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Ready to share your ideas with the world? Start your blog → Blogging can be exhausting. Take it from someone who has spent nearly a decade blogging and has wasted far too much time staring at blank pages, willing the words to come. And while the idea of giving up control to AI may still make some writers and marketers bristle, AI is an undeniably powerful tool for blogging. Whether you’re looking to use AI to draft entire blog posts or to finesse your writing, AI is useful for anyone looking to  start a blog . With all that said, there are several things you need to know about using AI to write your blogs. I am by no means suggesting that you let AI run your blog for you. Rather, AI can act as a good stand-in for a creative partner, serving as your second pair of hands and your second set of eyes. Starting a blog should feel exciting, not overwhelming, right? With the Wix Blog Maker, you get everything you need to create, design and grow your blog from scratch–without needing a tech degree. Use Wix’s intuitive tools to share your ideas with the world.  When should you use AI to write your blog posts? No matter what type of website  or blog you're building, AI features and tools have the potential to save you copious amounts of time when it comes to brainstorming, writing, editing and optimizing your content. AI is especially handy if you need to turn out a high volume of content on a consistent basis. Again, you shouldn’t rely on AI to run your entire content marketing strategy without supervision, but you can use different kinds of tools to help with research or to write long-form content. For example, if you've got several topics lined up and a clear vision of the outlines, AI can swiftly turn your ideas into full-fledged articles—or at least get you 75% of the way there. Rather than starting a blog from scratch, you can use your AI draft as a starting point; you can focus your energy on editing and filling in any knowledge gaps. The aim is to enhance efficiency without compromising the quality and authenticity of your content. Make AI your ally, but stay in control of editing for the best results. However, AI isn’t a one-trick pony. It can do far more than simply draft your content. Let's explore all the ways you can use AI to enhance your blogs. Get started with the Wix AI website creator . Google and AI-written blog content First and foremost Google is looking for content that is helpful to the user reading it. This can, in theory, apply to both AI and human-generated content. Content must be informative and engaging, regardless of how it's written. These are not necessarily unique to human content, well-edited AI-generated blogs can also be useful. While AI can generate content that is factually accurate, it may lack the nuanced understanding and authenticity of human-written content. Google recommends a balance with an emphasis on human oversight of anything AI-written; humans can add the necessary context, creativity and a personal touch. They should also fact-check and weave in their real-world expertise in the topic at hand.  According to  Google guidelines , content that is purely generated by AI without human contribution should be labeled as such for transparency. Google prioritizes content written for humans, not algorithms. This is true, whether the content is human- or AI-generated. Creating AI content to manipulate search engine results is considered against Google's spam policies. Ready to get your blog up and running? Try Wix’s free blog maker . How to use AI to write your blog posts One of the best qualities of AI is its versatility. You can use AI to automate or refine several steps of the content production process, including (but not limited to) the following steps. Generate your blog topic ideas Research your topics Construct outlines Write your content Serve as your proofreader 01. Generate your blog topic ideas If you’re a  beginner at blogging —or even if you’re a seasoned blogger—AI can help to brainstorm topics when you’re in a pinch. But avoid cutting corners at this stage. You’ll still want to do thorough keyword research, even after you’ve consulted your favorite AI tool for ideas. In my experience, tools like ChatGPT and Gemini (formerly known as "Bard") offer great thought starters. You could feed it prompts like: Please give me 10 blog ideas that I can write about on [topic] Please list a few blog ideas related to [keyword] What are some trending topics around [topic] in the summer? What are some trending topics among [target audience]? Or, if you use Wix, you can find fresh, AI-generated post ideas directly in your Blog Overview dashboard. These ideas are fully personalized, based on your business info and past posts. If you don’t see anything you like, you can click “regenerate ideas.” You’ll want to double-check that the headlines you get in return match the actual intent and interest of your blog audience. SEO research tools like Semrush can help on this front; you can use these  blogging tools  to identify related keywords and check out the organic competition on search engine results pages (SERPs). 02. Research your topic Research can eat up a lot of time. And while we strongly warn against relying on AI-generated research (many tools pull from older data or have been spotted  citing fake data ), it can give you a place to start. Gemini, in our testing, has an edge over ChatGPT in this respect. You can ask Gemini things like “Can you provide a list of recent blogging statistics and cite their source?” to receive a helpful quick list of stats. However, we can’t stress this enough—you’ll want to check each source and stat for accuracy and freshness. Another way to use AI for research: You can ask AI to summarize an exhaustive research paper or an interview transcript. AI can help to pull out key information or describe a highly technical piece in layman’s terms. Just make sure to always attribute the original author, plus check that the summarization is accurate. 03. Construct outlines With a single prompt, you can ask a tool like ChatGPT, Gemini or Wix’s AI outline creator to produce a rough outline for your blog post. Wix’s outline creator can save you extra time by using premade settings and the info it already has about your business to offer more contextual suggestions. In other words, you don’t need to write complex prompts to get relevant outlines. Alternatively, you can use AI tools to inform your own briefs by asking for common themes or frequently asked questions about your main topic. Now, bear in mind that the outline you get is often not the finished product. You may find that your outline includes irrelevant sections that won't provide much value to your target reader. You are the expert in your field, so make sure to apply a discerning eye when reviewing any AI-generated blog outlines. 04. Write your content AI probably gets the most praise for the hours of time it can save you when writing content. It can take the first stab at writing your drafts. At this stage, the key is to provide as much information as you can, including the  blog post template  that you want it to follow,  blog formatting  specifications and other brand writing guidelines. If you’re using a tool like ChatGPT, you can also share several samples of your previous work to train the tool on your writing style.  In Wix, you can use the AI post creator to draft your content from scratch. You’ll have the option to draft a new blog based on: Any topic of your choice An AI-generated post idea A product that’s in your Wix catalog  A service that you offer An event that you’re hosting You can easily shape your blog posts by customizing several other settings, including your target keywords, target audience, post type, post length, tone of voice, ideal number of images and/or CTA preferences.  In a matter of seconds, you’ll receive a draft with all the finishings. Your draft will have a fresh title, body text and even images to boost engagement (did you know that content with good images receives  94% more views  than those without?). 05. Serve as your proofreader When it comes to editing your content, plugins like Grammarly and ProWritingAid can scan your content and highlight grammar issues, spelling errors or opportunities to improve your writing. Keep in mind that these types of tools can be somewhat rigid and misunderstand the context of your writing. Certain text where you've gotten more creative could be flagged as errant because it doesn't follow grammatical laws. To this end, take suggestions with a grain of salt and treat each one on a case-by-case basis. Within the Wix blog editor, you can highlight any part of your draft to edit the text in real time. Ask the AI to rephrase certain sentences, tweak the tone of voice and more. Choose the option that matches your style best, before replacing the copy. You can additionally use the  SEO Assistant  to check that your post meets basic SEO standards (i.e., make sure that it includes alt text, your focus keyword and a meta description) and even use AI to create your title tag and meta descriptions. Or, you can use tools like Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant for even more recommendations on the readability and originality of your content. What are some of the best AI tools for blog creation? Ready to get started? There are many blog-writing tools available these days, each with its own advantages. Some of the most noteworthy ones include:  Wix : Wix flaunts built-in AI tools throughout its platform, including easy-to-use tools specifically for blogging. The platform draws from what it already knows about your business—alongside other custom settings—to produce relevant blog ideas, outlines and/or drafts. You even can create custom images, edit copy or optimize your content for SEO without lifting a finger. Jasper AI: Also known as “Jarvis,” Jasper AI is designed to be your copilot for enterprise marketing projects. Jasper can help you create blogs that support a larger campaign, using brand and campaign details that you provide. ChatGPT-4o:  The latest model of ChatGPT, ChatGPT-4o boasts improved performance in understanding and creating human-like text. It can process both text and images, plus offers more advanced mechanisms to reduce the likelihood of harmful or biased content. Gemini Pro: Gemini Pro is Google’s self-proclaimed “best model for general performance across a wide range of tasks.” These tasks include blog writing; Gemini 1.5 Pro specifically offers advanced contextual understanding, allowing you to create visual, audio and text content from an extensive list of instructions or resources.     Writer: Writer is a full-stack generative AI platform with industry-specific models. Writer places a strong emphasis on compliance and governance, checking that any AI-generated content adheres to legal and regulatory standards, particularly for industries like healthcare and finance.  Check out Wix’s AI blogging tools up close. Try Wix’s website builder  today. Ethical considerations to keep in mind when using AI to write blog posts As excited as we are about AI’s advancement in blogging, you can probably sense our caution above. Let us explain: while AI can speed up your content creation process by taking a lot of the grunt work off your plate, it’s not something to apply blindly. The main issues with AI content is twofold: the output is dependent on what data it can draw from, and the content it delivers might not meet your editorial guidelines. Since tools like ChatGPT pull from what’s already out there, you'll find that they piece together answers from its database. This may result in content that feels rehashed or somewhat stale. This is why you need to edit any and all AI-generated content to protect your blog, plus avoid being penalized by Google.  