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 article was originally posted on 5/10/21.

If you use SEO (search engine optimization) in the right way, it is one of the most effective ways to attract potential customers to your website. If you rank on page one of the SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) you will generate organic traffic.

This is where you need SEO.

In this article…

Continue


Your Autoresponder and More

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.

Your business needs a strategic marketing plan in order to remain ahead of your more digitally savvy competitors.

Take steps now to create, streamline, or optimize your marketing strategy and accelerate your results.

Digital and mobile channels are vital for acquiring and retaining customers.


What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses internet and online based digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones and other digital media and platforms to promote products and services. — Wikipedia

Digital marketing is using digital technologies and media to achieve marketing objectives.


You can consider using the following examples of digital technologies and media options for your marketing campaigns:

Search engine marketing
Social media marketing
Pay-per-click (PPC)
Paid social
Online advertorial
Affiliate marketing
Organic search (SEO)
Organic social
Guest blogging
Co-branding
Backlinks
Sponsorship
Influencer outreach


You need a digital marketing strategy in order to avoid these common problems that arise when you don’t have one.


What are these problems?

1. Not having a clear goal of what you want to achieve online

You need a clear strategic goal for what you want to accomplish in terms of acquiring new customers and building better relationships with your current ones, and you need clear objectives in order to reach those goals.

2. Understanding your online marketplace

It’s important to research your online audience. The dynamics of using digital marketing will be different from long-established avenues which have different types of customer profile and behavior and marketing communications options.

3. Staying updated on the latest trends and innovations

In order to stay ahead of your competitors, you need to devote enough resources to digital to stay  up to date with the latest trends and advances in your sector.

4. No strong value proposition

A value proposition introduces your brand to consumers by showing what you stand for and why you deserve their business. It should be persuasive and help turn a prospect into a paying customer.

5. Not knowing your online customers well

Know the sentiment of visitors and what they think. Use other forms of website feedback tools to help create a more customer-centered website and brand rather than Google Analytics and such, which only show volumes of visits and not the sentiments of visitors or what they think.

6. You’re disintegrated

You need an integrated marketing strategy. Digital media work best when combined with traditional media channels.

7. Avoid duplication

If you have a larger company, don’t waste your money and time by way of duplication. Don’t misuse your funds by having different segments of the marketing organization buying different tools and using other agencies for completing similar online marketing assignments.

Invest in a marketing strategy, that works for everyone, to plan, manage and optimize your digital channels and platforms.

Internet marketing using a digital marketing strategy can accelerate your results and increase your ROI.

Although these 7 reasons for a digital marketing strategy are not the only problems that may be encountered, you should keep them in mind when setting up your marketing campaigns.


Your Web Hosting Essentials

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 just now thinking of doing business on the internet, the best thing you can do is consider what platform you’re going to use. You have to start somewhere.

Even if you’re doing affiliate marketing, which does not require a website, eventually you’ll probably want to step up your efforts to make money online and have your own “place” on the internet to which you can direct people to buy your products, services, and the products of companies you’re promoting.

Having your own website is ideal. It’s a place to which you can direct anyone and do business.


So, where do you start with blogging?


You should immediately start building your list of possible contacts and build relationships with them.

You can do this with a blog and email marketing.

There are a few things you should do before you start blogging.

Read more…


Start Building Your List.

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.

What is a lead magnet?

“Subscribe to our newsletter” no longer works as a list-building approach. Consumers are so weary of increasing the amount of email they receive.

No one wants an inbox full of spam or irrelevant offers.

A lead magnet requires your site visitors to give you information, such as an email address for access. It can be some content such as a whitepaper, ebook, or a newsletter.

This content drives awareness and also gives information that helps a prospective customer engage and take an interest in your product or service. This might be a free product sample, demo, trial subscription, or some product/service-related incentive.

Now, no one easily gives up their email. Your lead magnet should offer the reader value in exchange for opting in to receive messages from you in the future.

Your lead magnet is used to build a list of prospective customers.


What’s contained in good lead magnets?

The highest-converting and best lead magnets have certain things in common:

They’re relevant

Your offer must resonate with your intended audience.

