Silentblast Interactive - Toronto Web Design and Development

Hello readers and welcome back to the Silentblast Blog. Today I am going to speak generally about business blogging. I know I have talked about blogs and blogging in general and why businesses should consider having a blog but I never really discussed business blogs from the perspective as part of a business plan.

As everyone should be generally aware a “business plan� is essentially a formal statement of planned business goals. The web design and development of a web presence for example can be included in a business plan. Even more important if the business tends to derive most of its revenue and deliverables from the internet; than the business plan will certainly have significant areas of the overall business plan where there is focus on internet, website development, search engine optimization or SEO as it’s commonly referred to and content development.

Somewhere definitely in the mix of will be most likely as well social media sites such as Twitter, FaceBook or LinkedIn and of course blogs. One of the things that have to be clear for business decision makers will be what is the focus, direction, goals and objectives for the business blog. What are the expectations of the blog as it pertains to the focus, direction, goals and objectives and then of course how the message is delivered and who delivers it?

From a business standpoint unless your business is comedy per say, the blog will tend to be more of an informative, editorial, press release sort of tone. While there are blogs that are satirical in nature or adult themed in both content and language that tends to not be the approach of business if they wish to incorporate a blog.
So for business the focus, direction, goals and objectives for a business blog can be some of the following if not more:

• Public Relations – mission statement, company vision, new developments

• Education and Product Information – giving your customers information on your products and services and even information on how to use them

• Development and Research – garnering feedback and suggestions from your clientele

• Community Development – developing a client community around your products and services, charitable efforts of your company

• Marketing and Sales – announcing new products and services to your customers

Blogging for business ultimately will take time and if there is no inherent commitment to invest time into the development of a business blog than it should not be high on the list of business priorities. All stakeholders within a business have to believe in the process. If you wish to establish yourself or are already established as a professional business, your blog has to reflect that.

Silentblast Interactive - Toronto Web Design and Development

Canadian owned and operated, Silentblast is a professional web design and development company in Toronto serving small and mid-sized companies in the GTA, Brampton, Vaughan, North York, Markham, Mississauga, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Silentblast also develops mobile web site design and development and mobile applications for the iPhone and other mobile phone platforms.

Website – www.silentblast.com

Silentblast Blog - www.silentblast.com/blog

Twitter - http://twitter.com/silentblast

Hello readers and welcome back to the Silentblast Blog. Today I am going to discuss your continual on-site web development for those that want simple steps to increasing their website content either through developing their own form of content with what they may already have in place on their website or with website development verticals that are relatively inexpensive yet can present significant long term ROI.

Content Management System

Today content managements systems are not as complex for the end user as they may have been in the past. The vast majority of content management systems are developed in a WYSIWYG input format. If your website is currently just static pages and beginning to look stale in terms of its time-line freshness; it might be time to greatly consider a Content Management System CMS to breathe new life into your website. Try something simple like adding a News and Events CMS module for example where you can add timely content as it happens in your company.

Graphics

Even art galleries move their pictures around and bring out different collections to freshen up their art display. Your website should be no different. Using royalty free graphics is a good idea to avoid copyright issues. Use graphics that speak to the topic and to the content if you are associating a graphic with a particular area. Build up a stable of graphics that you can do at least a switch out of graphics every 6 months to a year. Remember that your graphic selection can have an impact on your overall web design so it would probably be advisable to discuss this with your website development consultant.

Streaming Video

Did you know that YouTube is currently the 2^nd most popular search engine on the internet behind Google. Video is huge in today’s world. Case in point; everyone wants to know what companies are going to have those precious 30 second spots and what the message is going to be for the NFL Super Bowl games. A well planned, thought out, professionally done video can be greatly beneficial to your audience. But also, implementing a content management system module that handles video streaming can be done by you as well. The entrepreneurial video is highly popular; especially on YouTube where literally hundreds of thousands of people are just grabbing their video cameras or web-cams and making video.

Blogs

Firstly; the search engines love blogs. If you can write about a topic that speaks about your company, products and services; you can and should have a blog. Blogs are becoming very sophisticated. In fact some blogs are the primary website presence for a lot of people. You can add text, graphics, videos, links for example into a blog. It can be part of your website development and search engine optimization SEO strategy.

