In my last article I covered writing great blog post headlines. If you missed it Click here to read Part 1



Now that you’ve intrigued your readers and drawn them in with a great headline, you have to keep their attention. As a blogger and copywriter you have to write in a way that keeps readers from taking a quick glance and moving on.



Following are rules for creating an introduction that draws in your readers.



1. Don’t try to sound overly academic

Up to 90% of people that lose weight end up gaining most or all of it back within…


Research is valuable, but not in this context unless you’re a healthcare professional. As a blogger you don’t want to bore your readers with statistics.


You want to put yourself in their shoes by showing empathy. Let them know you understand what they’re going through.


You’re sharing the tools you used to overcome a problem.



Example:

Do you hear that?

That little voice speaking to you?

That little voice whispering to you that there’s something else you really want to do. Telling you to go ahead and make the change.

But you’re afraid.

You’re afraid to quit your job and do what your heart is pulling you to do.

You’re afraid of not having what you need to survive; a place to live, food on the table, a car and on and on.

But, mostly you’re afraid of making a mistake. You doubt yourself. You’re afraid of being wrong.



You don’t need to start every post with the empathy aspect. You can choose something else, maybe a story.



2. Get Into the Role

Trigger your readers’ emotions. Think about the range of emotions you want them to feel then get into that role as you write. Is there fear, doubt, anger, sadness, happiness, love, hope, and so on.


As you feel the emotions yourself they will come through in your writing and will be authentic.


So, decide on the emotional journey you want your readers to experience and put that in your writing and your audience will feel that.


Although this rule applies throughout your post, it is of utmost importance for your introduction.
When we write our words reveal our feelings.



3. Entice Readers down the Page


A) Open with Question a Short Sentence

This is a proven technique to draw in your audience.

If you start your post with a long paragraph readers will feel overwhelmed just looking at it.


B) Use Fewer Words

Use as few words as possible.

Write efficiently to give your words power. Whatever the number of words you use in your first draft, cut that in half.

The more you apply this technique the more proficient your blog writing becomes.


C) Set the Tempo

All writing has a pace and rhythm.

The pace of your introduction should be a little fast. Later, you can slow things down by:

Using short sentences or even sentence fragments
Keeping paragraphs to a maximum of three sentences long
Using delayed transitions to weave sentences together
Making each sentence a paragraph that leads into the next one
Reading the post out loud to be sure it flows properly and is moving forward smoothly


You want your readers’ journey to be fast and slow. To ebb and flow. To keep their attention.


That gives your words pace and rhythm.


Example:

“You’re not stupid.

You know what writing is truly about.

It’s a never-ending battle for your readers’ attention.

Every sentence is a link in a taut chain that connects your headline to your conclusion.

And you are just one weak sentence away from losing your reader forever.” — Shane Arthur


He then slows things down in the section that follows with longer sentences.



4. Make Them Beg

Have readers begging for your solutions by adding some fear to your opening.

What are readers’ concerns? What will happen if they don’t solve the problem you’re addressing?

When you expose those fears readers feel your empathy and are more eager for your solution.

Let them know we all have fears and don’t need to hide them.


Example:

Maybe the skeptics are right. Maybe you’re foolish to think you could earn an income doing something you love, instead of tolerating what you’re doing. Who knows?


The fear of failure is painful. Giving a voice to that fear is validating and makes your audience excited for the solutions that will set that fear free.


The fear of failure is painful, yes. But giving voice to it is validating and makes readers eager for the solutions that will set that fear free.




5. Hint at the Solution to Come

As you wrap up your introduction, hint at the solution to come.

The promised purpose of your post. What readers will gain when they follow your methods.

Don’t give it all away. Just a hint to keep readers engaged, because they bore easily.

An introduction is for setting the stage for all the sincere advice your post will provide, not to give answers.

Example:

You’re thinking about setting up a blog to advertise your side gig. You know nothing about blogging. Where do you begin?

A post for beginning bloggers, 4 Blogging Tips

I didn’t know much about blogging, but started anyway.

I used it for an affiliate program I signed up for online.

The program owner offered…



Of course you’ll keep reading.


When devising an introduction, try writing two entirely different versions approached from different angles and sparking different emotions. Doing so will highlight the techniques and emotions that work best for both your audience and the content of your post.


Your introduction must satisfy search intent or readers will click the “back” button and you lose them forever.


Search Intent is the reason for the Google search.


It is a large part of SEO (search engine optimization) which would be another article by itself.


If someone searches for “5 Tips for Business Success,” and the post begins with an anecdote people will click away without ever reading the rest of the wisdom-filled post.