Your objective is high quality leads not a high volume of low-quality ones. You don’t want to waste time following up low-quality leads.

Make sure your lead magnet serves a useful purpose with your segmented/targeted audience.


They have perceived value

The best lead magnets offer insider knowledge, a quicker way of doing something, expert insight, or an innovative and unique solution to a problem.

If it can be Googled, you’re not going to get a sign up.


They serve your business purposes

Keep the promise you made when you asked people for their email. Use your lead magnet to offer only what you can actually deliver.

The best lead magnets don’t offer to solve an entire problem, but enough of it that the person recognizes that you are the authority (or your product is the answer) and can take them the rest of the way.


Your lead magnet can include:

1) Cheat sheets

2) Checklists

3) Swipe files

4) Buyer’s guides or ebooks

5) Email courses

6) A recording of a talk you gave

7) Step-by-step blueprints

8) A whitepaper, a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue. It helps your readers understand a complex issue and the steps they need to take to resolve it. Whitepapers are useful in B2B marketing, where clients often have a longer sales cycle and need a lot more information to make a purchasing decision.

9) Webinars

10) Editable templates for simplifying tasks.

11) Product samples or trials

12) Training videos

13) Quizzes, surveys, and polls


This list is not all-inclusive. There are more to be used, as well as any that you can imagine.

Your lead magnet is the first step in building a relationship of know, like, and trust with prospective customers, and in building your list.

The best lead magnets benefit both you and your customers. Your goal is not to trick or force a prospect to give up their email.

For a win-win situation, find an offer and format that helps your business goals and the needs of your target customers.


Hosting and more

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.

One of the most effective ways to attract potential customers to your website is using SEO correctly. By ranking on the top page of the SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) you generate organic traffic.

You want to increase your online visibility. If you have a strong internet presence, it helps consumers find and learn about you and ultimately purchase from you. As you search for online marketing tips, you’ll find advice about blogging for SEO, creating landing pages, and more. The bottom line is “there’s one vital part to digital marketing that can make or break these tactics and strategies: keywords.”

Keywords relate heavily to digital marketing because that’s how potential customers do searches like on Google, by typing in a particular word or phrase.

Keywords need to be something users will search for, relevant to your brand, and terms that can be seamlessly integrated into all your online content.

Once you know which keywords to focus on… Continue here


Your Web Hosting Essentials

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.

Copywriting requires you to be skillful at crafting headlines. If you have a great headline there’s a better chance of getting what you’ve written read by more busy consumers. But, keeping your audiences engaged is easier said than done.

Below are 15 copywriting tips to capture the interest of busy consumers.


1. Important Information Is Bold Or Bulleted

People don’t really read. They just skim, reading only the headline and bolded or bulleted information.


2. Make Your Copy Professional And Persuasive

Don’t be too basic or mainstream. Be original and fun and give your reader a reason to engage.


3. Help Consumers Connect With Their Emotions

Make your audience feel something about themselves, not you. Their own emotions will induce them to take action.


4. Use A Short Introduction

Get straight to the point, because your readers want to learn something new that’s relevant to them.


5. Use Simplicity

Take a simple approach. Skip the banter and get to the point. Busy consumers want solutions to their problems, so give it to them and quickly offer a CTA.


6. Cover Your Point(s) Quickly

Grab people’s attention and quickly get to the point. Your audience is busy, so get your message to stand out and get to the point then deliver your CTA.


7. Delay Details

Start with the main topic and deliver details later. Busy people are not going to read a boring introduction. If the juicy part of your information is intriguing, they will read more.


8. Skip The Clever Buildup

Don’t waste a lot of time on a clever buildup. If you do, your reader may just move on before getting to the most important takeaway.


9. Know Your Audience

You must know your audience so that you can craft a message, that is immediately relevant.


10. State Exactly What You Want The Reader To Know

Start at the end and then build to support your value proposition by unpacking details a few seconds at a time, thus earning the attention of your audience.


11. Use Multiple Headlines Throughout Your Content

This makes your content skimmable and indicates what’s coming next. Limit detailed information by using links to detailed articles on the subject.