That is it for the time being Silentblast Blog readers. I will be back soon with more blog articles on how you can further enhance your website development process.

Silentblast Interactive - Toronto Web Design and Development

Canadian owned and operated, Silentblast is a professional web design and development company in Toronto serving small and mid-sized companies in the GTA, Brampton, Vaughan, North York, Markham, Mississauga, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Silentblast also develops mobile web site design and development and mobile applications for the iPhone and other mobile phone platforms.

Website – www.silentblast.com

Silentblast Blog - www.silentblast.com/blog

Twitter - http://twitter.com/silentblast

Hello Silentblast Blog readers. I get asked this question a few times whenever I get into discussions about blogs. Do I allow comments or not allow comments? I usually follow-up their question with further questions to get a greater sense of what they are trying to achieve with their blog, what is the focus or theme of the blog, do they have time to respond to comments and maintain the blog beyond just placing articles?

Blogs I think are great for many reasons. They have allowed the common person to express an opinion or view on literally anything and publish it at very little cost for the world to see. With expressing an opinion I still believe one has to take responsibility mind you but even still there are very few boundaries that have not been transcended by blogs.

I manage a couple of blogs actually. I manage this one and one that is part of a professional association where there is editorial, opinion, notification of events and so forth. With the Silentblast Blog there was a decision made to allow comments from people who visit the site and on the other blog I manage a decision was made to not allow comments.

While in essence the media; blogs, are the same. The message or theme is different. If your posts are written as such that invite commentary I think to allow comments can be positive. Ultimately you will pick and choose which comments to allow or disallow. No different really than mainstream media that allows comments to news.

If your blog is more informational in such things as specific products, services, or educational seminar details or courses, then allowing commentary is in my opinion a coin toss. Some have argued and commented on other blogs that a blog is just another website if comments are not allowed. But to me that is like saying a book is not a book unless it has a cover. Yes not quite complete by the definition of what we all know a book to be but still arguably a book. I would counter that a blog is absolutely on the web, and absolutely a site by virtue of a specific URL; so in essence a website. How that website interacts with its audience should be up to the discretion of the owners.

Some argue that by allowing comments it becomes a measuring stick to the popularity of your blog. Actually I would tend to favor the web statistics on the back end as the measuring stick. Others argue that if you don’t allow comments you are doing nothing more than preaching to the masses. My opinion on that is if you speak to something and you can captivate a live audience or a virtual one, it is in essence preaching.

Ultimately the final decision is up to the individuals or organizations that have incorporated a blog in either their web development or business strategies.  For Silentblast the strategy is primarily providing content that speaks to the many different facets of business and how the internet and having a web site can be more than just slapping up your virtual billboard on the net. Blogs can help your website presence with search engine optimization by providing relevant links and content to your customers and potential customers.

But a blog is also a medium of communication and if you use it for nothing other than virtual link farm than I believe the essence of blogs and blogging go completely out the window. I think you have to as a blog owner, stand in your audiences shoes at times and really think that despite the positive strategies and techniques for search engine rankings there can be down sides. I would personally not open a newspaper if for example every 10th word or so were highlighted in bright yellow or pink.  That would be annoying as… well you can add whatever word you feel is best. You probably wouldn’t bother reading papers ever again suffice to say. Personally and in my opinion the same applies to a blog.

Admittedly I do “some� back-linking into the main Silentblast website… look… I just did it. I use it sparingly. SEO purists would comment I don’t do enough. I won’t argue with that. I know from an SEO perspective I don’t provide maximum potential back-linking but I also believe a blog is a strategy that goes beyond pure search engine optimization.

Ultimately the decision for strategies on blogs and in particular to allow comments or not allow comments is up to the persons or the businesses operating a blog. I believe in blogs for business especially because of one thing and actually the most important thing in business.

Communicating with your customers.

Silentblast Interactive - Toronto Web Design and Development

Canadian owned and operated, Silentblast is a professional web design and development company in Toronto serving small and mid-sized companies in the GTA, Brampton, Vaughan, North York, Markham, Mississauga, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Silentblast also develops mobile web site design and development and mobile applications for the iPhone and other mobile phone platforms.

