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How to Write Headlines that Get Attention

How to Write Headlines that Get Attention

Consider this.

There are a staggering 112,500 blog posts published every hour.

And here’s the deal.

Your article must grab your reader’s attention. If it doesn’t, it will be lost amongst the billions of pages of internet landfill.

The headline is what your reader first notices.

Sure, a reader is drawn to an alluring image or photo but that’s only because we can process an image faster than words. But it’s the headline that gets you thinking. If it’s not compelling, the reader will continue their scanning.

This post will show you how to write headlines that captivate your reader.

The most important element of a post is the headline

Make no mistake – the headline is the opening act of the show.

If the headline isn’t read, there’s no chance the content of your post will be read.

Being able to write headlines that grab attention is the most important skill to master as an online writer.

Firstly, your reader is busy scanning. It’s the job of the headline to stop the reader dead in her tracks from further scanning and make her take notice. If the headline entices her, she’ll go on to read the opening sentence.

The headline must contain a promise and a benefit to the reader, about what the article is about.

The promise in the headline must be delivered in the content of your article.

However, you’re only able to grab the reader’s attention if the promise in the headline can benefit them. The key to this is understanding your audience, their problems, and what they hope to achieve.

David Ogilvy in his book Ogilvy on Advertising said:

The headlines which work best are those that promise the reader a benefit.

I’m now going to show you how to create a headline that catches the reader’s attention and draws them in.

How to write headlines that seduce using the 4 U’s Formula

It’s called the 4 U’s Headline Formula and works like this.

Is the headline:

  • Useful?
  • Unique?
  • Ultra-specific?
  • Urgent?

Let’s work through an example.

Useful

Say you’re going to write an article about how to clean windows. That’s your headline.

“How to Clean Windows”

The promise you’re making is that you’re going to show your reader how to clean windows. It’s a useful headline but you’re not making it unique, ultra-specific, or urgent.

Unique

By changing the headline, it can be made unique. For example,

“How to Clean Windows with Ammonia”

Now the headline has an element of uniqueness. Cleaning windows using ammonia may not be well known.

Ultra-specific

But a further step is required to make it stand out and demand attention. This can be done by making the headline ultra-specific.

“36 Ways to Clean Windows Using Ammonia”

Now the headline is useful because it promises to teach you something; it’s unique, and it’s ultra-specific.

Urgent

And finally, you could put some urgency into the headline.

“36 Ways to Clean Windows using Ammonia Before Nightfall”

So now you have a headline that’s ultra-specific, urgent, unique, and useful

Other useful information about using the 4 U’s Formula

  1. The goal is to get as many of the 4 U’s into your headline as possible. The trade-off is the more you have, the longer the headline. A short headline is always better.
  1. Ideally, you want at least three of the U’s in the headline. The most important are Useful, Unique and one other being Ultra-specific or Urgent.
  1. For ultra-specific I’ve used “36 Ways”. Numbering may have been done to death, but it works. In fact, the larger the number the higher the engagement.
  1. Urgency is the most difficult to fit into a headline. There are two ways you can do this.
    • Put a deadline on it, like, “Order this year’s vintage wine now, limited supplies”, or “Order your copy before the midnight deadline”.
    • Another way to create urgency is the idea that something bad is going to happen to you if you don’t act now (the threat of death or a major illness), or you’re going to miss out on something good.

Summary

The job of the headline is to get your readers attention so she’ll then read your first sentence.

The headline is the most important element of your post and must contain a promise and a benefit to your reader.

The 4 U’s Formula of how to write headlines gives you a framework to craft seductive headlines by making them:

  1. Useful
  2. Unique
  3. Ultra-specific
  4. Urgent

Although a short headline has more punch than a longer one, the goal is to get as many of the 4 U’s into your headline as possible.

That said, always include the most important which are Useful and Unique.

The Simple Formula for Great Web Writing

The Simple Formula for Great Web Writing

You may be surprised.

Writing great content for the web isn’t that hard. In fact, it’s quite easy, if you follow a time-proven formula.