Google’s guidelines  state that content must be helpful, whether or not it has been made with the help of AI. If Google notices that your work has been cobbled together with AI without any unique angle, your site could potentially be marked as spam. That’s a big risk, especially for small business owners trying to build their online presence through blogging. If you’re just  building up your site from scratch , you'll need to dedicate time into finessing your approach to using AI for writing blog posts, since AI isn't great at generating content that demonstrates domain expertise for specific industries. For some complex, specialized fields, you'll need to give AI a huge helping hand because it can't grasp these topics as well as you can. This means its output won't be that helpful to your target audience. Due to these limitations, here are a few things you should be wary of with AI-produced content: Plagiarism:  It’s possible for AI to write an entire blog post that closely mirrors your competitors' content. It's important to differentiate your article as best as possible with original research and content. You should also be careful not to accidentally take credit for another author’s research or ideas, as this may be easy to do if you haven’t taken the time to carefully review AI-generated content. Accuracy: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, himself  has been spotted saying , “I trust answers generated by ChatGPT least than anybody else on Earth.” AI has recently been caught “hallucinating” facts about companies, sites and specific topics; fact-checking is absolutely essential to avoid a situation in which you might be propagating false information. Questionable authenticity:  When AI is used to produce content, a question lingers—is the output genuinely yours? The ethical dilemma here lies in the potential erosion of personal voice and style. It's essential to retain your unique touch to make sure that your readers can relate and engage with your content. Lack of innovation:  Is utilizing AI for content creation viewed as pioneering, or does it reflect a lack of original input? To that end, you’ll want to avoid becoming over-reliant on AI or depending on it to form a unique opinion on your behalf. AI can spit back opinions already shared by another creator, but it does not substitute for original (or, at times, sensible) thinking, especially in the context of sensitive or controversial topics. Biases: As language learning models are trained based on their dataset, they may inherit biases in the data that can lead to skewed and unfair perspectives when writing. You need to stay vigilant for these biases that may result in unfair language or assumptions, however subtle, and edit your work to maintain equality. 5 essential tips for editing AI writing In case we haven’t said it enough, all AI content must be reviewed by a human to make sure it’s up to code. When reviewing generative AI -created text, heed these tips. 01. Edit for brand voice and consistency Sometimes, no matter what prompt you give your AI tool, it will still sound robotic. While the content may be free of grammar and spelling errors, it might not be the easiest to read or sound like your normal writing voice. During editing, make it a point to adjust the language to make it sound more like you. Do not sacrifice your brand voice for AI-generated text that might sound smart or “just fine.” Make sure your message is clear and matches what you usually say—and how  you usually say it. This way, your audience will still feel connected to your brand, which isn’t just important for retaining readership but is also important for being able to  monetize your blog  in the future. Your blog must remain personable and unique to your brand. 02. Review for accuracy AI is really good at writing convincing points and, at times, backing them up with phantom facts. If you've asked for AI to generate content with research or facts, make sure you double-check any statement for accuracy. Validate all links and references that support your content's arguments, and check that everything is understood within the right context. 03. Check for redundant or superfluous statements Review content to make sure that there aren’t any empty, filler words or redundant statements. In other cases, you may find that the content doesn’t flow in the way that you’d prefer. You'll need to work through each sentence and paragraph, making sure they follow a logical order and clear expression. As you get better at refining your prompts, you'll hopefully need to spend less time editing your work in this way in the future. 04. Eliminate bias and stereotypes As noted earlier, as LLMs are trained based on a dataset, they may inherit biases in the data that can lead to skewed and unfair perspectives when writing content. Keep an eye out for these biases in the form of unfair language or assumptions, and edit your work accordingly. If you spot the same types of biases cropping up in your AI-generated blog posts, you may need to refine your prompts to specifically avoid writing in a certain way. 05. Optimize for SEO and readability Verify that your content uses your keywords naturally through your content and is structured in a way that is easy for your readers to follow. Use bulleted lists, break up large paragraphs or summarize content as needed to deliver a good reading experience. Ensure that your content isn’t too thin—but rather, provides enough information to fully answer your readers’ questions. FAQs for using AI to write blog posts What are the benefits of using AI for blog writing? AI can serve as a great writing aid for the following reasons. It can help to: Clear writer’s block: Stuck for ideas? AI can spark inspiration, helping to overcome writer’s block and put pen to paper to get started. Create content quickly: Speed up all areas of your writing process from research to editing, allowing you to produce content efficiently. Think of keywords and topics: AI can suggest relevant SEO keywords, offering personalized suggestions for topic ideation. Analyze SEO factors: Certain tools can help to examine missing keywords, readability and keyword density, ensuring optimal SEO optimization. Suggest content improvements: Automatically check for grammar errors and misspellings, and elevate your content using AI’s insights into the readability of your content. What are the disadvantages of AI content? As helpful as AI can be, you’ll need to be careful not to accidentally publish content that is biased, sounds cold and robotic or otherwise misrepresents your brand. While some of these challenges can be solved with better, more precise prompts, many of these will still require human editing to get right. Note that AI content is not original, in that LLMs draw from pre-existing data to generate its responses. You should not depend on AI to form opinions on your behalf and take care not to accidentally take credit for another person’s work. Is AI-generated content bad for SEO? Not necessarily. When used responsibly, AI can actually improve the quality of your content while optimizing it for SEO. As of the time of this writing, Google’s stance is that it is not against AI-generated content. However, it will still apply the same expectations around quality, originality and expertise as always, regardless of how the content is created. Is it OK to use AI to write blog posts? The simple answer: yes. The longer answer: you’ll want to review any and all AI-written content; AI is an aid, not a full substitute for a human writer. As helpful as AI is, it has its flaws. You run the risk of becoming over-reliant or over-trusting of AI content when you lack a process for editing AI-generated text. Take the time to get familiar with your AI tools. Write your own checklist for what to look out for. And always make sure to double-check AI’s work. How to tell if a blog was written by AI? There are a number of AI content detectors, although at this time they are not necessarily the most reliable at detecting AI written content, with a lot of false positive results. Generally, AI written content may be repetitive, too general and vague and contain overly stylized vocabulary and phrasing.

Ready to share your ideas with the world? Start your blog → When you decided to how to make a website and start a blog , you probably weren’t thinking about the intricacies involved in writing blog titles. But the reality is that blog post titles are the gateway to your content and an important part of your blog format . They play an important role in capturing your readers’ attention and helping your content to stand out from the sea of content amongst all the other type of websites that exist today. However, coming up with the perfect blog title can be a challenge. Not only does your title have to be catchy, but it has to be informative and succinct. In this article, we’ll explore how to craft engaging blog titles that draw in readers. We’ll look at creative examples, as well as tips for improving your blog headlines and making them click-worthy. Starting a blog should feel exciting, not overwhelming, right? With the Wix Blog Maker, you get everything you need to create, design and grow your blog from scratch–without needing a tech degree. Use Wix’s intuitive tools to share your ideas with the world.  Why are blog titles important? Blog titles have the power to shape a reader’s first impression of your article. They’re often the first thing readers see on Google or a social media post promoting your content—and often what convinces them (or scare them away) from clicking into your site. It goes without saying that if you don’t get clicks, then your posts don’t get read. Aside from this, the right blog title can encourage more social media shares and help you rank better in search engine result pages (SERPs). That’s why it’s important to put thought into crafting the best blog title that takes into consideration your target keyword, core audience and overall message. Looking to design a unique blog? Learn how to create a blog with a blog maker  like Wix. How to write a good blog post title: 12 tips When it comes to creating engaging titles, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Different types of blogs require different approaches. For instance, a news site needs titles that clearly communicate the story headlined by their post, while a food blog needs catchy titles that make readers salivate just with the words alone. Whatever genre you write in, though, there are some tips and tricks you can use to create captivating headlines that will draw readers into your post: Browse other blogs for inspiration Research your competitors Learn the basic blog title formulas Use a name generator for ideas Know your audience Cater to emotions Experiment with alliteration and other techniques Avoid clickbait Get specific Incorporate a focus keyword Draft multiple titles Conduct A/B tests 01. Browse other blogs for ideas Start your blog journey by perusing your favorite blog examples for inspiration. Take a close look into the blogosphere at the titles used within these blogs. Check the posts that gain the most attention (judging by comments, social shares and other indicators) and think about what makes them so appealing from the reader’s perspective. As you do your research, you’ll notice that there are certain words that can make the headline stand out. In addition, you’ll notice that certain types of title formats and content are more compelling than others—for instance, listicles and how-to posts tend to generate interest by immediately satisfying the reader’s need. On the flip side, try to identify blog title formats that don’t seem to resonate, and explore why that might be. Does it have to do with the nature of the piece? Or, does the title make the posts seem uninteresting? Take note of which title formats are your least and most favorite, and use these as a guiding set of principles when crafting your own blog post titles. 02. Research your competitors Take a magnifying glass to your competitors’ content. Browse the titles that seem to be resonating most with your shared audiences. Consider signing up for your competitors’ newsletter and checking out their social media accounts to see how their approach to title might vary from channel to channel. Keep in mind that your business competitors are not necessarily your SEO competitors. The former consists of websites that rank high for your target keywords on search engines. You can discover your SEO competitors using tools like Semrush of Ahrefs. Or, simply google a keyword and look at the first page of results. For example, let’s say you're starting a fashion blog and want to write a post about the best joggers for women. When you search your keyword in Google, here’s what you see. There’s a good mix of titles here: “The Best Joggers for Women 2020” (which links to a best-of roundup) “10 Best Joggers” (listicle) “Best Joggers For Women That Are Soft, Stylish, & Chic” (best-of roundup that highlights specific characteristics) “The 22 Best Joggers for Women That Are Outselling Jeans…” (listicle with big promises) “20 Best Sweatpants for Women 2020 - Stylish Joggers for…” (combination of a listicle and annual roundup) From looking at these results, you might decide that a title promising even more ideas (e.g., “50 best joggers”) than competitors is the way to go. Alternatively, you might choose to experiment with a more descriptive title that hones in a specific point that competitors don’t address (e.g., “Best joggers for women who work from home and just can’t be bothered”). Of course, you don’t want to copy the competitions’ blog post titles too closely, but you do want to make sure your own blogs capture a similar intent. Make sure that your readers know what to expect when clicking onto your page. 03. Learn the basic blog title formulas Now that you know some of the main principles of writing great blog titles, let’s get into the specifics about the basic structure of your headline. There are six title structures that have proven highly effective in getting clicks and shares: Numbers: Numbers give readers a clear idea of what they’re about to get from a post and have long been used to break up text and deliver a catchy headline (e.g., “12 Things to Stop Doing at Work If You Want a Raise”). Superlatives: Unlike school superlatives which were often tongue-in-cheek, blog superlatives are genuinely useful for consumers and often aim to introduce a certain category of content (e.g., “50 Greatest Bands to See in Concert” or “The Ultimate Guide to Dating in Your 50s”). Questions: One of the issues that may arise when writing a blog is that it comes off sounding too one-sided—but when you introduce a question in the title, it sets the tone that the content is going to be conversational versus lecture-like (e.g., “Why Does Your Dog Sneeze When They’re Playing?” or “What’s the Best Accounting Software for Freelancers?”). How-tos: “How to” queries are still one of the most frequently searched phrases on Google, making “how to” a mainstay of high-performing headlines (e.g., “How to Build a Website for Less Than $250”). Bracketed descriptors: This kind of blog post title includes a descriptor within a set of brackets, which tend to be visually engaging. You could always include content descriptors without using brackets, but the brackets call extra attention to your descriptors (e.g., “Tips for Planning Your Content Calendar like a Pro [Free Templates]” or “How to Make Old World-Style Pizza [Video]”). The big reveal: Many of the headline types above are contingent on readers actually knowing what their problem is and being able to articulate it. The big reveal title, however, is used when you have something to share that few others can (e.g., “5 Secrets I Learned While Working for Pee-wee Herman”). 