Figuring out a keyword’s intent is one of the first things to do. It forms your headline, meta description, introduction, word count, and more.


Take time to analyze results in Google so you know why people enter the particular query your blog post will be targeting.


Figure out the intent, and then make sure your introduction matches it.



Part Three will be covered in my next article.



Your Autoresponder 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.

by Rahimah Sultan

Although there are many tutorials that can teach you the mechanics of blogging, there is more to writing fantastic blog posts.

Here are some rules to follow when creating your headlines.


1.You Need a Great Topic

Decide on your post headline (title) prior to beginning to write the article. This is your map to follow in order to stay on topic and not confuse readers. You want your readers to reach the intended objective as easily and efficiently as possible.


If you want your blog post to get opened your headline must promise readers the answer to their concerns, what they’re looking for.


To find out what your readers want research:

Review comments on your posts and on posts of other sites in your niche.

Send your subscribers surveys asking them what their greatest struggles are.

Use tools like BuzzSumo to find out what the most popular posts in your niche are (which gives insight into your target readers’ needs).

Read the reviews of books in your niche on Amazon (you’ll find a gold mine of feedback to explore.)

Now you’ve decided on a topic.


Example:

You make jewelry at home. Your headline reads:


How to Make Jewelry


This title is so broad it’s unlikely to draw in many readers.


Tools and Materials Needed to Get Started in Jewelry Making


This is a narrow specific headline that makes your readers feel you have the answers they’re looking for.



2. Take Your Cue from the Pros

“How to” headlines and list post headlines are the easiest templates with which to start. They are classics and proven to work.


“How to” headlines:

 How to start a blog in 2020
 How to make money blogging
 How to make money writing


List Post Headlines:

5 Blogging Ideas
25 Tips for Content Marketing
5 Tips for Business Success
15 One-Sentence Chunks of Online Marketing Advice You Can Use Today



3. Engage Your Senses:

Add sensory details to your headlines. Place yourself in your readers’ shoes. Imagine what they see, feel, taste, smell or hear.


Example:

How to Start a Baking Blog


This is a good headline.


How to Start a Baking Blog on Breads and Delicious French Pastries


This is a better headline. It makes an enticing statement that encourages people to want to know more.


Questions are also a great way to construct headlines that get clicked.

For example:

Are You Making Any of These 7 Common Blogging Mistakes?



4. Give a Tease not the Answer

You want to draw people in to see what you have to offer. Don’t give a solution.


Example:

How to Build a List of Subscribers Using an Autoresponder


You’ve given the answer to a problem; use an autoresponder to build a list.


How to Build a List Faster and Easier


This headline is more interesting and piques curiosity and interest.



5. Don’t be Deceptive

For instance…


5 Steps to a Healthy Life Style


is fine until the 5^th step ends up with no advice and leads to a sales page.



6. Streamline Text

Don’t fill your headline with unnecessary words that add no real value:


If You Want to Stay Slim and Trim Here are 5 Things You Must Avoid


Instead use:


5 Things You Must Avoid to Prevent Weight Gain



7. Don’t Use the “I’m intelligent” Aspect

The purpose is not to appear clever or educated.


Your headline should make sense to all readers. They shouldn’t have to guess what the benefit is.


When writing your headline, don’t use metaphors, jargon, rhymes, made-up terms, or anything that tries to be too clever or complicated.


How to be Happy on Life’s Highway


People want specifics related to their needs, not a metaphor.


And this:


How to Maintain Your Beauty as Life is a Fading Flower


What beneficial information can anyone gather from that to make them want to read more? You need to deliver clear benefits in your headlines.


You may be able to make a connection in your post and use it as an analogy, but readers are scanning headlines for things that apply to their particular circumstance. They have no clue as to why they should stop to read further so they probably won’t.



8. Stick to Your Style

Your audience already knows and trusts you, so don’t make any drastic changes.


As you continue to write your style will emerge. Once you decide your style stick with it, although you can gradually change it. Don’t make any drastic changes so your audience will still know, like and trust it’s you.


Create several (5-10) versions of the same headline. The more you practice the better you will become at writing clear, concise and curiosity-invoking headlines that readers can’t resist.


Keep your headlines to 60 characters or less so they don’t get truncated in the SERPs (search engine results pages).


Readers usually don’t click these links.


Example:


How To Start a Blog in 2020 – Easy to Follow Guide for …

www.bloggingbasics101.com › how-do-i-start-a-blogLearn to blog. Step-by-step guide to learn how to start a blog, choose the
best blogging platform and avoid the common
blogging mistakes made by newbies.

Part two will be covered in my next article.

Get Your 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.