And, it can be summed up in just three words:

  1. Clear
  2. Concise
  3. Compelling

What you write needs to be Clear, Concise and Compelling.

The 3 C’s Formula for great web writing

To help make it stick in your mind, call it the 3 C’s Formula.

With these three words, your copy will demand attention, create desire and compel action. For a copywriter, it doesn’t get better than that.

That’s it. Now, let’s break them down.

Clear

You need to write very clearly.

Clear is simple.

When a visitor lands on your web page, they need to comprehend it straight away. That’s not read it but just comprehend it.

They need to be able to “get it” straight away. Don’t make them think.

Everything from your headlines, sub-headlines, bullets, and navigation links should all communicate clearly what lies in or behind them.

The reader easily understands what’s being communicated, and that process also builds trust.

Concise

Writing for the web is a minimalist affair using short sharp sentences.

There are no unnecessary words to detract, which means you need to edit your copy very hard. Chuck out anything that’s not essential.

Ruthlessly editing will by necessity make your copy clear and concise.

The longer the sentence or paragraph, the less likely it is to be read.

Compelling

You know what makes your reader or potential customer tick. You know what their concerns are and what keeps them up at night.

You know their hot spots. If you know that, you’ll also know what to write and how you’ll write it.

You write to address and solve their problems. Give the reader what she wants.

By writing what your ideal reader wants, you’re naturally writing compelling content that is engaging and your reader will stick around.

Here’s a bonus.

When you write clear, concise and compelling content you’ll naturally be writing keyword dense copy that search engines love.

When you’re writing for your reader, you’re also naturally writing for the search engines. And remember, if your readers love you, Google will too!

Finally, no one has ever complained that something is too simple to read.

The 7 Most SUPER Persuasive Power Words of all Time

The 7 Most SUPER Persuasive Power Words of all Time

Power words invoke a strong emotional response. That’s their job.

They pack a hard punch that goes right to the heart of what matters to your reader.

That’s the aim of the game. To grab your reader’s attention and nudge them into taking some sort of action you want.

There are 7 super persuasive power words that out-rank any others, and they’re always at the top of any copywriter’s toolbox.

The 7 most persuasive power words

Although they appear obvious and even simple, they evoke the strongest emotional response. They are:

  1. Free
  2. New
  3. Because
  4. Imagine
  5. How to
  6. Instant
  7. You

These persuasive power words elicit or invite an action to occur.

We’ll go through each of them now.

Free

Free just works. Everyone loves getting something for free.

In fact, it goes further than that in online marketing, where free is usually baked into the first touch point of a website. It could be something like getting a free e-book, a newsletter, or participating in a free webinar.

But of course, nothing is for free in the above examples. The cost is your email address in return for something you value.

New

New is the unexplored. It’s the latest shiny object. It’s something to be proud of if you’ve saved for it, or built it.

The word new is inserted into a phrase or sentence with pride – something new you should try out or belong too.

It could also reflect the latest or the newer version of a car or smartphone.

Not everyone likes things that are new. An example, I have an old pair of jeans I’m quite partial to and they’re staying on me.

But everyone is fascinated with new and that’s why, as a persuasive power word, it works so well.

Because

I had trouble figuring out the reason why because is a power word.

Then I read about a study by Robert Cialdini in his book Influence where he describes requests from a person wanting to jump to the front of the line to use the photocopier. It goes like this …

First request:

Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine?

Result: 60% of people allowed him to cut in line

Second request:

I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I am in a rush?

Result: 94% of people allowed him to cut in line this time

Third request:

Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make copies?

Result: 93% of people let him cut on this third trial, only a 1% drop from when he had a weak reason (“I’m in a rush”)

This example vividly shows because working persuasively and powerfully.

Imagine

Many copywriters will start their first sentence with the power word Imagine to help paint a picture in the reader’s mind of what could or can be.

It sets a visual scene and helps transport your reader.

Imagine your stress free life after completing the 30-day meditation program

We like to imagine, and we all have dreams of our life being better.