Website – www.silentblast.com

Silentblast Blog - www.silentblast.com/blog

Twitter - http://twitter.com/silentblast

Hello readers and welcome back to the Silentblast Blog. This entry is going to be somewhat shorter than my normal postings of late. It is more focused actually on a specific question I was asked by an associate of mine. Will blogging affect a websites search engine rankings?

Well in my research across various websites, other blogs and in fact performing a Google search on the topic itself the shortest answer is yes a blog can assist your business for example in ranking in the search engines. The caveat on the matter and I am no particular expert on search engine optimization but know enough that I can say if you provide reasonably significant and relevant content that pertains to the overall context of your website with content and specifically key wording, increasing your ranking status is very possible.

For example, if your blog is part of an actual overall web site strategy it is the avenue by which you can relate as I do for Silentblast product and services that are readily available. This is done by providing linking within the site to other web pages that should have content that is also relevant. However if I was to write about only topics pertaining to racecar driving for example there is very little if nothing relevant to Silentblast in that context.

The goal of course is to provide not only information that works for your website or blog in moving up the search engine ranks but also to provide information that a person can use. Consider also that each blog entry specifically is the equivalent of you adding another page to your website. If you have built your own website and constructed pages or had a web development company such as Silentblast build a website for you; each page takes time and obviously money. A blog once established within your website is something that you will be responsible to maintain. The continued cost more or less is you committing time to contribute to your blog.

A website overall is still obviously the way to highlight key specific aspects or facets of your company or organization in a more static approach unless you have something like CMS (Content Management Systems) in place that change specific aspects of a given web page or pages. A blog and its purpose in my opinion is to provide continual content from a personalized approach that complements an overall web presence.

As you provide blog entries over time they archive. So imagine for a moment if you had a business you could write something about at least once a week. Overall that is 52 articles; 52 pages of relevant content and key words with links that point within your website in a given year. Again the more you contribute the more content you are providing and it should not be hard because in reality you should have an opinion or viewpoint on your business and be knowledgeable of it. So as you are providing content the search engines are indexing not only your website but also your blog. If you are not doing a lot of changes with your core website doing something with a blog will be of benefit.

Silentblast Interactive - Toronto Website Design and Development

Canadian owned and operated, Silentblast is a professional web design and development company in Toronto serving small and mid-sized companies in the GTA, Brampton, Vaughan, North York, Markham, Mississauga, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Silentblast also develops mobile web site design and development and mobile applications for the iPhone and other mobile phone platforms.

Website – www.silentblast.com

Silentblast Blog - www.silentblast.com/blog

Twitter - http://twitter.com/silentblast

Welcome readers to the Silentblast Blog. Antonio and I hope you have been reading through these blog entries and implementing some of the suggestions into your business strategy in an effort to increase your overall web presence but more importantly leveraging your current business marketing strategy to bring in new customers and most importantly informing your current customer base.

If one thing you notice as a centralized theme as I discussed briefly in my last blog post is the importance of “communication.” Quite frankly despite all the methods and means of today’s technology a lot of businesses still fail somewhat in the communication aspect of their business.

It should be no surprise and in reality I am more or less preaching to the choir when it comes to the majority of the suggestions put forth in this blog. However, if you know it but have done nothing sometimes it is good to hear it again but without the pressure of a heavy handed sales pitch. Further if you notice I have not really pitched Silentblast services. Reading between the lines however, you know as well as I do, discussing things like blogs for example is a product service offering Silentblast can assist you with.

So Email Marketing as a Business Tool. If you look at your current business and all the customers you have; there are in effect continual and residual income streams that can be tapped into. But it is also a way of notifying your customer base of current and future product offerings or services. Case in point; some time ago I signed up to the www.makeitseven.ca website. If you read the news you might know that the CEO of Research in Motion (Blackberry) Jim Balsillie is currently striving to bring an NHL franchise to S/W Ontario.

So I went to the website; signed up using my name and an email address to be kept informed of future news regarding his efforts. Just a few days ago; I received a very well written email from Jim Balsillie outlining his current efforts and also to visit the website again as they now have areas for people to voice their views on the issue. It is estimated that by Friday May 15^th2009, the website had over 120,000 people sign up. So I visited the website; read some commentaries by people, and even bookmarked it in my web browser.