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.

Online marketing is any form of advertising done on the internet. It takes on many shapes and forms and can be done organically for free or it can be paid for. Either approach features a number of effective strategies and methods to gain the desired outcome.


One of the primary concepts in the digital marketing industry is the sales funnel.


A sales funnel is a marketing concept that maps out the journey a customer goes through when making any kind of purchase. This model uses a funnel as an analogy because a large number of potential prospects may be available at the beginning of the sales process, but only a portion actually become paying customers.


Your prospects pass through different stages of your sales funnel from the first time they hear about your product or service until the moment they make a purchase.


You must have a clear business vision, develop a marketing strategy and define your target audience before you start building your sales funnel.


You can design your sales funnel with as many stages as you want, although there are generally four main ones that include awareness, interest, decision, and action.

Awareness

As your prospects become aware of you through various means such as email newsletter signups, online quizzes, ebooks, social media, Google, and more, they enter your sales funnel.


Your overall goal with this entire funnel and platform is to solve customer problems. When you know the problem, and build content to draw them in and then offer a product or service to solve their problem, things begin to happen. Getting to that stage takes work and you must first make them aware of you.


You’ve secured your prospects’ awareness once they’re in your funnel. That’s the first stage.



Interest

As a marketer, your goal is to move your prospects through the multiple stages that will take them from prospect to buyer. Now that they’re aware of you, build interest by establishing a relationship with them. Although you can use a lead magnet (a great offer) to get their email address, you must create a strong bond by being relatable, honest, and transparent in your follow-up process which is an email sequence.


Email marketing works as well as ever to drive quality traffic to your funnel. Emails are still as profitable as ever and when used correctly, along with your social media platforms, will always be a secret sales weapon.


Your funnel strategy should include sending traffic via organic blog posts SEO and podcasts which are also among the highest-converting forms of content marketing.



Decision

In the third stage, you want prospects to make a decision, and that’s not easy. You’ve done your storytelling and copywriting and have gotten them to click on your links, by using free methods.  If you’re using paid advertising, you can use re-targeting which gets you more exposure.


Now you need to present prospects with a great opportunity. For this, you can use an ongoing exchange of emails in which you offer something of value for free or show how much authority your products or services have, or show scarcity as in an offer for a limited time.



Action

The final stage of your sales funnel is getting prospects to take action. You must continue to follow up with more copy, by tracking, and using more email sequences. You’ve only just begun once your funnel is built. The work has only just begun and there is no shortcut.


You can automate your outreach strategy with various programs. The technical aspects of setting up an internet sales funnel include a lead capture page, a sales page, and an autoresponder.


In summary, a sales funnel is a multi-step, multi-modality process that moves prospective browsers into buyers. You’ll need to put in the time if you’re looking to eventually reap the benefits and results. Don’t limit your funnel traffic to one source unless you want your sales to be completely reliant on one platform. These are a few basic steps for setting up a sales funnel for your online marketing.



Get Your Business System With Autoresponder Here

by Rahimah Sultan

Although we are at the end of the first quarter of 2020, there are more marketing tactics that you need. You can still use the basics, as they always apply in marketing, along with some changes.

“In 2020, a lot of familiar best practices will get a facelift, and underutilized tactics and software will become more vital for data-driven decision making.”

Brandon Andersen discusses these in his article titled 18 Marketing Tactics You Need In 2020 which you can click here to read.



Get Your System With Autoresponder Here


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.

by Rahimah Sultan

As we approach the end of the first quarter of 2020, you may want to review and revise your marketing plans if you haven’t already done so.

I found this article by Robin Colner titled A Guide to successful marketing in 2020. She covers the 10 most important actionable tips for marketing success in 2020.

She discusses mastering the disappearing art of storytelling by creating and posting stories with multiple images and calls-to-action daily on Facebook and Instagram using apps, increasing production of live-streamed video content through the creation of a series to explain your product and services, and experimenting with messenger bots to improve customer service.

 To get all the tips click here.



Get Your System With Autoresponder Here


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.

by Rahimah Sultan

There are many definitions of a sales funnel on the internet. This article, What is a sales funnel and how is it useful? clears things up a bit. It covers sales funnels, stages, and the benefits of a sales funnel.


            Read: 4 Main Stages For Your Sales Funnel


A sales funnel is a way of tracking and showing your prospects’ conversion rates between pipeline stages. Your sales pipeline is the path your customers take, separated into stages. A sales funnel report is important to any sales strategy.


Get Your System With Autoresponder Here

by Rahimah Sultan

Affiliate marketing is an income strategy that involves promoting products or companies in exchange for a commission for each sale. There are certain techniques you need to use in order to outrank your competition in the search engines.