How to

Many headlines start with How to.

That’s because people want specific and valuable advice. They want to be shown “how to” do or achieve something.

How to is one of the best persuasive power words that’s used regularly in headlines to capture attention with a promise.

Instant

We all want things straight away. There’s just no denying it.

Psychologically, it’s the power of instant gratification.

Online, it could be instant access or an instant download upon payment. This also plays into the realm of trust. When people use their credit card online, they expect something instantly.

You

Of the seven persuasive power words, it is the word You which holds the most power for me.

That’s because it’s all about them, your customer.

You’re writing to solve their pain points, the problems that keep them up at night, and indeed, the reason they’re reading your article or visiting your site in the first place.

When you write, talk to them as a friend. You may not know their name, but by referring to them as “you” and “your”, affinity is being built and with that comes liking and trust.

A word of caution with these persuasive power words

They have their place and need to be used in context.

Some of the power words like Free, New, How to, and Instant, are mainly in headlines, sub-headlines, landing pages, CTA’s, buttons and the like.

Other power words are used more in the body of the article.

Powerful they may be, but over-used or taken out of context, they’re detrimental like kryptonite is to Superman.

56 Free Photo Websites to Download Stunning Quality Photos

56 Free Photo Websites to Download Stunning Quality Photos

It’s damn hard finding the perfect high-quality photo that’s FREE to download.

But no longer.

Below is the complete list of 56 free photo websites for you to download high-quality photos, at no cost, and do with them as you want. The list is updated frequently.

All the listed free photo websites have been summarized to include information about:

  • any copyright restrictions.
  • whether photo attribution is required.
  • search capability on the site to find photos.
  • whether signup is required.
  • link to the website.

Unless specified in the summary below, photos are free of copyright restrictions which mean you can download them and use them for commercial or personal purposes, without attribution.

Photos available to download from free photo websites are released under various types of Creative Commons licenses that may or may not require attribution.

The most common is a CC0 Creative Commons license which means you can copy, modify, distribute and use the free downloaded photo for commercial or personal purposes, without asking for permission or giving attribution.

I’ve listed the sites in my order of preference. Obviously, high-resolution photos are foremost, as is diversity and range of images. Having a search function on the site is important, as are well-tagged photos.

I hope you get tremendous value from this article in finding that magic photo to compliment your work.

UPDATE (New Additions):

All updates are included in the list below of free photo websites, and also in the complete summary download:

  1. Pikwizard
  2. RAWPixel

56 free photo websites in order of preference

Unsplash

Unsplash One of my favorite sites for high-resolution copyright-free photos. There are no copyright restrictions on photos and they can be used for any purpose without attribution. Unsplash has search capability.

Website: unsplash.com

Streetwill

Streetwill Streetwill contains high-resolution, high-quality photos from various contributors. All photos are free from copyright restrictions and the site has search capability.

Website: streetwill.co

Picjumbo

Picjumbo The site was created by Viktor Hanacek, a photographer and online entrepreneur from the Czech Republic. Picjumbo contains an enormous number of high-quality photos that are categorized and searchable. Photos are free of all copyright restrictions.

Website: picjumbo.com

Pexels

Pexels Pexels is run by Bruno Joseph, Ingo Joseph and Daniel Frese to help designers, writers, artists, programmers and other creators get free access to beautiful high-quality photos. All photos are tagged and searchable, and available without copyright restrictions. Attribution is not required.

Website: pexels.com

New Old Stock

New Old Stock Recapturing history. Vintage photos from the public archives and free of known copyright restrictions. Although without search capability, it is rewarding going through the photos individually available on New Old Stock.

Website: twnsnd.co

Thomas Hawk

Thomas Hawk Thomas Hawk is a photographer who has over 110,000 images available to download on his Flickr page. Photos have been curated into albums. Although there isn’t a search function, there is a page containing all the photo tags. There are two main copyright restrictions on photos – they can only be used for private purposes (they cannot be used for commercial purposes), and attribution must be given by providing a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.