04. Use a name generator tool for inspiration and ideas Writer’s block happens to the best of us. When this happens, there’s no better friend to turn to than a blog name generator or a blog post title generator . These tools can be extremely useful when crafting title ideas, since they offer a range of potentially catchy titles to consider in a matter of seconds. Simply input elements such as keywords, genre and even emotions that you want to capture with your title to retrieve a list of ideas. A name generator can usually deliver hundreds of potential title ideas to choose from, so it’s an efficient way to get fresh ideas fast—cutting out much of the manual research. 05. Know your audience Knowing your audience is about more than just identifying their age, demographics and interests. In order to let them guide the blog titles you choose, you’ll want to take your research one step further and learn how to speak in their everyday language. For example, let’s say you have a photography blog that serves as an inspirational resource for hobbyists. You write roundups on photography trends while also providing brief tutorials. If you’re writing a post for an audience of beginners, you’ll want to keep industry jargon to a minimum. So, rather than using a blog post title like “7 HDR photography tips,” consider something like “WTF is high dynamic range (HDR)?” or “What is dynamic range in photography, and how do you use it?” The “what is” format might seem plain in comparison to the previous example, but it’s much more straightforward and makes the topic feel less intimidating to beginners. 06. Cater to the emotions of readers It’s no surprise that emotions are powerful drivers of behavior. Using emotional modifiers (like "heartwarming”—or even “free” and “best”) in your titles can create a more engaging experience for viewers by letting readers know in advance how they should expect to feel after reading your post. Alternatively, you can play into your audiences’ emotions without being as explicit about it. For example, instead of “5 of the Scariest Video Games of All Time” you could say “5 of the Best Horror Video Games to Play in the Dark.” Sometimes, creating the emotional setting in your title is more engaging than actually spelling out the emotion. So, when you craft your blog titles, don’t automatically rush for ones that sound edgy or sexy. Pinpoint the emotions you want to evoke with your article, as well as what your readers might be feeling before they click in. 07. Experiment with alliteration and other techniques Not every blog post title needs to be a zinger. However, you might find that there are times when a clever headline is more effective at capturing a reader’s attention than a straightforward one, especially if you’re looking to promote your blog on social media But what, exactly, makes a title catchy? Alliteration is one popular strategy. For example, rather than using the title “13 Superstitions in the U.S.,” consider a zestier title like “13 Silly Superstitions Still in Circulation Today.” Similarly, a play on words or a witty joke could help to grab attention. Some examples: “From Bored Room to Boardroom: Tips for Corporate Success” “The Write Stuff: Tips and Tricks for Creative Writing” “Recipes and Kitchen Tips That’ll Help You Cook up a Storm This Thanksgiving” 08. Avoid clickbait The best blog post titles are click-worthy without being clickbait-y. What’s the difference, you ask? Click-worthy titles capture attention while setting the right expectations about what the reader is about to see. Clickbait headlines, on the other hand, use shock, fear and/or exaggeration to draw in as many readers as possible. They’re often misleading and hyperbolize the contents of an article. The danger with this is that readers may walk away feeling disappointed or duped by your article. Furthermore, your click-through rate becomes nothing more than a vanity metric at this point. To ensure that you’re not simply relying on clickbait-y titles, check your click-through rate against other important data like: How much time the average reader spends on your post How many blog posts they read during their session What other actions they take after reading your posts Comments and other reader feedback Rather than shocking your readers or exaggerating your main points, create honest, meaningful titles that promise real value to your audience. 09. Get specific Today’s consumers have very short attention spans, thanks to all the distractions and choices they’re bombarded with on a daily basis. With that in mind, your blog title isn’t the place to be mysterious or abstract. To captivate your readers, make sure that your title clearly tells readers what they’re going to get out of the post. This also helps set the tone for how detailed or serious your post will be, and ensures that your content matches their expectations. 10. Incorporate a focus keyword You don’t only need to impress your readers with your headlines. You also need to impress Google—or, more accurately, make it easy for Google’s bots to read and understand what your post is about. By including your focus keyword in the H1 (or title) of your post, you can help inform search engines about the purpose of your blog. Note: your H1 isn’t the same as your title tag , it’s best practice to keep these consistent for SEO and user experience purposes. Let’s say you're starting a food blog that helps to promote your meal delivery business. Using Semrush, you can see that “healthy food subscription box” gets around 260 searches a month. While this is a low-volume keyword, it attracts people with the right intent. Therefore, you write your blog and title with this keyword in mind. Read Also: Blogging for Business —Why It Can Make a Difference You come up with the title “25 Healthy Food Subscription Boxes to Check Out.” As a general rule of thumb, you’ll want to place your primary keyword as close to the front of your title as possible. By placing it upfront, you let both Google and readers know this is the main focus of the post. Make sure you use this keyword technique in conjunction with other blog SEO strategies—choosing the right keyword is just one piece of the puzzle. 11. Draft multiple titles Chances are you won’t come up with the perfect blog title right away, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s best to come up with about five to 10 titles for each post before landing on your final title. Why? The more you practice, the better you’ll get at writing the perfect headline. What’s more, creating multiple versions of the same title gives you workable options that you can use to promote your content across your newsletter, social media and other channels. Lastly, this will give you ideas for A/B testing multiple titles (see below). 12. Conduct A/B tests A/B testing is a scientific experiment that you might run for a variety of reasons—be it web design, copy, headlines, images, colors and more. You can essentially run A/B tests on any marketing channel that you use. This could be your blog, newsletter, social media posts and/or ads. Here’s are some simple steps for achieving this: Choose a single element that you want to test. In this case, it’s your blog post headline. Come up with a hypothesis. For instance, “If I write this title using a superlative, it’ll get more clicks than if I write it as a question.” Create at least two variations of your title: one (or more) with a superlative, and another that serves as your control. Run the test, splitting your traffic evenly between your different variants. Traffic should be randomly split by your A/B testing tool. Check the test results for a set period of time or until statistical significance is achieved. Analyze the results to determine which variant is the winner. Update your blog with the winning title. Apply your learnings to your blog and consider running additional A/B tests. This method is useful for creating the best blog titles and identifying trends in the types of headlines that your readers prefer. It’ll take some of the guesswork out of title creation in the future. 5 inspiring blog headlines to model your own after Once you've gone over these tips for creating blog titles, you may find it helpful to look at successful blogs to help illustrate what you’ve learned. Let’s have a look. 01. Olivia + Laura Olivia + Laura is a blogging platform discussing all things fashion and lifestyle. Take a look at how their most recent titles capture the attention of readers while providing a preview of what they can expect from the post. "How to Style Cardigans" is a detailed title, drawing in fashionistas curious about improving their style, while an article on "Spring 2023 Trends" is sure to captivate audiences looking for the expertise of these trendsetters. 02. Zion Adventure Photography Blog If you're looking to travel through Zion National Park, look no further for advice an inspiration than Zion Adventure Photography Blog . The team of nature enthusiasts and photographers specialize in capturing special moments experienced by visitors and providing tips to travelers. Whether it's general information about the park or an article on "The 10 Best Spots to Catch Sunrise or Sunset in Zion National Park," their blog post titles are clever, informative and well-thought out. 03. All the Food Foodies living in or visiting Dublin will go head-over-heals for All The Food Blog , a complete guide to restaurants in the vibrant city. Blog posts and food guides cover everything from local restaurant reviews, the best spots by neighborhood and new spots to check out. For example, a blog title like "8 New Openings In Dublin And 4 Coming Soon" is a straightforward and exciting way to draw in blog visitors look to change things up for their tastebuds. 04. Suvelle Cuisine Susana Machado’s Suvelle Cuisine blog has a plethora of cool content dedicated to classy and fashionable lifestyles. From fashion advice to recipes and beauty tips, the blog's clever titles reflect the personality of its target audience while offering a succinct summary of the post, and hitting on trendy keywords. With headlines like "5 Rituals to a fresh start" and "French Outfit Formulas," Suvelle Cuisine will have intrigued readers saying "ooh lala" before they open up a fresh post. 05. Mekome Hebrew Mekome Hebrew offers tailor-made Hebrew language lessons for a wide range of levers and learners. Part of its holistic learning philosophy is that language should connect to the inner world of the learner—a blog that focuses on curious Hebrew topics, Israeli culture and personal experiences is a great way to inspire students and bring this method to life. Not only are the topics enriching, the blog title's are fun, personal and tap into the emotions of someone learning a new language and culture. How to write blog titles FAQ Should I italicize my blog titles? You can italicize blog titles to make them stand out and adhere to a consistent style. It may help readers quickly identify the titles within your content but bolding titles can also have the same impact. What's the ideal length for a blog title? An ideal blog title is typically between 60 to 70 characters, as this length strikes a balance between being concise and informative. This length creates an attention grabbibg title that is easily scannable but also. SEO-friendly. Should I use keywords in my blog titles? Yes, incorporating relevant keywords in your blog titles is crucial for search engine optimization (SEO). It can help your content get discovered by search engines and attracts the right audience. However, prioritize readability and user engagement; ensure the title remains compelling and informative. Strike a balance between using keywords naturally and creating titles that capture the essence of your content.