So you may be going; “yeah so what, big deal.” Your absolutely correct; but in the wrong context of what a big deal is. It is a huge deal. As this effort grows in capturing names and email addresses they are in effect growing a potential customer base.

If Jim Balsillie is successful in being able to bring an NHL franchise to S/W Ontario he now has 120,000 names and email addresses and counting to lean on from a marketing perspective to potentially sell tickets, advertising, corporate sponsorships to. He is also the CEO of Research in Motion aka Blackberry. You don’t think he might throw that in the arena once in a while in an email to over 120,000 people.

Another example is I am involved in a professional association and I am responsible for the updating of the website and our mass email/newsletter campaign. In June 2008, my mass email database had roughly 530 members. It now has over 1000; including an increase overall to our membership, substantial increases to our seminars and events, increases in corporate sponsorship and huge increases in terms of visits to our website.

A lot is attributable to a well designed website, continually adding information and content on a regular basis and more importantly direct communication to the membership through a professional email marketing service. Without even really no effort, the website I manage on behalf of the association I am involved in typically captures between 10-30 people a month by them voluntarily signing up for our email/newsletter service. That is without even trying.

Imagine what you can do if you were even able to target email market 10% of the customers you have currently. It might be a small number customer wise but it could represent a huge number potentially to your bottom line depending on your product and service offerings. Both ways, there is potential for something simple as an email and turn it into a viable income stream for your business.

Now, realistically depending on your needs and the size of your customer base an email marketing system will cost money. However, in comparison to other forms of media such as newspaper/periodical ads, TV spots and the like, it is vastly cheaper and its target marketing. You are connecting with customers you already have, or those who voluntarily want to potentially do business with you.

Silentblast is positioned to help you with an email marketing campaign solution. I know, as I had the Association I am involved in not only approve Silentblast to design our website but also the recommendation for email marketing as a tool to communicate with our current, potential and future members. Oh yeah, before I forget, remember my last post where I talked about business potential from family, friends, associates. Family friends and associates are potential customers too, never forget that! The Association I am involved in has not only used Silentblast services initially, but several times; in database development, content management, search engine optimization but also implementing our email/newsletter campaign for our members.

But back to;

Silentblast is partnered in my opinion with the leader of professional email marketing solutions. There are aspects of it that can even be implemented directly into your current website, such as voluntarily signing up for your mass email/newsletter. So seriously consider discussing this business tool with the Silentblast team.

You’re free of course to explore your own options or solutions. Again the centralized theme over the last few blog posts is that communication is important in your business model. Look at all options available to you and if you are interested email us, talk to us… send a smoke signal. There are many keys to business; and communication is a very important key that you do not want to lose or misplace.

Silentblast Interactive - Toronto Web Design and Development

Canadian owned and operated, Silentblast is a professional web design and development company in Toronto serving small and mid-sized companies in the GTA, Brampton, Vaughan, North York, Markham, Mississauga, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Silentblast also develops mobile web site design and development and mobile applications for the iPhone and other mobile phone platforms.

Website – www.silentblast.com

Silentblast Blog - www.silentblast.com/blog

Twitter - http://twitter.com/silentblast

Hello readers and welcome to another entry for the Silentblast blog. Today I am going to discuss the merits of having a blog for your business if a blog is suitable to your business model as a business web strategy.

Like many aspects of business there are some facets and tools that are suitable to employ in your overall business strategy and some that are not. In keeping with the topic if your business for example is to provide end user products or services for government in the national security or intelligence field than in all likelihood it would not be in your best interests to have a blog; let alone being allowed corporately or by your current or future client base.

However if your business model is for example a high end furniture retail outlet; then there is definitely strategic possibilities in using a blog to supplement your current business website strategy and bringing products, services and information to your client base.

But before we continue; what is a blog? Well before that is answered it is prudent to illustrate that there are essentially two key types of blogs. One is personal, the other is more business related. A personal blog is really someone’s effort and personal opinion on a myriad of topics. Some personal blogs follow a specific theme such as a hobby, passion or cause. The articles or posts tend to follow two unique trends. The posts are either short or extensive depending on what that person wants to express that given day.