Website: flickr.com/photos/thomashawk

Kaboompics

Kaboompics High-resolution photos to download and free of all copyright restrictions. To find photos use can either use the Search Box, click #Tag under the photo, or choose a Category to see the images you’re looking for. New photos are added daily to Kaboompics.

Website: kaboompics.com

Life of Pix

Life of Pix Download beautiful high-resolution photos by Leeroy Advertising Agency in Montreal and their network of photographers. There are no copyright restrictions and photos are added weekly. Life of Pix has search capability.

Website: lifeofpix.com

Minimography

Minimography Minimography is a project from Lauren Mancke and Brian Gardner that enables you to download royalty-free minimalist photos for your personal or commercial projects. There are no copyright restrictions although an attribution link back to the site would be appreciated, but not required. The site has search capability.

Website:  minimography.com

Morguefile

Morguefile Founded by Michael Connors, Morguefile is a free photo archive “for creatives, by creatives.” Its large database of high-resolution photos is searchable and are available without copyright restrictions.

Website: morguefile.com

SplitShire

Splitshire Created by Daniel Nanescu, SplitShire offers free high-resolution photos with no copyright restrictions. Photos have been categorized and can be searched by tag.

Website: splitshire.com

Stokpic

Stokpic The site was created by Ed Gregory who decided to give away his photos for free. You can either subscribe, and get 10 new high-resolution photos sent every 2 weeks, or search by category or search bar to choose photos. All photos on Stokpic are free from copyright restrictions – attribution is not required.

Website: stokpic.com

Albumarium

Albumarium Unlike other free photo websites, photos are organized into albums. Searching for a photo is replaced by searching for an album which contains similar photos. Photos on Albumarium are free of copyright restrictions, but photo attribution is required.

Website: albumarium.com

FancyCrave

FancyCrave FancyCrave is a free stock photo site created by designer & photographer Igor Ovsyannykov in February 2015. He publishes two high-resolution photos daily that are free of all copyright restrictions. The site has search capability.

Website: fancycrave.com

Foodiesfeed

Foodiesfeed FoodiesFeed is a resource of free realistic food photos in high resolution and free digital goods related to food. Photos are free of all copyright restrictions and the site has search capability.

Website: foodiesfeed.com

Free Nature Stock

Free Nature Stock Free Nature Stock photos was created by Adrian Pelletier. All photos are free of restrictions to use as you want without or attribution. In short, do whatever you want. The site has search capability and is updated daily.

Website: freenaturestock.com

Gratisography

Gratisography Gratisography has free high-resolution pictures to download and use on personal and commercial projects. New pictures are added weekly by photographer Ryan McGuire and are free of all copyright restrictions. Photos have been categorized for convenience and the site has search capability.

Website: gratisography.com

Jay Mantri

Jay Mantri High resolution images by photographer Jay Mantri available to download free of all copyright restrictions. The site does not have a search function. Attribution is not required.

Website: jaymantri.com

Magdeleine

Magdeleine High-resolution photos are submitted and hand-picked by the team at Magdeleine for free download without copyright restrictions. Some photos do however require attribution. The site has search capability and photos are categorized. A new photo is added every day.

Website: magdeleine.co

Pikwizard

Pikwizard Free Stock Photos Pikwizard has free high-resolution pictures to download and use on personal and commercial projects. There are no copyright restrictions on photos and they can be used for any purpose. Attribution, although not necessary, is always appreciated by the photographer. Pikwizard has search capability with good tagging. Photos can either be downloaded or copy and paste the code to link directly to the photo.

Website: Pikwizard

Mophoto

Mophoto Mophoto is a subscription based service that also offers free images. If you sign up, you’ll receive a selection of seven free high-resolution photos each week that can be used in any way you want. The site has search capability and photos are without copyright restrictions.

Website: mopho.to

RAWPixel

RAWPixel High-resolution copyright-free photos to download. There are no copyright restrictions on photos and they can be used for any purpose without attribution. RAWPixel has search capability and login is required.