Ready to share your ideas with the world? Start your blog → Small businesses looking to learn how to make a website and create a blog are in for a treat. A blog provides a platform to showcase both your knowledge and your brand, so it’s an essential asset to your marketing strategy. That said, starting a blog from scratch with no experience can be intimidating, especially when it comes to knowing what to do before you hit ‘Publish’. With so many boxes to check and details to refine for a single article, creating a blog requires a systematic, step-by-step approach (plus a great blog maker ). That’s why this blog post checklist will be your new best friend. Starting a blog should feel exciting, not overwhelming, right? With the Wix Blog Maker, you get everything you need to create, design and grow your blog from scratch–without needing a tech degree. Use Wix’s intuitive tools to share your ideas with the world.  Why start a blog? Starting a blog for your small business has three main benefits: It’s extremely helpful for SEO purposes . Search engines are always looking for fresh content, and a consistent blogging strategy is exactly what Google is seeking. As you produce a growing volume of content, search engines will index your website more often so they can display your latest posts in search results. More blog posts also equate to more pages on search engines, which means more potential traffic. Increased traffic to your website translates to more prospective customers. You can brush up on your skills and check out our SEO for bloggers tips. Blogging helps establish you as an expert in your industry. Even if your business is within a niche market, you’ll undoubtedly have some competition that offers a similar product or service. Sure, there are ways to differentiate yourself in terms of marketing, but showing that your brand is knowledgeable says a lot to potential clients. Within your posts, you also have the opportunity to show off your personality, further differentiating your business from competition. If you're unsure where your blog might fit in, read up on blog niche ideas and popular types of blogs to find some inspiration. A blog creates a path from your brand to your audience . Allowing you to cultivate and connect with your community. Whether it’s first-time, long-time, or potential customers, having a place to join in on the conversation with a business helps build trust and encourages repeat buyers. A blog is a great way to earn revenue . In fact, you can make money blogging as a full-time job, or as a way to earn extra cash on the side. Before you dive in, it's important to have a clear understanding of the expenses involved. To learn more, see our guide on how much does it cost to start a blog  so you can plan your budget effectively. Ready to get blogging? Get started with Wix  today. Blog post checklist Write with a clear purpose Make a blog outline Perform SEO research Create an eye-catching title Give credit to sources Provide internal links Make external links open in another window Pass the 300 word mark Break long posts into sections Use smaller paragraphs Use bullet points and lists Get to the point Add a CTA to the end Take a break from your post Use your experience to bring value to the post Optimize your images Don't write like a scholar Write your introduction first Proofread proofread proofread Categorize your blog post Proofread again Now that you know about the importance of creating a blog for your business, here’s a checklist with 21 tips to guide your blogging strategy. 01. Write with a clear purpose The last thing someone wants to read is a blog post that either changes course halfway through or never communicates a clear message. Before you even start writing, create a list of blog post ideas with a clear purpose in mind. As you write, make it a habit to ask yourself if what you’ve written helps achieve that purpose. 02. Make an outline To help you stay on track, create an outline for each blog post. You can make it as lengthy or short as you want, as long as it touches on the subjects you want to discuss. Creating an outline will also help ensure your writing communicates a clear and distinct message. If you need a little help to get started, you can use our downloadable blog post template to guide you. 03. Perform SEO research You want the website you made and your blog post to rank well, and there are several measures to make that happen. To start, you’ll need to determine the primary keyword you’re trying to rank for with the blog post. Place the keyword in the title and within the body of the post itself. There are a variety of keyword research tools you can use to gain deep insights on the terms you’re trying to rank for. Some of the best blogging tools can also show you what type of websites and content already exists for that particular keyword, which can help you sculpt and optimize your blog post. 04. Create an eye-catching title The content you’ve written can be informative and engrossing, but few people will read it if your title is lifeless and dull. When thinking about how to write catchy blog titles , it's incredibly important to make sure that your title is enticing, descriptive, and incorporates a keyword. Keep in mind, though, that overpromising with your title and underdelivering with your content is 100% clickbait, which is not a good practice for your business blog. For inspiration, take a look at this blog post title generator . 05. Give credit to sources While much of the joy of blogging lies in the fact that you’re creating your own content, you’ll sometimes need content from others to inform your posts. Whether it’s a quote, a news scoop, or an image, always give credit to your source. Otherwise, you could end up in trouble with the law. 06. Provide internal links Within each post, be sure to link to your other blog posts. Not only does this provide value to the user, but it also gives them more content to consume. In turn, this will keep them on your website longer. This practice is known as internal linking, and it’s an easy strategy that provides value to both your readers and your business. 07. Make external links open in a new window Whether you’re giving credit to a source or even an Amazon product, you’re going to link to websites that aren’t your own. It’s inevitable. When you do this, make sure you make external links open in a new browser tab or window. Why? Because if you have external links open within the same window and a reader clicks on it, they will be taken away from your website. You certainly don’t want that. 08. Pass the 300-word mark How long should a blog post be? First, let's say no one is telling you to write a novel, but search engines tend to rank posts with a word count of 300 or more higher. Don’t be tempted, though, to fill your posts with fluffy content that provides no value to the reader. Even if your point is simple, you can increase your word count by providing useful details and elaborating in ways that help your readers understand. 09. Break long posts into sections Using large blocks of text is a sure-fire way to intimidate and bore people. So, if you have a lot to say in a blog post, break up your text into sections. Adding sections within your blog gives your text room to breathe and is more accessible for your readers. Give each section a descriptive title that tells the reader what the following paragraphs will be about. Use keywords in the section title and don’t forget to format the text with the proper heading tag. Most likely, these subsections will be formatted with an H2 tag. It’s also important to make sure any idea you’ve presented is wrapped up by the end of the section. Add a concluding sentence that ends each section with a clear point. 10. Use smaller paragraphs In addition to breaking up your blog with sections, you can increase the appeal of your blog posts by writing in smaller paragraphs. to further avoid intimidation, write in smaller paragraphs. This bite-sized type of text block is easier to read for someone who just skims articles, and let’s face it, that’s what many people do. 11. Use bullet points and lists In many cases, lengthy paragraphs can be summed up with bullet points or numbered lists. This breaks up the text and provides concise, easily digestible bits of information. It also brings visual diversity to your post, making it more readable and user friendly. On top of that, bullet points and lists are great for SEO, since they increase your chances of getting a featured snippet on Google. To see an example of a bulleted list, checkout the “Optimize your images” section below. 12. Get to the point Have you ever searched for a simple recipe online only to see a 2000 word blog post talking about how the writer’s grandmother used to make it and it makes them feel all warm and fuzzy, so you have to keep scrolling to the bottom to get the 70 word recipe? Don’t do that. If you have a point to make, get right to it. While you should include context that provides value and helps you get to your point, adding fluff is a bore that will have readers clicking off your blog in no time. 13. Add a CTA at the end While one purpose for writing a blog post is to empower and inform people about your industry, you should also aim to get readers to take action on your website. Encourage them to move through the sales funnel by adding a CTA (call to action) at the bottom of your blog. 14. Take a break from your post If you’re having trouble completing a blog post, there’s nothing wrong with walking away from it for a while. In fact, it could be the best thing you could do. Being away from the post for a few hours or even a day will give you time to disconnect from it. From there, you’ll see it with a fresh pair of eyes, and you may be able to catch a mistake or two you hadn’t before. 15. Use your experience to bring value to the post If photos can’t illustrate a point you’re trying to make, use an example instead. As an expert in your industry, you can use examples from your past professional experience to tell a story in your post. This further establishes you as an authority figure within your business sector and keeps your post interesting and engaging to read. 16. Optimize your images Like white space, incorporating images into your blog makes your articles more accessible and visually pleasing. However, you’ll need to go beyond simply plopping in some photos. Here are a couple of image optimization tips: Resize your photos so they load fast on your blog : The 40 megapixel photo you took with your Canon DSLR will never be displayed on your blog at its full resolution, but instead as small rectangle about one sixteenth of the size. Use an image resizer to optimize your image by resizing it near the size it will show on your website. Add your keywords to the title of the photo : Even if no one sees the file name of the image, Google search bots will, making this another SEO ranking opportunity. Add alt-text to the image: Alternative text or alt text gives you the chance to describe what the image is about. This helps search engines rank images. 17. Don’t write like a scholar When you’re trting to sort out how to write a blog post , avoid using overly complex words. Instead, use language that is easy to understand for any audience. Of course, you may run into industry terms that are technical, but that’s okay if you can explain them in an easy way. On the flipside, don’t write like you speak. While some may want to keep an informal, conversational tone, it’s best to tighten up your language a bit. No one wants to have to go to Urban Dictionary to understand your slang. 18. Write your introduction last Consider writing the introduction to your blog post after you write the body and conclusion. Going through the writing process beforehand can help you introduce your ideas in a way that better reflects the content of the post. Sometimes a blog post takes a direction different from the one you originally intended. Of course, you shouldn’t completely disregard the first tip on this list. Make sure you write with a clear purpose, but don’t hesitate to adapt your post if your angle changes for the better. 19. Proofread proofread proofread You may be incredibly proud of your blog post, but you probably won’t be very happy to re-read it a week after you published it only to find several glaring spelling or grammar mistakes. Proofreading is an essential part of the blogging process that should be done often. Even if you proofread after you write each section, you’ll still want to do it again and again to make sure you catch every possible error. A tip for every blogger is to read the blog aloud to yourself. This is an incredibly helpful way to catch mistakes, as it makes them easier to notice and correct. 20. Categorize your blog post When you’re finished writing your blog, you should always categorize your blog. This is not only an easy way to keep track of the content type you’re producing, but it also makes it easier for readers to find similar content after they’ve finished a particular blog post. 21. Proofread one last time When you think you’re finally ready to publish your blog post, stop. Just for old times’ sake, proofread your blog one more time. This is also a good opportunity to make sure your headings are in order and to confirm you added alt text to your images. Make the final draft pass a proper inspection before sending it out to the world, and press ‘Publish.’ Blog post checklist template Pre-writing Choose a topic: Select a relevant and interesting topic for your target audience. Conduct research: Gather information and data to support your ideas and claims. Create an outline: Organize your thoughts, structure your content and ensure logical flow. Writing and editing Compelling headline: Craft a clear, concise and attention-grabbing headline. Introduction: Hook readers in with an engaging intro, providing context, and introducing the topic. Structured body content: Use clear paragraphs, headings, subheadings and formatting. Support your points with evidence, examples and statistics. Include relevant images, videos or illustrations. Conclusion Summarize key points, reiterate your main message and conclude the post with a strong call-to-action (CTA). Edit and proofread. Check for grammar errors, clarity, and typos before publishing.

