Sunday, April 27, 2014

3 Steps to Headlines That Sell

3 Tips to Sell with Your Headlines

Tips For Creating Powerful Headlines That Sell

You have mere seconds to capture a prospect's attention.  One of the single most powerful tools you have to accomplish this task is your headline.  There are several keys to a compelling, and selling, headline and a few tips to help you get the job done. 

#1  Tap into Your Prospects' Emotions

According to psychologists our buying decisions are based first and foremost on our emotions.  Use headlines which offer your readers a strong emotional benefit or reaction.  Some possible emotions are:

For example, The 20-Minute Step that Will Make You a Business Genius taps into readers' desires to feel smart and powerful.

Other emotions you can tap into are a desire to feel:

1. Attractive
2. Sexy
3. Assertive
4. Confident
5. Energetic
6. Pampered
7. A sense of belonging
8. In control of their own destiny
9. Wealthy
10. Proud
11. Respected
12. Safe

#2 Make it Active

To compel it's important to use active language - language that shows movement and commands attention.

For example, "Stop Your Sugar Cravings Today With This Simple Step," is a fine headline however it doesn't command action nor does it really tap into any emotions.  However, "Conquer Your Sugar Cravings With This Simple Step."  Conquer is an active and emotionally powerful word.  Readers receive the benefit of feeling powerful and in control and it commands action.

#3 Let Your Reader Know They're Important

The word YOU is a very powerful word.  It let's your reader's feel as if you're talking to them specifically and interested in solving their problems, issues and helping them achieve their desires.  Instead of using I, Me or We in your headlines, use You.  Using the headline example above compare the two options
"Conquer Your Sugar Cravings With This Simple Step.
"Conquer Sugar Cravings with Our System"

People want to know what's in it for them and when they can assess that information in the headline, they're going to be compelled to continue reading your copy and making a purchase.

Here are three more ideas for powerful headlines:

* Make a promise - Earn $1000 a day
* Make it newsworthy - New program guarantees you'll earn $1000 a day. 
* Ask a question – Do you want to ensure your financial future? 

Three Simple Steps to Write Headlines That Sell

So now you have some ideas about what types of headlines sell, how do you begin to write those powerful headlines?

Step One – Get to know your audience intimately. What are their hopes, dreams, desires, and problems?  Understanding your audience will help you create an emotional and powerful headline directed specifically at your audience.

Step Two – Determine how your products or services are going to make your prospects' lives better or solve their problems.  For example if you sell fitness equipment and your audience struggles with feeling attractive then you can create a headline that highlights a specific benefit your fitness equipment offers to solve that problem.

Step Three – Write ten to twenty, yes twenty, possible headlines.  Not only will this give you practice writing compelling headlines, it'll help you hone in on that perfect headline.  And if you think you have a few winners you can always test them for conversion rates to find out which headline is more effective.

Marketing and copywriting experts consider your headline to be the most import element of any effective marketing piece.  Take the time to craft a compelling, and selling, headline and you'll reap the benefits for years to come.

Headlines:They Key to Response

What You Need to Know About Headlines 
 Have you ever wondered why some marketing tactics just don’t seem to work for your business? You sit and watch a competitor’s website grow and business soar and you’re just not quite sure how they do it. After all, aren’t all marketing tactics pretty much the same? The answer is a resounding “NO”! Marketing tactics that work are not about rocket science. They are often very simple concepts, but many online marketers fail to recognize them for the value they can bring to a business. Focusing on a business that brings high conversion rates and plenty of sales is a marketer’s dream. But it will only materialize when marketing tactics are successfully deployed. 
First of all, people want to find a solution to a problem.That’s why they’re searching for a particular product or benefit to begin with. So what do you have to offer? Headlines say it all.  Let’s be clear. Headlines are not just for print anymore. In the online world, when we use the term “headline” it can take many forms. Such as: A blog post title, an article title, an e-mail subject line, a Twitter or Facebook share or others. Anytime you need to get a reader’s attention to be able to persuade them to take the next step, the principals of a good headline come in to play. When we are online, we are, by definition, task oriented. We are there to do something and anything that gets in the way of that will be ignored. We also tend to have a short attention span. We are there to do something. We want to find the most relevant answer to my reason for searching. So, don’t wait to tell them what’s in it for them. Tell them right away with your headline. 
 Headlines can be one of the most effective marketing tactics you have to offer. The headline should always include a valuable benefit for the customer. Recent studies indicate that users decide whether or not to stay or leave a site within 5 seconds or less. Well-written headlines are critical. Using a headline to grab attention is one of the simplest, yet most effective marketing tactics available. People have a chance to quickly understand why they need to read further than the headline. Instead of clicking away from your site, (or discarding your e-mail, etc) they’ll be clicking through your information to find out more. Always follow-up a headline with some other compelling fact or value-added benefit of the product or service. Keep website visitors moving through your content by including one bit of important information after another in every sentence. Don’t use teasers that make them feel they have to keep searching for what’s important but be up-front and direct about the product’s value and benefits with each sentence. Market the benefits and value.
 The headline is the best place to start marketing the benefits of the product. It’s also the best way to attract search engines that are seeking websites based on keywords used by online users. When the headline includes the words that potential customers are most likely to search for, the search engines will reward you by bringing more visitors to your website. Search engine optimized writing has many benefits Facts, statistics, and data that substantiate your claims of value are also important ways to increase the effectiveness of headlines. “48% reduction in costs with X product….” can be a real attention grabber. Don’t hesitate to use data to support your benefit claims. 
  Headlines are just the beginning with marketing tactics. There are many more advanced marketing tactics that can make a substantial difference in conversion rates and sales. Knowing and integrating advanced marketing tactics into the overall marketing plan for your website and business can make a huge difference in your profits. Evaluate your current marketing tactics and make necessary adjustments by utilizing advanced tactics to support and grow your business. Time spent preparing effective marketing goals and strategies, supported with effective tactics, is time that will result in higher profits and a thriving business. And always remember – success starts with your headline!

Friday, April 11, 2014

Friday, November 15, 2013

Study Finds Small Businesses Waste 25 Percent Of Their PPC Budgets

Good article from Search Engine Land...
I would say that this is a conservative number, but defiantly real.
AND that's just at the "gross", click level not counting conversion rates, not enough budget or keywords to work with and the inherent inefficiency of a single search engine/platform concentration

Study Finds Small Businesses Waste 25 Percent Of Their PPC Budgets

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Study Shows Marketing Budgets & Vendors on the Rise




 I especially like this quote from the article...

"Niche-focused marketing service vendors that are experts in their respective fields are essential components of a lean marketing team. These vendors live and breathe their industry craft on a daily basis, which maintains a bleeding-edge strategy that in-house marketers simply cannot match. Additionally, a vendor with a large client and employee base brings an equivalent of decades of knowledge and insights across a diverse set of industries."



Study Shows Marketing Budgets and Vendors on the Rise

Friday, November 8, 2013

4 Terrifying Local Search Marketing & SEO Mistakes - Search Engine Watch (#SEW)

Great Info here, the number one mistake is...

1. Ignoring the Data Aggregators

It takes only a little effort and you can probably do it yourself, or with just a little help...

4 Terrifying Local Search Marketing & SEO Mistakes - Search Engine Watch (#SEW)

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Give Bing (SEO) a Chance?

Interesting info...

We've also seen some results that suggest another reason to include Bing as part of your SEO and SEM efforts is that there is a high concentration of "active" buyers... that is not there to research or wander around for information, but there to take action

Give Bing (SEO) a Chance? - 'Net Features - Website Magazine