up the outline
6. Write your article



Write a first draft using Google Docs or whatever program you prefer. Put down everything you think you’ll use pertaining to the article subject.


Now pick out a few key points as topics to discuss and use those for headings. Know that people like to skim before committing to reading an entire article. This gets you into formatting. Use each major key point as a heading for the different sections in the article. Be sure these headings are clear for easy skimming.


Break up the paragraphs into short paragraphs of no more than four sentences. You should vary the sentence length to make for easier reading.


Use bolding for emphasis, bullets, and numbered lists.


For complex points (or just for fun) you can add images, tables, charts, and infographics.


Be sure your article shows up well on mobile. Otherwise, your content – no matter how incredible – will not rank.



When you start writing you’ll need to come up with a great headline and introduction. So, state the problem you’ll write about, go into the details of solving it, then offer a solution.


Use the following points as a guideline.

1. Make your introduction catchy but authoritative.


2. The length of the article should be about 1,000 words minimum, depending on the subject matter. Content length varies by industry.


3. Sprinkle target keywords and similar ones throughout the article without going overboard and include important keywords early and frequently, of course, without overdoing them.


4. Use appropriate verbiage so as not to alienate your audience. Write in the first person and conversationally.




Links are very important because they keep viewers on your site and they build trust in Google’s eyes.


Some important ones are:

External links to amazing resources such as marketing tools

Internal links on your site – each blog article should include at least 2-3 links to other pages on your blog or main site




Make sure your anchor text actually links to something relevant. Don’t link the phrase “how to build a list” to an article about affiliate marketing.



In summary choosing your topic, angle, and format and putting effort into your content is a recipe for organic success.




Using this information on how to write great blog articles people want to read will enable you to get started writing great blog posts that people want to read.



Get Your Business System With Autoresponder Here

By Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

Going forward, marketers may face unique challenges that will change how we approach digital marketing.


The top content marketing strategies are still personalized marketing, extended use of multimedia, and exploring new digital channels.




What is AI?


We all basically know what AI is, as we see and use it daily. However, this is the definition from Wikipedia:


 Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by humans or by other animals. Example tasks in which this is done include speech recognition, computer vision, translation between (natural) languages, as well as other mappings of inputs.


We must reconsider the use of MI (marketing intelligence) and AI (artificial intelligence). MI typically focuses on interpreting worldwide consumer trends while market research focuses on customer preferences for a specific company.


Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are changing the way businesses operate and revolutionizing the approach to digital marketing.


By controlling these technologies, businesses can operate more efficiently. They can give their customers personalized experiences and automate tasks, thus freeing up time to focus on more strategic endeavors.


AI has the potential to help with lead qualification, customer engagement, and product demonstrations for sales. The use of AI-generated salespeople can help companies provide high-level customer service and save time and resources. However, it’s important to strike a balance between AI and human interaction, as there are still consumers who prefer the personal touch of a real human.


Smartphones now have privacy controls to prevent too much sharing of certain data on sites like Google and Facebook, so marketers now have less data to use for understanding customers and personalizing marketing efforts. We’re also moving toward a cookie-less future, as Google will phase out cookies by the end of 2024.


Do not ignore the use of artificial intelligence in digital marketing.



What can we do to stay relevant?



HERE ARE FOUR STRATEGIES TO EXCEL AT MARKETING

1. First-Party Data

As third-party data continues to be phased out, first-party data will probably be the most valuable source of information. Rely on your own resources to get customer data instead of purchasing information from outside companies. Respecting customers’ privacy will benefit you.


You can source first-party data from:

Social media interactions
Website visitor tracking
Digital forms and surveys
Customer service interactions
Marketing email and text message responses



2. Run Pay-Per-Click Ads

Run pay-per-click ads with first-party data. If customers visit your website and look at a particular item and leave, you can retarget ads on other sites to entice them back. This is, however, becoming harder to do since Apple’s privacy updates are making that more difficult, and cookie-less browsing is taking its toll.


Many marketers are turning to Facebook’s Custom Audiences or services like Google’s Customer Match. These use a custom audience list that businesses create with first-party data, then match the list to users on the ad platform. Now, an ad funnel can be created to deliver personalized ads to customers based on first-party data.



3. Email And Text Message Marketing

Focus on email and text message marketing. Two of the most valuable first-party data sources are email and text message marketing. You can target specific customers and segments through these marketing channels. You can divide your email list by location and send out location-specific promotions to customers. Consumers like personalized emails based on behaviors like purchasing history.


This gives you a way to track which customers open emails and text messages and how they respond to the content. Using this data, you can customize your marketing to current customers based on how they respond to certain promotions.



4. BRAND AMBASSADORS

Work with brand ambassadors and influencers. They promote businesses more personally than a pop-up ad on someone’s social media feed. Brand ambassadors are familiar and friendly faces offering product recommendations, and that boosts your brand’s authenticity.


Don’t put all your marketing budget into one or two strategies, which will put your business at risk. Instead, use a diversified approach. Your ads are still relevant. So, keep running them, even without cookies. But, also, invest in email marketing and text message marketing. To reach the most customers, use the most effective content marketing strategies together to fill the gaps where some strategies are weak or where you’re not reaching customers. By using diverse strategies in tandem, you reach the most customers and aren’t significantly impacted by changes.


This information on artificial intelligence in digital marketing will help with your marketing.