More than two-thirds  of large-scale tech programs don’t meet expectations at launch, according to research from Boston Consulting Group. B2B solutions are notoriously tricky, especially when the partner companies are established enterprises. Even more so in channel partnerships, when the end beneficiary is the partners’ customers. There’s a huge amount of trust and communication necessary to develop and launch successful solutions. Wix’s B2B channel partnerships  team prides itself on tailoring solutions to its esteemed partner companies like VistaPrint  and Intuit Mailchimp . The custom integrations must allow a journey catered to the customer and business type , enabling them to understand how to start a business  online with Wix. Aligning on needs—at both the company and customer level—is a crucial part of the solution design process. We sat down with Ahi Ben-David, head of solution engineering for Wix’s global strategic partnerships, to talk about solutioning for effective partnerships and the essential role of a phase that’s often overlooked: pre-sale discovery. Servicing SMBs? Show them how to build a website  to grow their business online. Wix Channels: Welcome, Ahi. Thanks for being here. Can you tell us a bit about your overall approach to solution engineering for Wix’s channel partnerships? Ahi Ben-David: My pleasure. Our team’s approach focuses on bringing value by listening to the partner’s needs, collaborating on strategy and always thinking 360 ° . People often forget that solution design spans the entire sales funnel. We’re present throughout the process, from pre- to post-sales, to support a successful outcome for both sides. We need to be aware of all the moving parts, zooming out and in again to bring all the pieces together. WC: What would you say sets you apart from other SE teams? ABD: Our solutions are “tailor made for you.” We work with global, well-known brands with high standards and specialized needs. So we take the time to listen pre-sale and apply our skills. Wix as a company is highly technical and product-focused , and so is our team. We’ve developed expertise in web integrations and solutions over the past nearly two decades, and we’re up for the challenge. Discovery is our secret weapon. We put an emphasis on it to make sure we’re taking the best approach together before we get started. Why discovery comes first WC: What is pre-sale discovery and why is it important? ABD:  During the pre-sale process, we want to understand where the business partner is coming from, how they work and what they’re looking to achieve. For a successful partnership, I believe we need to have mutual knowledge that can help us get the best business results. The more we know, the better we can plan and execute smoothly. The process includes data gathering and analysis, risk management and qualification for the partnership from a commercial, technical and business perspective. We learn about the partner’s business and their pain points—as well as the SMB customers and their pain points. In parallel, it’s important for us to educate the partner about Wix. Ultimately, discovery is all about ensuring a partnership fit while building the relationship together. WC: Can you share an example of how a thorough pre-sale discovery phase impacted the success of a partnership? ABD:  Yes, of course! During a discovery phase, we learned details about the partner company’s infrastructure that creates different customer journeys and user flows. This can affect conversion to the Wix website builder platform. Luckily, Wix is user-first, so we innovated to prioritize UX. We adjusted the solution, with different flows and utilizing different APIs. If we didn't discover and address this issue early on, the launch could end up ineffective, delayed or costly for the partner company. Instead, we were prepared with the right solution. WC: How has discovery influenced your partnerships and the long-term relationship? ABD: We’ve seen a positive correlation between strong discovery stages and overall partnership health. The channel partners that invested in the discovery stage had smoother product integrations, streamlined optimization processes and a better overall relationship, leading to a successful partnership. Discovery isn’t just best practice—it’s a partnership savior.  Overcoming challenges WC: What are common challenges encountered during the discovery process? ABD:  “We don’t know,” “We’ll check and get back to you on this,” “Let’s make sure to sync on that next week”—these are the phrases we hear often during discovery. So common challenges include gaps in information and misaligned expectations. While this is usually very reasonable, we need to address concerns, not avoid them. WC: How do you determine when the discovery phase is complete and it's time to begin designing the solution? ABD: Good question. Don’t rush into the final solution design too early because discovery takes time and patience. On the other hand, don’t take forever! There are endless questions that can be asked, so it’s important to know when you’ve reached that delicate point to say, “Ok, we’ve got what we need at this stage. It’s time to solutionize.” The truth is discovery never ends, even after implementation. So there will be plenty of time to keep analyzing and evaluating as you go. WC: How do you ensure that the discovery process doesn’t delay the overall sales process? ABD:  I don’t see discovery as delaying the overall sales process. In fact, it can save a lot of time later on. And if the discovery shows there’s no match? Then it's best not to push forward with the sales process at all. We might find other areas to partner in. A new era in discovery WC: How important is it to engage with partners’ technical and business stakeholders during the discovery phase? ABD:  Strategic alignment is crucial. Each team has its role: The Sales team leads the process, Solution Engineering focuses on the integration and makes sure it’s achievable, and Product and Marketing come in with their insights to create a full picture. It’s a collaborative effort. WC: How do you envision the process of discovery evolving in the future? ABD:  As we look towards the future, I believe we’ll improve our processes by using more AI tools for research and data analysis to make our discovery as seamless as possible—staying responsive to what our business partners need. We’re building experience and expertise with every discovery process we lead, resulting in healthy, impactful partnerships. Learn more about how a tailor-made channel partnership  can help you unlock growth for your business.

The U.S. consulting industry is worth an estimated $330 billion in 2023—that’s a big pie to carve a slice from. The opportunity is huge and the payoff rewarding. From creating your own hours to choosing the types of clients and businesses you work with, starting a consulting business offers freedom, stability and lots of opportunity. When launching a new consulting business, creating a business website is a must, but so is finding the right idea for you. Below, we share 23 consulting business ideas that will help you fully embrace your entrepreneurial spirit. 23 creative consulting business ideas to try Career consultant IT consultant Legal consultant Fitness consultant Translation consultant Business consultant Marketing consultant Public relations (PR) consultant Social media management Event planning and production Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultant Animal behavior consultant Healthcare consultant Virtual assistant Personal style consultant Cannabis business consultant Professional organizer Home staging SEO consultant Resume writing consultant Infant or pediatric sleep consultant Creative mindset coach Landscape design consultant 01. Career consultant As a career consultant, you’ll provide clients with guidance around career development and assistance with networking. Your role will typically include helping with job searches, salary negotiations and communications coaching. Career coaching is ideal for entrepreneurs who have a background in human resources. Certificates from life and career coaching institutions can also be beneficial, but they aren’t required. You can differentiate yourself by focusing on a specific market sector or demographic based on your own background (for inspo, read about Nicole Michler's Phase 20 journey ). Like many of the ideas on this list, career coaching doubles as a service business , so creating a professional service website is also an important first step. 02. IT consultant IT consulting businesses provide a wide range of information technology services and often act as an outsourced "tech support" department for small-to-medium businesses (SMBs). Technology and IT consultants can focus on one specific aspect of IT, like cybersecurity and threat management, or offer a menu of IT support packages like server support, data backup and managed IT. These consultants often choose a specific industry to build their business around (like healthcare, legal, SMBs, etc.), but this isn't a requirement. Wherever your experience lies, IT consulting is a great small business opportunity if you have technical expertise and want to branch out on your own. 03. Legal consultant A legal consultant provides guidance on legal matters to businesses or individuals. For example, they may help businesses with compliance issues, contracts and policies, or advise individuals on things like divorce law, accidents/injuries and elder law. For this reason, a person who wants to start a legal consultancy business should have specialized knowledge in a field(s) of law like healthcare, human rights or elder law. Many states require lawyers to have a law license in that state before offering services or taking clients. It's important to research your state's regulations and requirements before launching a legal consultancy business. Learn more: How to make money as a notary public 04. Fitness consultant A fitness consultant works with clients to improve their level of fitness or reach a specific fitness goal. They offer services like one-on-one training sessions (often sold in packages), group fitness classes and meal consulting/planning. Some fitness consultants focus on specific sports or disciplines, like yoga for new mothers, endurance training for marathons or strength and conditioning. Learn more: How to start a fitness business In the U.S., there are no national or state licensing requirements for working as a personal trainer, but it can set you apart if you take the time to get licensed. Training certification programs are available through organizations like the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) or the American Council on Exercise (ACE). 05. Translation consultant Entrepreneurs who specialize in translation do more than help people communicate—they serve as a bridge between worlds, helping people and businesses connect. Translation consultants provide a variety of services including document translation, transcription and live interpretation. To start your business, you should be fluent in at least two languages and be extremely familiar with the culture of the countries whose languages you translate. While you don't need to be certified, it can help you stand out if you have a degree in linguistics. You should also spend some time researching different types of translation businesses, services and needs. This helps you narrow down your focus and is a great way to begin differentiating your company and brand from competitors. 06. Business consultant Business consultant is another hybrid between a consulting and service business idea , covering all aspects of business planning and training. It can include consulting-only services (such as coaching or guidance) or task-oriented services (such as creating a business plan or recruiting leadership). Business consultants tend to focus on one or two areas, such as human resources, marketing, strategy/planning or employee upskilling. Learn more: How to start a successful business Leadership and talent management is an example of concentrated business consulting expertise. Companies like Elsey Consulting Group work with businesses on leadership development, team building, strategic planning and process improvement. All business consultants provide guidance to their clients on how to improve an aspect of their existing business and work with them to develop plans for improvement. 07. Marketing consultant Marketing consultants work with businesses to create, launch and manage marketing campaigns. Depending on the focus, services might include market research, brand development, content creation, search marketing (paid and organic search) and paid digital marketing (creating ads on Google, YouTube, Facebook, etc.). Marketing consultants also provide valuable insights on campaign performance and optimize those campaigns to improve effectiveness. Wix can simplify this process by allowing you to manage Facebook and Instagram Ads and Google Ads right from your website dashboard. As a marketing consultant, this can streamline your workflow: you can easily manage campaigns, optimize ads and track insights all in one place, without having to hop between marketing channels. A background in marketing, particularly in a focused area like mobile marketing or search marketing, is helpful but not required to start a business in marketing consulting. You will certainly need excellent communication and analytical skills, and an interest in the latest marketing and consumer trends. 