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7 Ways To Use Power-Packed Headlines Online-- To Attract More Prospects & Profits!

  Copyright © 1999 by Robert D. Boduch

Are you maximizing your marketing results by using headlines at every opportunity?

Few would argue about the crucial role headlines play in the success of offline ads and marketing materials. But headlines can also make or break your marketing efforts online, several different ways.

To achieve online marketing success, you need to promote your most appealing and unique competitive advantages. Take those advantages and turn them into a persuasive message and convey this message to the right prospects.

Marketing is all about communication. And the more effective your communication, the more success you’ll enjoy. But your primary task is to first and foremost --attract an audience. That’s the job of the headline. Headlines serve to both draw attention and inspire interest.

Following are 6 ways you can cash in on the powerful, magnetic-appeal of headlines in your online marketing activities.

1) Web Sites. Every web site can be made more effective by leading off with a benefit-packed headline. In fact, every page of a site can be improved this way. If you want visitors to spend some time exploring your page, tell them right up front the reasons they should stay. Do this in the form of a headline. Tell your site visitors what each page offers in an exciting way that appeals to their own self-interest.

2) Signature Files. In most exchanges with prospects via e-mail, you can benefit by adding a signature file to your outgoing messages. Signature files can also be used at the bottom of articles, reports and discussion group postings. When they read like a compelling headline, they have much more impact. They give the reader (your prospect) an opportunity to take additional action to further strengthen the relationship between the two of you (potential buyer & seller). The best signature files are difficult for prospects to resist and usually feature a strong offer.

3) Banner Ads. What good is a banner if it doesn’t inspire visitors to point and click? Yet, most banner ads are woefully inadequate as compelling messages that trigger action. Though many banners provide a call to action, often they don’t give a strong enough reason for prospects to do so. Plant a seed of possibility. Deliver a huge promise. Tell your prospects what you can do for them. Think of your banner as a miniature billboard. It pops up on the landscape as your prospect travels the web. What would make your banner more appealing? It’s not the artwork but the words that motivate action. Create a headline that not only stops prospects in their tracks, but one that also moves them to follow through with action.

4) Discussion Board Headings. Visit any discussion forum and what’s the first thing you see? The headings of course. The list of subject headings acts as an index where visitors can click and choose whatever messages they want to open and read.

Subject headings are most often colorful, active links that take visitors directly to the full post. What headings enjoy the highest click-through rates? It’s those that appeal, intrigue, interest, or arouse a little curiosity in readers. In short, the best headlines attract more prospects. Another key factor is the name of the person who authored the post. Well-known names who tend to post information of value, naturally draw more attention. But without name recognition, your best bet is to write a headline that’s difficult for visitors to ignore.

5) Discussion Board Links. Links that follow informative posts are another opportunity for you to deliver a power-packed headline. Most discussion boards allow you to post a link with each message. Those that don’t make this provision, often allow a signature file as an alternate.

Links stand out visually, due to their contrasting color and the fact that links show as underscored text. As a visual siren, they’re an ideal opportunity to deliver a message with punch one that drives traffic to your chosen page. Again, the most effective links are interest-inspiring headlines.

6) E-mail Subject Lines. Want to make sure your e-mail messages get read by your targeted recipients? Here’s how: turn your subject line into a mini-headline. Subject lines are the first thing e-mail recipients see, in addition to the return address. You don’t have a lot of room here, just enough for a small handful of words. So choose your words carefully. It’s your first and perhaps only chance to convince the recipient to open your message, instead of trashing it.

7) Titles Of Articles, Reports And E-zines. Give provocative, attention-grabbing titles to all your writing. Add interest and intrigue to draw more readers. Give your work headings that make readers want to know more. Pull them into the body of your articles and reports. As a consequence, they’ll also learn more about you and your products and services. Use your titles to hint at the secrets you have to reveal, or your new, evolutionary technique that will save money, time, or energy. Offer new information or a major benefit that would be of great interest to your prospects. The stronger your titles, the more powerful the pull.

Robert Boduch is the author of Great Headlines Instantly! How To Write Powerful, Attention-Grabbing Headlines That Pull In More Prospects, More Customers And More Profits, NOW! which features hundreds of helpful tips, techniques, strategies, and hands-on formulas for writing successful headlines for any purpose, on demand. Visit his site for more information: http://www.bizprofitbuilder.com