The other type of blog is business focused and usually in the form of hopeful or realized revenue generating income streams by providing relevant information on products or services offered by said company. In some cases a blog for a business is the sole internet presence as a cost effective method of establishing a footprint on the web. Ideally and this is my personal opinion if a blog is the cornerstone of your web presence eventually you should migrate to and certainly incorporate a blog in your future business web development strategy of a website presence beyond the blog.

However a blog as another item in your business toolbox can bring in definitive benefits if your business is prepared and focused to use it. As stated earlier, it can provide a connection to your current customer base, potential customers, and drive web based traffic to your site and probably the most critical, showcase your companies expertise in its product and service offerings. Coincidentally those aspects are also important if you currently have a website.

Today blogs are becoming highly accepted by end users and businesses alike as an effective means of not only drawing in potential new customers but also continually informing the customers after the cash register has rung in a sale. It is no secret that you as a business owner want that customer to come back and not only that, tell others so they in turn will walk through the door either in a brick and mortar business or virtually on the web and become clients.

I have read in magazines and periodicals that on average a business in a year can lose 20% and higher of its current customer base for a myriad of reasons. I would guess there may be several reasons for that loss but I believe at least part of the loss is the result of lack of communications with your current customers, let alone potential customers.

So sit back a moment and reflect on your current business and its potential loss of customers realistically. Examine what one single customer can bring in financially to the bottom line in a given month as an example; that you could have retained had you communicated product and service offerings in a cost effective manner to that individual. If it’s significant enough to raise an eyebrow than as a responsible business you should be concerned. Considering today’s economic climate a business cannot afford to have the mentality of it being acceptable that you “win some, lose some.�

By incorporating a blog to your current web development and business strategy the goal is “win/win� and in a cost effective manner that employs your subject matter expertise on your products and services.

So if you’re current customers of Silentblast consider and examine the possibility of a business blog as part of your customer development and retention strategy. If you are considering placing a business footprint on the internet consider as well a business blog either as the first phase of development or part of an overall strategy to both bolster and increase your business potential.

Either aforementioned method can be effective in getting your business on the internet as a cost effective interim solution or as a supplement to your current internet business strategy.

Silentblast Interactive - Toronto Web Design and Development

Canadian owned and operated, Silentblast is a professional web design and development company in Toronto serving small and mid-sized companies in the GTA, Brampton, Vaughan, North York, Markham, Mississauga, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Silentblast also develops mobile web site design and development and mobile applications for the iPhone and other mobile phone platforms.

Website – www.silentblast.com

Silentblast Blog - www.silentblast.com/blog

Twitter - http://twitter.com/silentblast

Hello and welcome readers to a revitalized Silentblast blog. I was asked by Antonio if I could steer this ship for him while he is focusing on bringing the end-user aspects of Silentblast such as CMS Development, Web Design and so forth to the forefront for both his current customer base and obviously future customers.

In truth I am no stranger to this form of media and I will be discussing  blogs in future posts as part of a business strategy for current and future customers and why in some instances it is good for businesses to have this media reach to the public and in turn trying to convert a reader to a potential customer or prospect.

I suppose an introduction is in order. My name is Chris and I am actually part of Antonio’s extended family. I work as a Risk Manager for a real estate management, development and investment firm in the greater Toronto area. So I will speak more to the business aspects of the internet and website development. I will still encourage Antonio to speak on topics of design, look and feel, user functionality and so forth in his blog posts.

But back to Antonio and our relationship that has grown actually not only on the basis of family but also our common love for computers and associated technology. Things that go beep and have some lights flicker have always caught our attention and we have over the years had some rather interesting conversations on technology and the future of it.

This in turn actually planted the seeds to what Silentblast is today. Going back several years both Antonio and I cut our teeth as it were on a simple website that focused on the Mac community. Antonio was the designer and coder and I provided relevant content. There also was and well known; a unique difference between Antonio and I. Antonio was Mac concentric and I was PC concentric. We were in fact the equivalent going back to 2000 no different than what Apple capitalizes on in their current marketing campaign of “Mac Guy� and “PC Guy.� Next time I bump into Steve Job’s I should discuss this with him possibly.