08. Public relations (PR) consultant Public relations consultants help businesses manage their public image and brand identity, and create buzz about a company, product or person. They're often hired to manage a crisis or maintain a company's overall reputation. Media outreach is a big part of this job, so it's important for PR consultants to have a relationship with editors, media outlets and influencers. If you're early into your career, take some time to build these relationships. This requires some amount of fearlessness and persistence since it involves constant outreach and cold calling. As a PR consultant, you’ll be expected to handle press releases, events, influencer outreach and crisis management. This type of consulting might suit you if you have a background in journalism, communications or media. One way to stand out from competing PR firms and consultants is to build a niche in a specific industry like food, travel or publishing. 09. Social media management Social media consultants help companies create and manage organic and paid ad strategies on social media. The job requires you to stay informed about the latest social media news, trends and platform changes. You should be adept in providing strategic guidance, developing social media content and creating reports that tie campaign goals to outcomes. Your focus could be on a specific platform or tactic, such as Instagram Ad campaigns, TikTok marketing or organic business profile building. While it's easy for companies to build and launch social media campaigns, many SMBs don't have the expertise in-house to run these campaigns efficiently or effectively. That's where you can provide value. To start your consulting business, you should be skilled in leveraging major social media platforms to achieve business goals like lead generation, sales and brand building. 10. Event planning and production Event planning can include planning small events like birthday parties and family reunions, or large-scale events like conferences, trade shows and weddings. Services tend to focus on event logistics, such as venue selection, supplier sourcing and securing vendors. You'll also work with clients to create any content (or secure vendors who do this) for the event, like programs, invitations and announcements. Learn more: How to start a party planning business This is an excellent consulting business for entrepreneurs who are highly organized and adept at project management. While there's not much overhead required to launch an event planning business, you may want to get certified by the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) if you plan to work with larger companies. It helps to have relationships with vendors like caterers, sound engineers, photographers, videographers and printers. 11. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultant A diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultant helps organizations create a safe and inclusive place for all employees. Services provided depend on the need but often include training, workshops and seminars that promote cultural competency and understanding. It's helpful to have a degree in a subject like psychology, sociology or equity/diversity studies so that you fully understand the complexities around equity and inclusion. You should also have experience working with DEI initiatives, either in the corporate or nonprofit space. Most importantly, you should be passionate about social justice and know how to lead DEI efforts from a results-driven perspective. This can also be a great way to make money as a therapist . 12. Animal behavior consultant Animal behavior consultants help pet owners better understand their pets and learn how to establish a healthy relationship. Often, they'll work with pet owners to address a behavior problem like chronic barking, separation anxiety and phobias. Services could include one-on-one sessions, workshops, seminars or online training courses. You’ll need formal training and certification to be an animal behaviorist, including a graduate degree in behavioral or biological science, and hands-on experience working with animals. The Animal Behavior Society (ABS) sets the minimum standards of education, experience and ethics for this field. Depending on the level of certification you want, it’s important to note that it can take several years of training and education to be an animal behaviorist. 13. Healthcare consultant Healthcare consultants help their clients overcome barriers to quality care by assisting with tasks like finding doctors, scheduling appointments, locating specialists and researching treatment options. If you have health insurance expertise, you can even advise U.S.-based small businesses or individuals in selecting health insurers and choosing a plan. There's a huge opportunity for licensed healthcare providers like doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners to help patients navigate a complex diagnosis or medical issue. For example, Swell Health provides this type of guidance on its healthcare consulting website . Swell Health connects visitors with physicians that provide medical opinions on a range of health issues. 14. Virtual assistant Virtual assistants primarily provide administrative support to SMBs and entrepreneurs. Examples of services include managing email, coordinating schedules, overseeing social media accounts, transcribing documents and organizing files. The sky's the limit with potential add-on services that you could offer (based on your experience and interest). For example, you could provide event planning, travel planning or online marketing services, depending on what your client needs. Learn more: How to start a virtual assistant business , How to make money as a virtual assistant Organizational skills are essential to succeed, as your primary job is to keep your clients organized. Proficiency with office software is a prerequisite as well, since this is as much a project management role as it is an administrative one. 15. Personal style consultant Personal style consultants advise clients on clothing, makeup, accessories, shoes and hairstyles with the goal of helping them look their best. They provide consulting sessions on wardrobe selection, color analysis, body type assessment and even closet organization. Style consultants often provide guidance and shopping assistance for special occasions like weddings, and most offer personal shopping trips to help clients select items and build their wardrobe. If you have excellent communication skills, an eye for fashion and a solid understanding of how color and style works with different body types, this could be the business for you. 16. Cannabis business consultant Cannabis business consultants help companies in this burgeoning industry handle the complexities around starting and running a cannabis business. There’s also a lot of red tape around marketing and advertising that companies need help with navigating. Services could include creating a business plan, obtaining necessary licenses, sourcing suppliers and helping clients understand compliance issues. A background in business or entrepreneurship is helpful for this type of consulting business, but if you have expertise in the cannabis industry, that’s enough to get started. Depending on the state, you may need a license to serve as a cannabis consultant and there may be additional requirements for those who want to work with medical marijuana patients. 17. Professional organizer Professional organizers work with individuals and businesses to bring order to chaos. They focus on making cluttered spaces more usable so that their clients can be more productive. This includes teaching clients how to avoid clutter, setting up organizational systems and providing advice on storage solutions. While no formal education is necessary, experts in this field tend to have degrees in related fields like psychology, business or interior design. This is as much a consulting business as it is a service-oriented business, since you'll work with clients to assess their situation and use your expertise to help them create an effective organization strategy. If you have a passion for order, an eye for design and an interest in helping people find balance, this could be the perfect business for you. 18. Home staging Home staging consultants help homeowners get their house market-ready by using techniques and tactics to improve its appeal to prospective buyers. Home stagers provide services like redesigning or rearranging furniture, decluttering, selecting art and advising on room layout. The goal of staging is to show off the property’s best features and give buyers the ability to visualize themselves living in the space. Staging spaces can be done in vacant homes or existing ones (with the owner's permission). If you have a knack for interior design and are familiar with the real estate market, then this is a good consulting business to consider. It may require some upfront costs like furniture rental, but you can pass this onto your clients, so there's not much overhead to worry about. 19. SEO consultant An SEO consultant offers services to help businesses improve their website's ranking in search engine results—notably Google’s. Services offered may include (but aren't limited to) keyword research, content optimization, link building and technical SEO. It's not uncommon for SEO consultants to offer other marketing or specialty services like local SEO (the process of optimizing a website for local search results), social media management and email marketing. Learn more: How to start a marketing business If you have a background in web design, copywriting or digital marketing, there's huge potential to build a business as an SEO consultant. You don't need any certifications, though it’s helpful to understand website analytics tools (like Google Analytics), SEO research tools (like Semrush or Ahrefs) and content management systems. 20. Resume writing consultant A resume writing consultant works with job seekers to create effective resumes that showcase their skills, experience and achievements. The consultant spends time with each client to gain a comprehensive understanding of their expertise, career goals and potential opportunities. They then create a custom resume tailored to the individual client. Services may also include cover letter writing, profile optimization on websites like LinkedIn and interview coaching. Resume writers need strong writing skills, knowledge of hiring trends and the ability to effectively communicate with clients. A background in human resources or recruiting is often the starting point for a resume writing consultancy. In addition, a sound foundation in workflow management skills—and the tools that support them—is helpful since resume writers tend to work with many individuals concurrently. 21. Infant or pediatric sleep consultant Infant and pediatric sleep consultants help new parents establish healthy sleep habits for their baby or child. This is an excellent small business opportunity for entrepreneurs who have a background in parenting, psychology or nursing. It helps to be familiar with the latest research on infant/pediatric sleep patterns and practices, too. Beloved June is an example of a sleep consultancy business that provides a range of services for new parents. The business is owned by Ashley McAlexander, RN, BSN, a certified infant and pediatric sleep consultant. Services include sleep consulting, lactation support and potty training (among others). 22. Creative mindset coach Creative mindset coaches use a combination of coaching and creative techniques to help clients get "unstuck" and overcome creative blocks. They focus on finding solutions to problems and work with clients to move past obstacles that may keep them from producing their best work. Services often include brainstorming sessions, task-based activities, goal setting, journaling prompts, mindfulness practices and life coaching. Learn more: How to start a coaching business , How to make money as a therapist This one's for you if you have experience with the arts or psychology. It's helpful to have experience with teaching or coaching so that you can provide guidance on creating habits that promote creative flow (something all creatives need). 23. Landscape design consultant Landscape design consultants work with homeowners, businesses or both to create beautiful outdoor spaces. They assess the existing state of a space, create a plan to improve the landscape design and help source plants and materials. They may also hire contractors for yard clean-ups, planting and installing hardscapes like decks and patios. Learn more: How to start a landscaping business Landscape designers can explore offering maintenance packages to ensure that their clients' outdoor spaces are well-kept. Unlike landscape architects, landscape design doesn't require professional education and licensing. Even so, it helps to have training and experience in horticulture and landscaping. It's additionally beneficial to have a network of contractors who can provide any hardscaping services needed (this could be part of your value proposition). For more inspiration check out this extensive list of consulting business name ideas or you can also use a consulting business name generator  for inspiration.