Website: rawpixel.com

Skitterphoto

Skitterphoto Established in 2014, high-quality photos are uploaded daily. They can be found by browsing the categories or by search. Photos on the website are authentic and not from other sites. All photos were taken directly by Skitterphoto creators and users. Photos are free of all copyright restrictions.

Website: skitterphoto.com

Bossfight

Bossfight Bossfight aggregates photos daily from other popular free photo download sites that are free of restrictions. You can download photos individually, subscribe for free, or get a downloadable zip file of EVERY image once a month. The site has search and 8 photo categories. There are no restrictions and attribution is not required.

Website: bossfight.co

DesignersPics

DesignersPics All photos have been captured by Jeshu John, web developer and designer, whose frustration with the lack of free quality photos available inspired the sites creation. Photos are uploaded daily and are without copyright restrictions (attribution would be appreciated but nor necessary). DesignersPics has search capability.

Website: designerspics.com

Free JPG

Free JPG Free high-quality stock photos for commercial and personal use. Photos are free of all copyright restrictions and Free JPG has search capability.

Website: freejpg.com

Good Stock Photos

Good Stock Photos Good Stock Photos was created by Steven Ma, a web designer and online marketer. Photos are organized into collections as well as the site having a general search function. Every day a new photo is uploaded. All photos are high-resolution and free of all copyright restrictions.

Website: goodstock.photos

Pickup Image

Pickup Image Pickup Image is one of the largest collections of free high-quality photographs. The site is searchable and photos are free of all copyright restrictions. To download photos, you need to sign up to create a free account.

Website: pickupimage.com

Pixabay

Pixabay A large collection of photos uploaded by contributors. Pixabay is a comprehensive site that is searchable. Photos are free of all copyright restrictions.

Website: pixabay.com

StockSnap

Stocksnap Hundreds of high-resolution images added weekly. All photos are free from copyright restrictions – no attribution required. StockSnap has search capability.

Website: stocksnap.io

The Light Painters Loft

The Light Painters Loft Founded by Sabrina Milazzo (photographer, designer, and blogger), the Light Painters Loft is a resource for high-quality free stock photos to download and do as you please. All photos are free of copyright restrictions – attribution is not required. Search either by using category or the search bar.

Website: thelightpaintersloft.com

Best Stock Photo Free

Best Stock Photo Free Best Stock Photo Free has a good selection of photos which can be found using search or from the curated 19 categories for photos. Registration to obtain a free account is necessary to download photos. Attribution is required for all photos and some are restricted to only non-commercial use.

Website: beststockphotofree.com

Cupcake

Cupcake Photos on Cupcake are free of all restrictions which means you can use them any way you want. The site doesn’t have a search function. Although attribution is not required, Jonas Wimmerström, the photographer, would love to hear where his photos have ended up.

Website: cupcake.nilssonlee.se

FreeRange Stock

FreeRangeStock Freerange Stock was formed with the goal to provide free high-quality stock photos for commercial and non-commercial use. Free sign up is required to download photos and there are no restrictions. The site has search capability.

Website: freerangestock.com

Getrefe

Getrefe Getrefe has high-quality stock photos for commercial and personal use. Photos are free of all copyright restrictions and the site has search capability. Free sign up is required to download photos.

Website: getrefe.com

Jeshoots

Jeshoots This site showcases high-resolution photos by Jan Vašek (Czech Republic, Prague). Photos have been categorized as there is no search function. All photos on Jeshoots are available to download free of all restrictions.

Website: jeshoots.com

Lock & Stock Photos

Lock & Stock Photos Photos are provided by AJ Montpetit to download and do as you please. There are no copyright restrictions. Lock & Stock Photos has a search function and photos are categorized.

Website: lockandstockphotos.com

RGBStock

RGBStock One of the largest collections of free high-quality photographs. RGBStock is searchable by tag or category and photos are free of all copyright restrictions. To download photos, you need to sign up to create a free account.

Website: rgbstock.com

Superfamous

Superfamous All photos and images by Folkert Gorter. Photos are free of copyright restrictions, except attribution is required. Superfamous doesn’t have a search function.