For close to 2 years we built essentially a small site and transformed it into actually part of a greater community. We never really discussed the idea of turning it over into a revenue generating project but rather kept it as it was. More or less a hobby website that was niche based.

Eventually we did close it down as both our personal and business commitments were increasing and so was the website. While free in all respects to the community; freedom comes at the price of commitment if you open up your doors on the model of free and you end up getting flooded with requests that exceeds the expectations of what free should be about. We decided before it would get beyond our hobby based time commitment to notify our user base, close our virtual doors and ride off in the internet sunset with some unique lessons learned But it really never ended for Antonio and he would build a successful business based on some of the lessons learned and core values of web design inherited from that hobby site we worked on. It is interesting as I reflect on it now while writing that I have somewhat of a fingerprint on the foundation of what Silentblast is today.

So there you have it readers; the Coles Notes version of the origins of Silentblast and my personal connection to both Antonio and Silentblast. I will, as I stated earlier in this post provide articles and I even have some ideas on methods using current technology and readily available services that you as a reader can employ to better your current website development by demonstrating them through the Silentblast blog.

Silentblast Interactive - Toronto Web Design and Development

Canadian owned and operated, Silentblast is a professional web design and development company in Toronto serving small and mid-sized companies in the GTA, Brampton, Vaughan, North York, Markham, Mississauga, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Silentblast also develops mobile web site design and development and mobile applications for the iPhone and other mobile phone platforms.

Website – www.silentblast.com

Silentblast Blog - www.silentblast.com/blog

Twitter - http://twitter.com/silentblast

Now, unless you’ve been on Mars for a period of time you know the economy news is not great. Most of us read the news, or hear about it on TV or radio. The question is how does this affect the web?  We know all about the real estate market, and of course the so called “automotive crises” Yeah right, give me a break. Here’s an idea…How about GM, FORD and Chrysler go ask Exxon or Shell for money instead of our governments? I mean why not? Well, don’t get me started. Back to the web. The thing to remember most about the web and the internet market is results tend to come in rather quickly unlike other strategies that will take more money and the return on investment is not so great.

Now the fact that yes people are spending less, does not mean they are spending less on necessities or things that bring value or are considered functional. I mean business can not stand still right?  Depending on your product or service offerings you will most likely see some form of slow down. The Good news is your competitors will most likely want to hold back on marketing or spending themselves, this will ultimately give you an opportunity to gain market share or open up new grounds.

Take this opportunity to capitalize on the downturn. A well designed site, that is targeted to the right audience can only mean one thing. MORE BUSINESS.

Silentblast Interactive - Toronto Website Design and Development

Canadian owned and operated, Silentblast is a professional web design and development company in Toronto serving small and mid-sized companies in the GTA, Brampton, Vaughan, North York, Markham, Mississauga, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Silentblast also develops mobile web site design and development and mobile applications for the iPhone and other mobile phone platforms.

Website – www.silentblast.com

Silentblast Blog - www.silentblast.com/blog

Twitter - http://twitter.com/silentblast

We all know the importance of a powerful headline. However, writing a great headline isn’t as easy as it sounds.
An effective headline will literally force your potential customers to learn more. It will instantly ignite a certain emotion and intrigue them to read on.

In order to write an effective headline, you must learn how to use specific words to achieve a specific reaction.

Before writing your headline, you must first learn a little bit about the basic human motivators. According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, human behavior is always the result of one or more of five basic needs. He listed these needs in a sequence that he refers to as “the hierarchy of human needs.”

He believes that until a less important need is met there won’t be any desire to pursue a more important need. Below are the five human motivators, beginning with the basic needs and continuing to the most important needs.

Physiological - Basic human needs include hunger, thirst, shelter, clothing and sex.
Safety (Security) - Human need for physical, emotional and financial security.
Social (Affiliation) - Human need for love, affection, companionship and acceptance.
Esteem (Self Esteem) - Human need for achievement, recognition, attention and respect.
Self-actualization - Human need to reach their full potential.

When you are aware of the basic human needs, you can incorporate these needs into your writing. A great headline will appeal to your potential customers’ emotions. You must feel their needs, wants and desires and write your headlines with passion and emotion.

