What’s in the Future for Affiliate Marketing?
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.
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How to Avoid Grammar Mistakes While Writing
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.
So, you’re using your great copywriting skills to create sales or marketing material to influence prospects toward making a purchase.
While so doing, be sure that your content is grammatically correct. Sometimes that autocorrect, you’re using while typing, won’t catch grammar mistakes.
For information on avoiding at least ten grammar mistakes, check out this article.
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What Are the Recent Shifts in MLM?
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 marketing online, you see daily advertising for MLMs. You may be thinking about signing up for one of the programs.
So, what are the recent shifts in MLM?
There are low-cost products, a simple recruiting system, and a high percentage of affiliate products.
Although pyramid schemes resemble MLMs, MLM is a legitimate money-making business model. So, what are the differences?
Pyramid Schemes vs. MLM
Both operate with the same structure, although it comes down to sales versus recruitment in the compensation plan.
The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) states that MLM will pay you based on your sales to retail customers, without having to recruit new distributors. A pyramid scheme relies on the continuous recruitment of dues-paying members to keep afloat, even if members are required to continue buying the products they may not be able to sell.
After doing your due diligence, you might want to consider other ways to bring in income instead.
What is MLM?
MLM (Multi-level marketing), also known as direct selling and network marketing, is a business model for selling products directly to purchasers using independent sales representatives.
Usually, MLMs have a detailed compensation plan that outlines exactly how these upline and downline relationships work and how distributors get compensated. These plans explain recruiting and sales commissions, and they define requirements members must meet to be eligible for compensation. These are usually expressed in minimum sales targets and numbers of new recruits.
There are hundreds of the old MLM companies still around and many people are still making money from them. That’s because they signed up when those were startups, within the first two or three years after they launched.
So, again, what are the recent shifts in MLM? Check out the current best MLMs.
What are the current best MLMs?
If you want to go ahead with MLM, the following are touted as the best five new companies for 2023-2024.
1. LIVEGOOD
LiveGood is one of the fastest growing. Their products include CBD supplements, dietary supplements, and beauty products.
2. APL GO
They carry lozenges and drops with propriety health benefits. It is a Acumullit SA technology that is revolutionizing the wellness industry.
For motivation, they have travels, promotions and motivating events, technology that is one of a kind and exclusive for their products, six options for starting your business, and 15 kinds of bonuses.
They also have 24/7 support and a step-by-step plan and a nice website, webinars, videos, etc.
3. PAWTREE
Although Paw Tree which has been around since 2018, got off to a slow start, it has been making up time.
They obviously offer pet supplies for cats and dogs. There’s a full line of supplies plus supplements.
4. IX GLOBAL
This is a learning-based MLM. They are leveraging today’s most addictive trends such as health, productivity, fitness, spirituality, etc.
You get training, from the top experts in the area that most interests you, from brilliant minds who know how to encourage and impact. You’ll see speakers from all different global stages.
5. IGENIUS
This MLM is about financial markets and investing practices. You’ll get an education and tools for cryptocurrency equity and forex markets. There’s live training and market research provided by experts and it’s easy to follow along.
You should just watch this one for two or three years before jumping into this network marketing business.
In summary, research indicates that older MLMs are not so profitable and not the way to go.
When considering an MLM company, remember the low-cost products, simple recruiting systems, and the high percentage of affiliate products in recent MLMs.
Most importantly, you should get in during the first 2-3 years.
Before getting into MLM, explore your own strengths and what needed service you can provide to others. There are inexpensive ways to start and you can create a very sustainable and ethical income avenue without the headache of a garage full of products you can’t get rid of.
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Your Social Media Marketing Strategy
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.
Make Your Marketing Easier With an Autoresponder
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 audienceWhat 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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How to Write Great Blog Articles People Want to Read
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.
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Artificial Intelligence in Digital Marketing
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.
Affiliate Marketing Is More Than Just Posting Links
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.
Affiliate marketing is a marketing strategy with partners promoting and selling other companies’ products for commissions. When customers click on an affiliate link they are taken directly to a brand’s product or service website. Ideally, this leads to a sale, signup, or just clicks. The partner earns a commission according to how many users are redirected to the brand via that affiliate link.
But, affiliate marketing is more than just posting links and it involves much more than just joining an affiliate marketing program, promoting a link, and hoping people buy what you’re advertising….
Read
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Some Things You Need To Know Before You Start Blogging
by Rahimah Sultan
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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.
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Things to be Concerned About When Starting a Home Business
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.
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