Before You Lose Another Lead or Sale, Master the Art of Headline Writing

If, after reading the above headline, you find yourself feeling a bit panicked, that was my intention.

Most people know they’ve got to produce quality content to compete on the internet, today. But, what often happens is they fail to convince others that what they’ve produced is worthy of a read because they slap lame headlines on their work or use even less-interesting social signals to advertise their content.

This is where the headline’s true weight becomes apparent. It’s the bait, a statement that either entices others to take action, moving them one step closer to becoming your customers, or ensures the time and even money you invest producing content for internet marketing purposes is wasted.

Regardless of your business’ niche, you need to write the type of headlines and social media signals (headlines by a different name) that get people clicking. Piquing curiosity, generating interest, panic or excitement should be the goal for any and every Tweet, status update or article headline you write from here on out.

Headlines for Content & Social Media Signalling

Right now, one of the most effective strategies in internet marketing is to use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn to get more leads and sales. But this is no secret and your Tweets, post headlines and updates will have to compete with the thousands, maybe even millions, of other short snippets of text floating about on the internet and vying for the attention of your niche’s pool of prospects. How can you write the sort of headlines that make statements big enough to dominate in a digital world? What are the top tips for marketing effectively in as little as 140 characters? I’ll tell you!

By putting the following tips and ideas into practice, you can vastly improve click-through rates and push your internet prospects further down your conversion funnel. To generate more leads and sales, you’ve not only got to get people to your site, but you’ve got to encourage them to stay a while. When you write headlines, Tweets and status updates with the level of persuasiveness typically only commanded by marketing geniuses, your internet prospects won’t be able to ignore the buzz you create and will be looking for more!

Writing Powerful Headlines is Efficient Marketing

As internet marketing specialists, clients often tell us that writing isn’t their forté, nor is it something to which they can dedicate a heck of a lot of time. I get it, your plate is already full. That’s why it’s so important to learn the type of marketing skills that can bring your business more of the traffic it needs with as little time and effort invested as possible. Marketing doesn’t get much more efficient than being able to drive more customers to your site or door with a powerful headline.

Picture Your Audience & Speak to them Directly

When coming up with effective headlines, it’s crucial to first determine who your audience is and to then write in a way that will relate to them. Working in internet marketing, for instance, the type of people who typically read my work are small business owners on the hunt for marketing strategies they can easily implement and that will bring them business on and off of the internet. Knowing this, every time I draft a blog post, a how-to, Tweet or update, I aim to write it in a way that will resonate with this specific group of people.

Here are some tactics to keep in mind so that appealing to those most likely to read your content or visit your site becomes a little more automatic:

Consider the Tone and Purpose of the Platform You Use. If , for instance, you’re writing an article you want to share with your connections in LinkedIn, you will use a tone that’s different from a post or status update you’d make in Facebook. People use LinkedIn for specific purposes and what they’re looking for is likely very different from those who stumble upon your post in Facebook or those who read your Tweets.

If you’re doing some marketing for your photography e-zine, for example, you might try to attract the attention of new subscribers through Facebook and Twitter, and advertisers or contributors via LinkedIn. Considering this example, business owners looking to do some advertising might be skeptical of the publication’s professionalism or credibility if you try to create too much hype, while getting people who share your passion for photography excited about your e-zine in Facebook could be exactly the way to generate interest and get them clicking.

Speak to their Pain Points. No matter who it is or where you’re writing, people have pains they’re looking to cure, wants to satisfy or itches to scratch. Instead of beating around the bush, get straight to the point and write what they want to hear, right in the headline.

Just think about how direct you need to be in a Tweet to get a person to click the accompanying link. It’s not enough to say ‘New supplement for weight loss;’ few people are going to feel any type of urgency from that statement and fewer still will probably want to click a link to learn more. A statement like ‘Lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks. Proven supplement on sale now,’ is more likely to entice those frustrated by their weight and discouraged by the amount of time it takes to see results or the cost of some weight-loss products. By no means should you lie to your prospects, but instead, highlight exactly what it is that they’re looking for.

Consider this:

1) Present what it is that’s going to interest or help your reader

2) Give the impression that they need to act now or risk missing out on a big opportunity

3) Highlight what’s different about what you offer

4) Be clear and as detailed as possible

Other Effective Tips for Writing Headlines that Command Attention

• Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Question to Entice: Posing your headline or statement as a question is a great way to focus your marketing on those you want and need to enter your conversion funnel. ‘Need Reliable Commercial Cleaners? 30 Years Experience & Hundreds of Satisfied Clients,’ speaks to those searching for a cleaning crew they can trust, while ‘Worried about termites? Pre-Purchase Inspections give Peace of Mind,’ presents what could be a valuable solution for home buyers.

Being able to write persuasive headlines is a valuable internet marketing skill, but it’s not one that’s easily mastered over night. It takes practice and patience but will pay off in a big way. When you invest 20 hours researching and writing an eBook that you know will be highly useful to your prospects and could be just the proof you need to convince them that you’re the authority in your industry, you’ll want to ensure the headline you use to market your piece in Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or on your blog is the sort of ‘carrot’ that’s capable of delivering results.

Knowing when to ask for help is also something you’ll need to master if succeeding online is what you intend to do. Luckily, I know of some digital marketing experts you can call The SEO Company on 1300 885 557 or email us here.