12. Ask Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Asking questions, taking strong notes, and recording responses will help yield the best results in the shortest amount of time. Don’t try to be perfect. Get a draft out quickly and write with confidence.


13. Keep Your Message Short

You only have a few seconds to convince people to read what you have to say. So, keep your message as concise as possible.


14. Refine Your Core Message

For copywriting, start by using paragraph form, then cut that down to a statement of one or two sentences. Then whittle your core message down to a phrase.


15. Strike A Happy Medium

When dealing with busy consumers, you need to capture your audience’s attention while keeping the message straight and to the point.

By using these 15 copywriting tips to capture the interest of busy consumers, you can stay focused on your intent and better deliver your message to your audiences.

Source: Forbes.com



Your Autoresponder and More

by Rahimah Sultan

Content is your sales pitch, billboard, brochure, and portfolio all combined into one.

To have success at Internet marketing, you must have planned content.

As a blogger, social media strategist, or professional marketer you need well-organized content.

You have to master the engineering and architectural sides of good content development.

Your content needs to be well written, shareable, educational, and it should confirm your reputation as an authority.

You can read more here.

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.

In part 1 of Beginner Blogger Mistakes to Avoid, we discussed 6 mistakes.

Following are the remaining mistakes to avoid:


7. Not tying specific posts into the larger picture.

Specific posts should relate to the broader picture and to your readers’ concerns.


Solution: Identify the problems and concerns they’re facing.

What will be the benefit for readers taking action?

What do they think are the consequences of not taking action?


8. Using stream-of-consciousness writing style.

You don’t want your writing to be a brain dump. People usually scan a blog post. So, it needs to be well organized.


Solution: Use a template, outline, and section headers.

Write an outline before you begin your post.

Make a list of the top things you want readers to get from your post. Then, pare those into larger section headers. Putting in a section header every few paragraphs. This makes your blog post more enjoyable and easier to read.


9. Relying on the conceptual rather than concrete.

Don’t rely on conceptional and vague ideas. Include actual, actionable steps to be taken for success.


Solution: Include actionable steps to achieve success.

Content creation should be useful. Your audience should be given something. It could be a “how-to” recommendation for a particular strategy or simply a suggestion for a tool or tactic to make a process easier.


10. Not using data as evidence.

When you make claims in your post, use data and research to back them up.


Solution: Use data to support your statements.

If you say that people prefer one social media platform over another, you need to show proof of your argument.

Some places to find great data include:

Hubspot Research

Pew Research Center

Marketing Sherpa

HubSpot’s State of Inbound Report


11. Not adding enough context.

Not using examples to back up that what you say is important.


Solution: Use visual aids and additional content to illustrate your ideas.

Saying that one product is a better bargain than another is fine. Don’t just make the statement and move on. Add more content to show why by actually comparing the two and showing the additional benefits of the one over the other. Write for the person who’s just learning about your topic.

For more specificity, you can hyperlink to other posts that relate to your current topic.


12. Borderline Plagiarizing

Don’t copy and paste content to your blog. Your post must be in your own words and in your style of writing.


Solution: Give proper credit.

If you quote someone’s content, you must cite the source.


13. Not Editing.

You’re not done when you finish writing the post.


Solution: You must take time to edit your writing.

Proofread your post. Check for typos, sentence structure, there/their type mistakes, format, and flow.


14. Trying to be perfect.

Don’t try to be perfect. It won’t work. You’ll always find one more thing to correct.


Solution: Publish. You can update later.

After you’ve put in about thirty minutes editing, just publish the post. You can always update it at a later time.


15. Not being consistent.

It’s important to be consistent for your sake and so your subscribers learn to know what to expect.


Solution: Use a calendar.

Before you start blogging, set up a planning strategy that includes how often to post, dates to post, when to do related duties to prepare for each post such as research, the actual writing, etc.

You can use Google Calendar, excel spreadsheets, other sources or just make your own when first starting to blog.


16. Concentrating on fast traffic.

Your focus should be on long-term traffic.