When writing your headlines, keep in mind, you only have a few seconds to grab your potential customers’ attention. If your headline doesn’t immediately catch their attention, they’ll simply move on and never return. Below are several different formulas used by professional copywriters to write compelling headlines.

How to

“How to Increase Your Sales Up to 500% by Using This One Simple Strategy”

Headlines beginning with ‘how to’ are very successful, as the Internet is all about information. Internet users have a strong desire to learn. A headline beginning with ‘how to’ immediately grabs your potential customers’ attention and forces them to read on.

Question

“Are You Sick and Tired of Working For Someone Else?”

Headlines written in the form of a question are very effective, as they appeal to your potential customers’ emotions. When they read a headline written as a question, they’ll answer the question in their mind. If the question identifies a specific need, want or desire, they’ll read on.

Command

“Double Your Income Within the Next 12 months –Guaranteed!”

A command headline focuses on the most important benefit your product or service has to offer. It instantly demands your potential customers’ attention and intrigues them to read on.

News

“Announcing a Brand New Breakthrough in E-Publishing”

News headlines are very effective and used to announce new products and services. They are written in the form of an announcement or introduction and create curiosity.

Testimonials

“Internet Marketing Exclusive is Pure Genius — Our Sales Have Increased by 40%!”

Headlines written in the form of a testimonial are very effective, as they instantly begin building trust.

When writing your headlines, certain words, when combined together, will literally draw your readers’ attention to your ad. Below are of few of these “Power Words” that consistently work.

Breakthrough
Discover
Discovery
Easy
Free
Guaranteed
Hidden
Incredible
Love
Master
Money
New
Powerful
Profits
Proven
Results
Revealed
Scientific
Secret
Shocked
Shocking
Ultimate
Uncovered
You
Your

According to a Yale University study, the following words are the most powerful words in the English language.

Money
Discovery
Save
Easy
New
Love
Health
Proven
You
Results
Guaranteed
Safety

Just as certain words ignite different emotions, certain subjects have a broader interest than others do. Some of the most popular subjects include wealth, love, health and safety.

Take your time and try the different formulas according to your needs. Use a combination of the power words and write a headline that sells. By learning the art of writing headlines that focus on the basic human needs and emotions, you can increase your sales considerably.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com

Silentblast Interactive - Toronto Website Design and Development

Canadian owned and operated, Silentblast is a professional web design and development company in Toronto serving small and mid-sized companies in the GTA, Brampton, Vaughan, North York, Markham, Mississauga, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Silentblast also develops mobile web site design and development and mobile applications for the iPhone and other mobile phone platforms.

Website – www.silentblast.com

Silentblast Blog - www.silentblast.com/blog

Twitter - http://twitter.com/silentblast

The anti-IE6 squad seems to have been gathering some momentum lately; 37Signals announced that they are phasing out support of the aged web browser, as well as Facebook and MobileMe. Even a website has been constructed, IE Death March, to revolt against the web browser and highlight websites that no longer support it.

Of course from a developers point of view, IE6 has been nothing more than a sheer nightmare for coding. While most of us are using modern day browsers like Firefox and even IE7 and I mean why shouldn’t we? These new browsers are in my opinion faster, have more features and for the most part safer than this old clunker called ie6. There lots of problems with ie6, too many to mention in this post, although I think users should have a choice. However I do encourage everyone I speak too about the modern day browsers to at least give them a chance.  People must know that there are coders, designers and web developers out there having to deal with issues that these so called browsers have and the limitations and threats they have.

Microsoft will soon release the beast called IE8 to the masses soon, what will it bring? What new issues or what new problems will it solve? Who knows, all I know is at least they are all at least have some form of understanding for web standards and that is good. As for me, well it’s still IE7, but Firefox is growing on me.

Silentblast Interactive - Toronto Web Design and Development

Canadian owned and operated, Silentblast is a professional web design and development company in Toronto serving small and mid-sized companies in the GTA, Brampton, Vaughan, North York, Markham, Mississauga, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Silentblast also develops mobile web site design and development and mobile applications for the iPhone and other mobile phone platforms.

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