To be considered a competitive player in today’s economy, you must possess the right set of business skills. You’ll become more efficient and effective in meeting your professional goals, such as creating a business website and opening up new opportunities. Our article will go over the top 10 business skills you need in your toolbox to stay ahead of the curve and make impactful decisions for your business. What are business skills Business skills refer to various capabilities that can help you excel in the workplace. These include management, financial accounting, communication and planning skills. Hard vs. soft skills When talking about business skills, you need to understand the difference between hard and soft skills. Hard skills are specific abilities necessary to perform a task, such as programming, designing, writing and coding. Soft skills, on the other hand, are more abstract. They refer to task completion methods, such as organizational, problem solving and communication skills. While some people may be naturally communicative or possess other soft skills, no one’s born a Javascript programmer. Why business skills are important Business skills are a crucial component of starting a business , getting ahead in the workplace and increasing overall confidence. Learning a myriad of business skills may result in: Excellent client relationships Profitable sales and marketing channels Motivate employees to improve their performance Greater attention on professional social media, like LinkedIn 10 business skills you need The following business and entrepreneurship skills can highly benefit your professional growth. Communication skills Networking Team building Emotional intelligence Project management Strategic planning Decision making Time management Leadership skills Negotiation skills 01. Communication skills Communication skills tie into almost every other business skill. More than half of small business owners say communication is the most important skill for success. Those owners who maintain good relationships with their employees and communicate in a clear and positive manner may see higher levels of efficiency. The same is true when communicating with suppliers, business partners, colleagues, managers or customers. In the workplace, you need strong communication skills for one-on-one conversations, presentations and business meetings. The best communicators can empathetically listen. Furthermore, when you understand others’ perspectives, you can accommodate their personal needs. In turn, others will have an easier time trusting your leadership. 02. Networking Networking is the art of building and maintaining professional relationships. Your network may include past and present colleagues, college acquaintances or even friends and family. If you’re growing a business, looking for partners or searching for new opportunities, learn how to connect with others in your field—and establish yourself as a leader in your industry. You might want to attend networking conferences, strike up conversations at work functions and connect with people on LinkedIn. 03. Team building One person can't own all work-related tasks. To meet bigger goals, you need a team and learn to work collaboratively. Assembling the right team and managing all members effectively may influence your success. Team building requires you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each individual, knowing how to best motivate each of them and helping them form better relationships with each other. 04. Emotional intelligence Emotional intelligence is the ability to relate to, understand and accommodate both you and your colleagues’ emotions. At times, you’ve got to control your emotions to create a more positive work environment. People who possess this business skill generally have better work performance and communication skills, and can handle stress and conflict more easily. 05. Project management Managing projects is a core component of business. Entrepreneurs, managers and team leaders learn project management for team building, decision making, strategic planning, time management and financial planning. Thus project management is more than just another soft business skill, encompassing a variety of talents and versatility. Every business, big or small, can benefit from talented project managers. 06. Strategic planning A vital business skill, strategic planning involves defining long term-goals and priorities, and creating plans to achieve them. You must know how to break down and analyze pain points to find solutions. Strategic planning also requires critical thinking and solid organizational skills, enforcing habits of successful people in the business world. 07. Decision making Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that decision making is a necessary business skill, from naming a product to choosing the direction for a multi-national corporation (see how to become an entrepreneur ). Today, many owners use data analysis for important business decisions. Learn to process and understand the data at hand, forecast future trends and make decisions accordingly to become an asset to your team. 08. Time management Time is the most precious resource we have to meet goals, come up with budgets and find the best workers for each task. But without proper time management, it’s near impossible to achieve everything you set out to do. You need to know exactly how much time to allocate for each task to ensure you remain on track, especially in your day-to-day work. Use time management tools within your organization and add an online scheduling software to your website to manage business calendars, staff and clients. 09. Leadership skills Running a successful business usually requires more than just one person. At some point, you may need additional people to take on specific responsibilities, but they’ll need your guidance and leadership skills. A good leader will impart their vision to the rest of the team by relaying the company's values and principles. Some leadership traits include honesty, confidence, commitment and creativity. 10. Negotiation skills Sharpen your negotiation tactics to give you the upper hand in almost any situation. For example, Harvard Business School’s Mike Wheeler says to be open to improvisation and plan to think on your feet. “However you happen to see yourself as a negotiator, most people you deal with likely have a different style, at least to some degree,” he adds. Negotiation skills can help you strike better work deals, shorten timelines with suppliers and score bigger contracts.

Yes, Wix does have email marketing and once you've created a website , launching an email marketing campaign is easy to do (and free.) Learn more about how to use Wix  as a website builder and to manage your business. Wix email marketing features Intuitive email editor Wix's easy-to-use editor, make it easy to create mobile-friendly emails in just a few minutes with no design degree required. You can create from scratch or choose from one of the editor's professionally designed templates to give yourself a head start. Then make it your own, tweak the fonts, play with colors, switch up the background even add a video. Whether you’re promoting a product, sending out a newsletter, or just saying hello, you’ve got everything you need, in the email editor, to make it look polished and on-brand. Email automation With Wix's automated email campaigns, you can schedule perfectly timed messages to keep your customers in the loop, whether you’re announcing an upcoming event, running a flash sale or sending a friendly nudge to revisit your store. Want to boost open rates? Add a personal touch with dynamic values that drop in your contacts’ names automatically. It’s a simple move that makes your emails feel less like mass mail and more like a conversation and that should mean more clicks, more engagement and more results. Learn more: What is email automation? Advanced data analytics Wix's in-built analytics allow you to track everything in real time, from delivery and open rates to the exact links people are clicking. Want to take it a step further? Run a split test (A/B testing) to see which version of your content resonates best. It's the easiest way to learn what’s working, what’s not and how to make every future campaign more effective. Email templates Choose from a range of professional designed templates that make it easy to create an email marketing campaign without needing to be a designer. Learn more: What is email marketing? How to create an email marketing campaign with Wix Whether you're promoting a sale, sending out updates, or sharing your latest blog, this guide is designed to help make email marketing simple but impactful. 01. Choose a template or start from scratch First head to the email marketing section in your Wix dashboard. You’ll be asked to choose how you want to start: Use a template : Wix has a range of professionally designed layouts for everything from product launches to templates for events. Create from scratch: Feeling creative? Start with a blank canvas and build your email exactly how you want. Be inspired by these email marketing examples. 02. Customize your email Now the fun part, customizing your email. With Wix's drag and drop editor you can: Add elements (images, buttons, dividers, you name it) Edit your text directly in the layout Choose a theme for fonts and colors Change the background Even switch text direction if needed Pro tip : Keep your message short and sweet, think one to three short paragraphs. Too much text, the more chance of it landing in spam folders. Also, you know your audience, so think carefully about what will resonate with them. Whether its text, images or video make sure to consider all of your options. When designing email layouts, prioritize mobile responsiveness, accessibility standards and a clean, visually appealing format that drives engagement. Balance text and visuals effectively, use proper headings and white space for easy scanning and ensure your calls-to-action are aligned with your messaging. Dor Cohen, distribution specialist at Wix.com 03. Preview and test Before hitting send, remember to review your campaign. You can do this by clicking on Preview and Test (top right of the editor). Click the mobile icon to see how it’ll look on phones Click the desktop icon for the computer version Pro tip: Send yourself a test email so you know exactly what your subscribers will see This doesn’t count against your email quota, so feel free to test away. You can also send it to friends and family to get their opinion. 04. Choose your audience Now it’s time to decide who to send your email to. You can: Pick individual contacts Use labels or segments to group people (like past buyers or newsletter subscribers) Import a list from Gmail or a CSV file if you’ve got new subscribers not in Wix yet Pro tip: Don’t send to inactive contacts, it can mess with your delivery rates and increase the chances of your email going to spam. Wix lets you filter them out easily. 05. Press send (or schedule) The last step is to give your email its final details and send it off. Here’s how to do it. Write your subject line, you can personalize it with your contact’s name or your site UR Set your "From Name" and reply-to email address Choose when to send: either now or schedule it for later Once you click send, Wix will review it to make sure everything’s compliant, and then—boom—off it goes to your audience. And you can share the email link on social too. Your email campaign is live, now what? Once your campaign is live, keep an eye on your data. You’ll be able to see metrics and data that will allow you to evaluate the success of your campaign and identify where you need to make changes to improve your: Open rates Click-throughs Engagement trends Learn more: Why use Wix? Wix Email Marketing FAQ Is Wix email marketing free? Yes and with Wix's free email marketing you get access to a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, designer-made templates, automated emails, audience segmentations and custom reports. Upgrade your plan if you want to add to your monthly email allowance, remove Wix branding from emails, schedule emails in advance, send emails from multiple email addresses or share emails in web view with a custom domain URL. How many emails can I send a month? With a free plan you can send up to 200 emails a month with Wix.