Website: superfamous.com

Visual Hunt

Visual Hunt High-quality free photos in one place. Visual Hunt curates the best free images from many online sources and pulls them together. Most of the photos are free from all copyright restrictions which means you need to check each photo for any restrictions they may have. The site has search capability and can be browsed by popular categories.

Website: visualhunt.com

Alexander Rentsch

Alexander Rentsch Alexander is a Berlin-based photographer who’s uploaded his portfolio to Flicker curated into 4 albums. There is no search function, other than album categorization. Login is not required. Photo attribution is required and photos can’t be used for commercial purposes.

Website: flickr.com/photos/captain_die

Ancestry Images

Ancestry Images The site is a free image archive of historical prints and images dating from the 17th but mostly from the later 18th century and 19th century. Ancestry Images does have search capability. Attribution is not required and there are no copyright restrictions.

Website: ancestryimages.com

Death to the Stock Photo

Death to the Stock Photo They describe themselves as a photo & inspiration haven for creatives. What they offer is an email subscription service that sends curated photo packs every month. The photos are free of all restrictions and can be used in any way you want. Death to the Stock Photo doesn’t have a search function.

Website: deathtothestockphoto.com

Free Images

Free Images Free Images was launched in February 2001 as an alternative for expensive stock photography. The idea was to create a site where creative people could exchange their photos for inspiration or work. You need to sign up (for free) to gain access to hundreds of thousands of high-quality, hand-picked stock photos and graphics. Photos are free of all copyright restrictions and the site has search capability.

Website: freeimages.com

Good Free Photos

Good Free Photos Good Free Photos has high-quality stock photos for commercial and personal use. Photos are free of all copyright restrictions and the site has search capability.

Website: goodfreephotos.com

LibreShot

LibreShot This site showcases high-resolution photos taken by Martin Vorel. Photos have been categorized and there is search capability. All photos on LibreShot are available to download free of copyright restrictions.

Website: libreshot.com

Negative Space

Negative Space Free photos are added weekly to Negative Space and all are released without copyright restrictions. Photos can be searched by category or using the site search function.

Website: negativespace.co

Snapwire Snaps

Snapwire Snaps Every week, 7 free high-quality photos are uploaded to Snapwire Snaps to download and do as you please. Photos are free of all copyright restrictions and the site has search capability.

Website: snapwiresnaps.tumblr.com

WOCinTech Chat

WOCinTech Chat The Founders of WOCinTech Chat are both professionals in the tech industry and women of color from New York City. One of their initiatives is 500+ images available to download on their Flickr page. Photos have been curated into 3 albums. Although there isn’t a search function, there is a page containing all the photo tags. There’s only one main copyright restrictions on photos and that is attribution must be given by providing a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.

Website: flickr.com/photos/wocintechchat

Bucketlistly

Bucketlistly Over 2800+ travel photos categorized by country. There is no search function on Bucketlistly  other than country categories, and photos are free of all restrictions.

Website: bucketlistly.com

IM Free

IM Free A free curated collection of photos and images for private and commercial use. Photo attribution is required but otherwise is free of all copyright restrictions. IM Free has search capability.

Website: imcreator.com

ISO Republic

ISO Republic ISO Republic was founded in October 2014 by Tom Eversley, a designer, and photographer from England. All images are high-resolution and free to download for commercial and personal creative projects. Photo attribution is not required (but would be appreciated). The site is searchable and photos are free of all copyright restrictions.

Website: isorepublic.com

MMT

MMT High-resolution photos by Jeffrey Betts to download and free of all copyright restrictions. MMT has search capability.

Website: mmtstock.com

Moveast

Moveast This is a journey of João Pacheco, a designer born and raised in Portugal that decided every photo should be used for free. The high-quality travel photos from Asia can be found by searching Moveast and are available without copyright restrictions.

Website: moveast.me

Raumrot

Raumrot High-quality photos that have been categorized into photo sets and image categories to download for free. Raumrot doesn’t have a search function. Photos are free of all copyright restrictions, except attribution must be given.