You also have to do research, believe in the product you’re marketing, use low-cost tools for your campaigns, and avoid common pitfalls of affiliate marketing.


Anna Dizon covers these and other steps you need to take to be successful, in her article titled 35 Actionable Affiliate Marketing Tips & Strategies for 2019.

You can click here to read it.


Get Your System With Autoresponder Here.

by Rahimah Sultan

The digital marketing of your products and services has changed drastically in 2019. As you well know, each year, marketing gets more expensive and ever more competitive.


One of the big reasons we are seeing digital marketing change so much is because of the adoption of new technologies, and web saturation. One of the current changes affecting content marketing involves voice search.


SEO for your content marketing is changing to voice search, as more people are using devices like Google Home and Alexa. Other changes affecting content marketing include:



Targeting Micro-Moments

People are checking their mobile phones while in a store ready to purchase an item. They are doing price comparisons, looking up product information, and checking online reviews.


These actions are centered around the micro-moment, the immediate now, and are happening anywhere and anytime.


Generally, people do voice searches when they’re in a hurry. As a marketer, you can use this to your advantage, by targeting the right keywords.



Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are best suited to voice searches, as they are more like actual questions people ask.


A long-tail keyword is simply more words combined to mimic people’s speech.


Instead of saying buy dresses, as you would if typing, you’d say buy long denim dresses or buy mini dresses.


Voice searches are more conversational. Wordstream.com and serpstat.com are good keyword tools. Of course you can check online for others and decide which suit your needs and budget.



A Fast-Loading Site

If people leave your site when they’re typing in a search, a slow-loading site is even more detrimental to voice searches. After all, they’re doing voice search because they’re in a hurry.


Be sure your website loads quickly to cut down on the bounce rate.



Knowing Searchers’ Intent

It is important to study what searchers really want when they use your target keywords, whether it’s voice search or text search.


Write your content in a way that answers questions like what, how, when and where.


If your website is based on shoes your keywords should reflect that.


Discuss the type, colors and sizes, how they differ from others and the benefits of owning a pair, and where to purchase them.


Discuss these particular points in your advertising content.


When optimizing your website content for voice SEO or text, what you’re offering needs to match the intent behind the keywords.



Understanding Your Customer

To market successfully you need to know who people are, how they think, and what they want. You must understand your customer.


Create an avatar of your ideal customer. An avatar is a made-up individual that represents your ideal customer. Be as specific as possible; name, age, gender, goals, challenges, etc.


Treat your customer avatar like a real person, and then gear your content directly to their needs and wishes.



Increasing Sales Funnel Generation

Just as with regular text search voice searchers are asking how to do things. Do some keyword research to find out what questions your ideal customer might have and create content that targets those keywords, thus increasing the opportunity to get people to your website.


Then you can start to build a relationship getting them to know, like and trust you which can lead to future sales.



Having A Mobile-Responsive Website

With all the devices used by people searching for information, you know a mobile-responsive website is a must.


People who use voice search are generally using mobile devices. Check your site here.


Finally, you should always test and tweak. Analyze, check your strategy, link building, SEO, and make any needed changes.


You must keep your website and your strategies up to date. By using the suggestions here you will be well on your way to being in step with voice search and the Changes Affecting Content Marketing.



Get Your System With Autoresponder Here.

by Rahimah Sultan

These days it seems that everyone is on social media. As an entrepreneur launching your own business, you are your own CEO, PR team, and social media squad. Obtaining business success with social media marketing is the market trend and a must for newcomers to online business.



New entrepreneurs need to pay attention to 6 things:

Authenticity
Finding Your Niche
Being Consistent Across all Platforms
Getting Offline and Meeting People
Content
Facebook and Google Ads


Jason Pinchoff discusses these in his article The Pinch List: Top 6 Social Media Musts, which you can read here.


Get Your Business System With Autoresponder Here

by Rahimah Sultan

You can start a business or boost your current business using the internet and various platforms. A good place to begin is with affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is not easy. It requires a substantial investment of money and/or time.

With affiliate marketing you have the freedom to work from anyplace in the world with a computer and an internet connection, or just from home, without a set schedule.

In order to be successful, you need the proper affiliate marketing tools. If you’re just starting out and using a WordPress.org blog or website, there are many WordPress plugins you can use.

These affiliate marketing tools include Flippa, CJ Affiliate, SEMRush, Duplichecker, Google Adsense, and more.

Read Affiliate Marketing Tools: The 17+ Tools Every Marketer Needs for details and the complete list.


Click here for your autoresponder system.