Solution: The ROI of your blog is the accumulation of organic traffic over time.

Publish content that has durable relevance on a consistent basis, to help drive traffic. This is known as “evergreen” content. It’s great quality and is relevant year after year with minimal attention required.


17. Not growing your subscription list.

To get traffic, leads, and eventual customers you need to get subscribers. You can add a call to action (CTA) to your blog to grow subscribers.


Solution: Set up a subscription CTA and email newsletter.

Use your email marketing tool to set up a welcome email for new subscribers and place a simple sign-up form at the top of your blog. You can also use PPC advertising, email, and dedicated landing pages for subscribers that direct people through channels like social media and other pages on your website.

Some other things you can do include offering incentives for signups, promoting on your “About Us” page, adding footers that act like CTAs to blog articles, and using SEO (search engine optimization) for each article you post.

These are beginner blogger mistakes to avoid.

Not making these mistakes and using the suggested solutions to avoid them should set you well on your way to productive blogging.


Your Autoresponder and More

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.

When you tell people that you blog for a living, they think it’s easy, that you just sit at home all day on the internet writing. They say anyone can do that!

But, when they actually try it, they realize it’s much harder than they thought. At first, they make many mistakes like any beginner.

The challenges are pretty easy to avoid if you know they’re coming.

Below are some common mistakes most beginners make and some tips for avoiding them.


What is a blog?

A blog is short for weblog, a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order, so that the most recent post appears first, at the top of the web page. — Wikipedia

Blogs can help you establish authority in your industry, drive traffic to your website, convert traffic into leads, and grow your business.


What are the most common blog post mistakes?

1. You think of ideas that only interest you.

No matter how great you think your post is, you’re writing for other people.


Solution: Blog posts should reflect your company’s or your site’s larger goals.

You’re blogging to offer solutions to your audience’s problems and to grow your business. All of your blog posts should be written with these goals in mind and have a natural tie-in to issues in your industry while addressing specific questions and concerns of your prospects.


2. You forget about your persona.

If you want your blog content to generate traffic, leads, and sales, it must resonate with your audience and make them take action. You have to have an idea of the person you’re trying to reach – age group, interests, male, female, income range, etc.


Solution: Understand your persona’s problems and frustrations and solve them.

You can bridge the gap with your content by defining your buyer persona and the things that are important to them.


3. Your writing is too rigid.


You should write like you talk, in a style that is effortless to read.


Solution: Write blogs that are personable.

So, relax your style of writing and be more conversational. Use contractions. Throw in a pun or two.


4. You think people care about you as a writer.

People care more about what you can teach them than they do about you and your experiences.


Solution: Show your personality without obscuring the subject.

You can introduce parts of your personality in your writing to make people feel at ease. Some people crack jokes, some reference pop culture, and others use vivid descriptions in their writing.

The choice is yours. Make your tone personal and engaging, as if you’re in a face-to-face conversation.


5. You digress

Although you’re encouraged to let your personality shine through when you’re writing, don’t abuse the privilege. Don’t bring up too many personal experiences that bury the point you’re trying to make.

Don’t digress into these personal anecdotes and analogies too much — your readers aren’t sitting in front of you, which means you can’t guarantee that you have their undivided attention. They may lose patience and bounce from your article.


Solution: Assert your argument repeatedly.

Restate your point in every section of the article, to prevent your writing from losing its audience. Commit to an overarching message and deliver it gradually, repeating it several times throughout the post.

State your main point upfront. Don’t spend several paragraphs telling a story of how you came to do a certain thing before getting to the main focus of your post.


6. Not narrowing your topic.

Don’t use topics like:

“Internet Marketing”

“How to do Social Media Marketing”

“Digital Marketing”

These topics are too broad. To get the most short-term and long-term benefits of your blogging, you need to be very specific.


Solution: Start with a clear, concise idea.

A working title isn’t final — it’s just a solid perspective to keep your writing on track. Once you get this stage right it’s much easier to write your posts.

This is a link to some sources to get ideas. (I get no commission)

https://coursemethod.com/blog-topic-generator-tool.html



Your Autoresponder and More

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.