Website: raumrot.com

StockVault

StockVault StockVault is a large photo sharing website used by photographers and designers to showcase and share their work. All photos are free from copyright restrictions and the site has search capability.

Website: stockvault.net

Travel Coffee Book

Travel Coffee Book A large collection of travel photos from different destinations. Photos are free from all copyright restrictions. Travel Coffee Book doesn’t have search capability.

Website: travelcoffeebook.com

4 Free Photos

4 Free Photos The photos on this site are available to be downloaded for free and used for private and commercial projects. There are no copyright restrictions on 4 Free Photos. The site has search capability. Photo attribution back to the website is required.

Website: 4freephotos.com


What is Email Marketing and How You Can Benefit

What is Email Marketing and How You Can Benefit

Some say email marketing is old-fashioned. But it’s not.

Actually, email marketing is the most profitable form of marketing online. Nothing else compares.

That’s because email is the best way to turn an interested prospect into a paying customer and it converts so well. According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing gives the highest ROI (Return on Investment) on any form of marketing you can do – online or off.

That’s how powerful it is.

So what differentiates email marketing

It doesn’t sound sexy. It hasn’t got the pizazz of terms like social media marketing and search engine marketing (SEM).

But email marketing has something head and shoulders above the rest – it’s capable of making heaps of money.

That’s because, with email, you’re having a one on one conversation with someone whose shown interest in what you have to say and sell. In fact, you’ve been given the privilege of sending informative content directly to their inbox.

That doesn’t happen with social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or whatever the latest shiny social space is. Posts on the social networks are quickly lost in a stream of drama and few people see all of their messages.

Again, email is one on one – the start of a relationship.

What exactly is email marketing

Email marketing begins with obtaining permission from your prospect to send interesting and informative emails to their inbox.

It’s sometimes called permission marketing, a term coined and developed by the entrepreneur, Seth Godin in his book of the same name “Permission Marketing”. Seth writes:

Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them. It recognizes the new power of the best consumers to ignore marketing. It realizes that treating people with respect is the best way to earn their attention.

By obtaining a person’s permission you’re able to add their email address to your email list. Known as subscribers, these people are your audience and they seek the information you provide. They want to find out more and be kept informed.

What email marketing does

On a regular basis, depending on the requirements of your audience, you’ll email them the niche-specific content they’re looking for.

They’ve opted into your email list because they dig what you’re on about and how you tell it. Frankly, it resonates with them and they want to find out more.

This is the basis of content marketing where you take your prospective buyer on a journey from not knowing you, through to wanting to buy from you.

Each email progresses that journey with information to enable your prospective customer to make a decision to purchase. In the process, trust is built and trust helps build your business.

How email marketing works

Quality content your audience needs is produced and emailed to them.

Did you notice I just used the word “content”? That’s because it could be a:

  • blog post or article
  • video production
  • webinar
  • podcast
  • Slideshare presentation
  • and everything in between.

The email could be a one-off if you have a very small email list, or via an email service provider which is the norm.

The type of email your audience receives depends on their relationship with you as a prospect or customer. As an example:

  1. They may have just joined your email list, in which case a sequential number of emails would be delivered by an auto-responder over time, so they get to know and understand you better.
  2. They may have recently joined your list and are ready to be offered a product or service to buy.
  3. An existing customer would receive a different sort of email.
  4. Whether a prospect or customer, your audience should anticipate and receive regular and timely information to ensure that you are kept at the forefront of their mind.

Generally, at the end of each email, there is a Call to Action (CTA) for your subscriber to do something. It could be anything, like buying an online course your offering, leaving a favorable review on a podcast, or reviewing the latest chapter of a new book your writing.

And finally …

Email marketing may seem a quaint old-fashioned term but it’s a powerhouse that gives you the best marketing ROI.

The main differentiator to other forms of online marketing is the one-on-one that email marketing provides.

This builds a relationship with your prospect and that, in turn, builds trust. When you know, like and trust someone, you’re likely to do business with them.

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