Get Your Business System With Autoresponder Here

by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

Blogging is NOT dead, although it has changed from what it used to be and is still changing. Some previously used blogging tactics no longer work. In order to remain relevant, bloggers must also continue to evolve.

Today there are over 600 million blogs on the internet. (source: blogging.org). To be successful now and in the future, the best thing you can do is position yourself as an authority figure in your niche.

Note: For more interesting blog data see.


Here are five blogging tactics – in no particular order – that no longer work:

1. Clickbait headlines

Clickbait headlines are the outrageous ones to get your attention and have no user-satisfactory content. They are misleading, sensational, or spammy. This also applies to YouTube videos. It makes your channel less and less effective for driving traffic.

You should focus on writing headlines that are based on the real value that you are delivering in your content.


2. Blogging about everything

If you blog about everything, you’ll confuse people. They won’t know what your area of expertise is. Stick to one or two topics.

People don’t want generic information but specific information from people they can trust and believe in and with whom they can actually have a personal connection.


3. Blogging about your personal life

People used to blog about their children, what they ate that day, or just share bizarre personal details that people connected with. That is simply entertainment content that belongs on social media (in particular Instagram) where that kind of content is more accessible and easier to consume.

Although you can still blog about your personal life, you’ll need a fantastic Instagram and/or YouTube channel to go with it.

When people want entertainment they look to social media. However, when they want answers to their problems, they choose Google, namely websites.

But, there are always exceptions. Just remember to entertain on social and use your website for education.


4. Posting all the time

Now that content is more prolific on the internet, the tactic of posting more content to try to get more traffic is also outdated. Your focus should be on the quality of content, not quantity. Create content that stands out.

Generally, it’s better to create one (1) high-quality blog post per month than publish 5-6 average or mediocre posts that are short-lived.

To help establish yourself as an authority figure, use longer, more detailed posts.

If you really know your material, you’ll be able to talk about it for a long time (or hundreds of pages…).

The exception to this rule is if you’re a brand-new blogger, starting a blog from scratch, you’re probably better off publishing more posts because publishing more content can help you get some initial traction on social platforms like Pinterest and YouTube. Writing different kinds of content more frequently can help you learn more about what your audience is most interested in.


5. Blogging with no supplemental video or audio content

If you wish it to survive in the future, your blog needs to evolve into a multi-media site.

The more options people have to consume your content, the better. Using the following mediums will help:

Your blog
YouTube
Pinterest
Google
Email List

Your blog is now a multi-media website. It’s no longer just a blog.

For long-term blogging success, you need to dedicate your time and energy to becoming an expert in your niche.


What are some other things you should know before you start blogging?

1. Building habits is essential especially when your time is limited. You need consistent blocks of time you can spend on your blog. That may be:

a) Early morning – get everything ready the night before

b) During lunch break at your day job – get away from your desk and grab a bite to eat while working on your blog

c) In the evenings – you can just outline your post if you find it hard to focus after a long day

d)  On the weekends – block out half a day on Saturday or Sunday


Finding a time that you can consistently use for blogging, week after week, will make it easier to form the habit.

2. WordPress

WordPress is usually the best option. Within WordPress are two more options so be careful. Also, there are plugins for anything you want to do in WordPress. Read

3.  It’s easier to write quality blog posts by using a great template.

4.  End all blog posts with a call to action.

5.  The most important part of your blog is the headline. Read.

6.  Keyword research is vital for SEO which brings in traffic.

7.  You should build an email list as soon as possible (from day one).

8.  When used correctly, social media is an effective traffic source.

9.  Making money from a new blog will take UP to 12 months minimum.

10.  Digital courses and eBooks are a great way to monetize your blog.

11. Use affiliate marketing to grow your blog income.

12. Link building from other websites is crucial.


This is by no means a complete list. More things can be added but this will get you off to a great start.


What are the best blogging platforms?

When choosing a blogging platform you must take into consideration what is best for your needs.

If you’re just starting, use a platform that’s easy to set up and use. If you have no coding experience choose a platform that needs no code. Developing a blog isn’t simple and you don’t want to add new skills to your to-do list.

You’ll need to think about the layout and features you want and the blog tools you may need as your blog grows.

Some things to think about are:

Monetizing your blog with a newsletter now or in the future

A multi-media experience with lots of images and videos

Using it to build SEO for your small business site

Using it to build your reputation as a thought leader

Skills you need to learn to build your blog

Can a blogging platform help with these skills


When you have a clear plan for your blog, you’re ready to choose a platform.

Many who choose a platform start with cost. Some of the best blog software is free. Check each provider’s plan and how many tiers there are. Then check their primary and unique features. Pay special attention to the out-of-the-box features compared to add-ons.

Here’s a list:

WordPress: Best for customization

Wix: Best for drag and drop

Weebly: Best for e-commerce blogging

Drupal: Best for developers

Squarespace: Best all-in-one platform

CMS Hub: Best for marketers

Medium: Best for its built-in audience


Blogging is not dead. But you have to keep your strategies alive to be successful on the internet. These are just some things you need to know before you start blogging that will be helpful.


Get Your Business System With Autoresponder Here

By Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

You can generate brand awareness, persuade customers to take action, and drive revenue with an engaging content marketing strategy.

There are many types of platforms, channels, and media encompassed in content marketing. This is a review of what you need for content marketing success, moving forward, and some of the best content marketing tools.


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