What is burnout?

Burnout is the accumulation of work-related stress coupled with continued pressure to perform at an increased level over time without sufficient breaks and downtime.

What are the signs of stress?

1. Fight response

People who have a fight response to stress may have increased irritability and anger. They may have an urge to lash out, raise their voice, be accusatory toward others or the situation. This response can also show in their physical demeanor such as tightening of parts of the body and muscles, and high blood pressure.

2. Freeze response

The freeze response is manifested in an inability to concentrate, the mind freezing or locking up, brain fog, and forgetfulness. Those suffering this response may be avoiding certain situations and distancing themselves from others, and are becoming demotivated at work and in other parts of life.

3. Flight response

The flight response can cause people to become restless, fidgety, and unable to sleep. People suffering this response to stress may be having anxiety-like symptoms, such as a tight chest, affected breathing, stomach pains and excess sweating.




How do you manage stress?

If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s important to manage them as quickly as possible in order to avoid burnout and to keep your brain and body functioning in a healthy way.

Following are some things you can do to avoid burnout.

Sleep

Establish a consistent bedtime routine, so your body and brain know when to start winding down. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

Do not exercise, use caffeine, nicotine or alcohol for a half hour before going to bed, and limit blue light exposure from mobile devices. This will improve sleep and good quality rest.

Exercise and movement

Aerobic exercise will pump endorphins through the body, reducing stress. And, physical activity leads to positive physical effects, such as improving cardiovascular, digestive and immune health and can protect the body.

Do not over-exercise. Exercising too much and too hard without adequate recovery can add to the burden on the nervous system. Those who like to do intense exercise might want to do less to give their nervous system more recovery time. Choosing other types of exercise like walking, yoga, and pilates instead of some of the more strenuous workouts during the week, can be beneficial.

Along with exercise, daily pick-me-ups such as spending 10 minutes in a park or the garden can be beneficial in minimizing stress. Fresh air and greenery are instant mood boosters that do not require putting time aside like a long, strenuous workout. These also provide the necessary regular breaks from work and help avoid burnout.

Journaling

Reflecting through writing is an effective way to manage stress, since it encourages you to explore the cause of your stress. It’s a good way to gain a deeper understanding of stress by putting it into words and then working to improve the root causes of negative stressors.

Reflecting will also provide the tools to mindfully treat stress triggers, rather than simply managing the symptoms of the stress. This will reduce overall stress as problems are solved and removed, leading to greater long-term confidence and avoiding burnout.

Take a break from technology

While on a morning walk before starting work or while attempting to wind down after dinner, we can be tempted to check messages and emails. Thus, the home office space becomes blended into the living space. This constant exposure to work-related technology can have psychological consequences and lead to an inability to switch off.

Social media can lead to distraction and prevent you from getting tasks done, and this can lead to work backlog, and ultimately contribute to burnout. Set clear parameters for work time.

Be conscious of how much time you spend on social media and look for ways to reduce this.

Maintaining Social Connections

Control what you can. Feeling like you have no control over your situation is another common burnout contributor.

It’s very powerful to accept that you cannot control certain things, and work on what you can.

Try some relaxation techniques, from breathing to mindfulness, which engage the parasympathetic nervous system.

And you can always share your concerns and fears with your trusted social connections.

Prioritize and plan

Regularly step back and look at what needs to be done in order of priority, and direct your energy accordingly. Do not let the small, less-important tasks overly absorb your limited energy.

Look at the big picture and make a plan. Then break the plan down into smaller tasks that you can direct your energy toward on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis, until you feel like you’ve got things under control.

At the beginning of the day write a to-do list. At the end of the workday look at what you achieved to remind yourself of how much you do and recognize what you can let go of.

Remain focused and don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ to things that distract from your plan.

When you have the tools to recognize and manage stress and burnout, you can take control and manage many of the variables that can contribute to this. Stress and burnout are something that we all experience at various stages in our lives, but we have inner resources such as adaptation skills and resilience.

So, the first step in avoiding burnout while working from home is recognition and then taking the necessary steps to alleviate it.



Your Autoresponder and More