If you want to make a splash in your industry, you’ll need a marketing strategy that nurtures your audience over time. That’s where drip marketing comes in. With a name that brings to mind the tranquility of falling raindrops, a drip campaign is a series of emails scheduled over the course of several days. This strategy tends to generate more engagement - and drive more conversions - than standard email marketing. You can get started with drip marketing using this helpful email marketing service . Here’s a comprehensive overview of the process - including examples of different types of drip campaigns and step-by-step instructions for crafting your own. What is a drip campaign? A drip campaign is a form of email automation that is most commonly used for email marketing . By this method, a series of pre-written, pre-scheduled emails is sent to your contacts over an extended period. The timing of each email in the campaign is based on predefined triggers. For example, you might schedule a particular email to be sent to users after they subscribe, and a second one 3 days after that. This way, you deliver your message in gradual “drips,” adapting your communication strategy to your audience’s behavior. There are several benefits to sending drip campaigns. First, they help you gently nurture your contacts over time, building interest progressively rather than overwhelming them with an aggressive campaign. Since drip emails are targeted and personalized, they tend to be more compelling to users than a single email blast . Ultimately, this technique can lead to fewer unsubscribes and an increased conversion rate. Second, drip emails boosts engagement by keeping your business at the forefront of your audience’s minds. They serve as an ongoing conversation about your brand, establishing trust over time and gently guiding them through the sales funnel. What drip marketing platform should you use? The most convenient way to create drip emails is to do so when you create your own website . That way, you’ll be able to keep all the information about your business - from site data to email marketing campaigns - organized on a single platform. To get started, navigate to Business Tools in the sidebar menu of your Wix dashboard. From there, hover over Customer Management, and then click Automations. Using the Multistep Automations feature, you’ll be able to create a sequence of up to 10 highly targeted email drips based on a single trigger. What are the different types of email drip campaigns? You’ll find that automated email sequences are useful in a variety of scenarios, whether you’re following up with a customer after a subscription or getting them to purchase the items in their shopping cart. Here are examples of the types of drip campaigns you can create: Welcome emails: Create automated welcome emails when a new person signs up, subscribes, or requests a free trial. Let them know you’re glad to meet them, and introduce your company’s products and insights to build a strong first impression of your brand. Lead nurturing campaigns: Write a series of lead nurturing emails that, over time, convinces prospective customers to buy. This can include educating users about your industry, or offering them free trials and consultations. As you move people further down the marketing funnel, consider ways to onboard them to your product, such as getting them to sign up for a webinar or download your app. User engagement campaigns: Craft messages that invite users to return to your site. For example, you might want to send a “We miss you” email to subscribers that haven’t interacted with your brand in awhile, or a “You might also like” email that entices them to browse more of your offerings. Abandoned shopping cart emails: Build email campaigns that re-engage customers, particularly those with full shopping carts who still haven’t checked out. Cart abandonment is a huge problem - in fact, the average rate is approaching 80% - and drip emails can reignite the purchasing process. To close sales, target those shoppers with a series of powerful automated prompts that pulls them back in. Renewal emails: Send renewal reminders to customers if your product operates on a subscription basis. If the renewal is automatic, notify users that their account will be charged with a pre-written automated email. Otherwise, alert them that their subscription is about to run out, and create a drip campaign that prompts users to sign up again for your service. Confirmation emails: Create a confirmation drip that not only thanks customers for their purchases, but that also generates continued engagement. After sending the thank you email, for example, consider re-engaging them with drip emails that promote new product features or accessories. Step-by-step tutorials: Create a series of bite-sized educational courses to share your expertise and generate traffic to your site. By offering subscribers a comprehensive set of drips - rather than a sequence of unrelated emails - you can build interest and engagement in your brand. Try repackaging blog content into a multi-part email crash course, whether it’s a quick SEO tutorial or a series of social media marketing tips. How to set up a drip campaign Ready to create an email drip campaign of your own? Here’s how to get started: Identify your main goal Determine your target audience Plan the campaign Create compelling content Start the campaign Refine your strategy 01. Identify your main goal Perhaps you’re eager to obtain new leads, or maybe you’d like to generate buzz around your brand. Whatever you’re aiming for, it’s important that you have a clear goal in mind as you craft your drip campaigns. To define your goal, think about what you’d like your audience to do by the end of the drip campaign. Do you want them to buy a product? Sign up for a free trial? Re-engage with your site? If you’re having trouble deciding on a specific goal, try seeing whether any of the following resonate with you: Promote a product Make sales Build brand awareness Boost engagement Drive sign-ups or registrations Once you’ve selected your goal, write it down. This will serve as the roadmap for your entire drip campaign. 02. Determine your target audience Email marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all; instead, you’ll find yourself more consistently achieving your goals if your messages feel personal and relevant to your readers. With that in mind, you’ll need to craft different emails for specific subsets of your target market. The process - called market segmentation - involves dividing your audience into different customer types based on their shared features. These characteristics can range from anything from their demographic data to their behavior on your site to their purchasing history. Based on this information, you’ll want to create triggers that determine which campaigns you’ll send to which people. For example, you might create a trigger for abandoned shopping carts. In that case, your segment could be people who haven’t returned to their shopping carts in 24 hours or more. You’d then create a drip email campaign specifically for this segment, with the goal of closing the sale. Another trigger might be a new subscription to your company newsletter . Here, you’d create a segment for new subscribers. You’d then send a drip of welcome emails to people who fall under that category. 03. Plan the campaign At this point, you should know what your goal is in sending your drip emails, and which groups of people you’ll be sending them to. But how many drips should you create? And how often should you send them? On the one hand, you want to keep your audience interested and engaged. On the other hand, you don’t want to annoy them with too much content. Effective email drip campaigns vary from 4 to 10 emails, with a space of 3 days to 2 weeks between messages. You may want to leave a gap of just 3-4 days between your first few emails so that you can engage with users immediately after the trigger. After that, space out your emails further to avoid overwhelming your contacts. Keep in mind that while there are a few best practices, there are no magic numbers. After you send out your first few drip campaigns, analyze your data and adapt the quantity and timing of your emails until you hit the sweet spot. 04. Create compelling content So you’ve defined your goals, determined the segments and triggers, and planned the timing and spacing of your drip emails. Now, you’ll need to dive into the content itself. As you write the emails, aim for a message that’s helpful, interesting, and drives readers toward your desired action. Here are some email marketing tips for creating powerful content: Use strong subject lines: The first step toward a successful drip marketing campaign is getting people to open the message. If you’re feeling stuck, take a look at these tips on how to write an engaging subject line . Make it personal: People are more interested and engaged when they feel that your emails are meant for them . Use your audience segments to determine which messages and promotions will attract different groups. Then, tailor your drip campaigns accordingly. Use a consistent brand voice: Brands, like people, have personalities. Help your contacts get to know - and love - your business by building a memorable brand identity. You can do this by adopting a particular way of speaking or tone of voice in your emails, whether it’s humorous and fun, professional and authoritative, or something in between. Keep it concise: Don’t overwhelm your subscribers with a deluge of new information or big blocks of text. Keep your message short and sweet - with plenty of white space - to make them easily digestible and increase the likelihood of people reading them. Focus on value: Don’t simply use your emails to explain the details of your business or the features of your offering. Instead, focus on how your product or service benefits users. Create a sense of urgency: Make users feel that their next action can’t wait. You can do this by offering exclusive deals with deadlines, such as a coupon code that expires in one week. Include a CTA: Each of your emails should include a call-to-action that guides readers toward your ultimate goal. This should be presented as a prominent button with direct, action-oriented language such as “Start now,” “Download,” or “Sign up.” Build anticipation: Conclude your emails by getting readers excited for more. Include a “P.S.” to drop hints about an upcoming holiday sale, user contest, brand new e-book and more. 05. Start the campaign Once you’ve created your emails and finalized your strategy, it’s time to send them to your audience. Because the process is automated, all you need to do is set the initial trigger (e.g., a subscription to your newsletter) and specify the number of days between the emails that follow. You can do this directly through the Automations Dashboard of your Wix website. 06. Refine your strategy Just like every good marketing campaign, you should continually adapt your strategy to optimize the results. If you’re not meeting your goal, you may find you need to edit the audience segments, readjust the messages, or alter the timing of your emails. Using your email marketing tool , take a close look at your email marketing KPIs . If the open rates are low, for example, try cleaning up your email list or rewriting your subject lines. If conversions are low, try creating more compelling CTAs that entice your audience to click. The bottom line is to analyze the results of your campaign so that you can continually improve with each new iteration. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) What are the main benefits of a drip campaign? Automation, personalization, the nurturing of leads over the long term, potentially increased conversions and higher customer engagement are just some of the key benefits. How do I track and improve my drip campaign? Start by tracking and analyzing key metrics of drip campaigns such as: open and click through rates, conversion rates and ROI. Also consider using techniques such as A/B testing and segmentation to test different versions of your campaigns. What are some important best practices for running a drip campaign? Segment, segment, and segment your email list. It's the only way to make sure you're reaching the right audience with the right content for them. Personalize emails, it works. Don't be afraid to keep testing and optimizing the emails that you send, combine what works from multiple tests and keep trying. Always track your campaign data and use it to make the next one better. Don't overwhelm your email list with content, stay true to your brand and your messaging.

The Minions campaign marketing strategies were so successful that the yellow creatures and their fans seemed to spread across social media channels like—well, hordes of minions. One of the strategies the campaign used was trendjacking. By making memes, creating GIFs that commented on trending events and pairing movie clips with viral TikTok sounds, the marketers helped Despicable Me become one of the best-performing movies of 2022 . In this article, we’ll define trendjacking, discuss its benefits and offer some tips for how to use the strategy. Create a website with Wix to give your social media accounts a central hub. What is trendjacking? Trendjacking is a social media marketing strategy in which a brand uses trending topics, events or memes to connect with their audience. “The number one goal of marketing is attention,” explained Daniel Murray , creator of The Marketing Millennials, a podcast and newsletter that caters to marketing professionals. “Trendjacking is a way to get attention by inserting your brand into everyday conversations.” What are the benefits of trendjacking? While trendjacking holds so much opportunity for businesses, a few of the main benefits include: Attracts followers To gain success on social media, you must attract your target audience and make them want to follow you. Trendjacking shows people that they’ll get engaging content from your brand beyond ads and promotions. Murray says that increasing your follower count can lead to increased business. “Do the math: Only 2% of my audience converts,” said Murray. “If I have 10,000 followers, 2% is 200 conversions. If I have 20,000 followers, 2% is 400 conversions.” Encourages engagement Trendjacking encourages social media engagement because it requires your brand to participate in an already active conversation. Plus, people like to share things that make them laugh. “If you go look at the most shared things on Instagram, it’s memes,” said Murray. “People share them all the time.” Appeals to Gen Z Market research shows that 85% of Generation Z learns about new products on social media. Trendjacking can be an effective Gen Z branding tool because it taps into the generation’s interest in humor, authenticity and creativity. Saves money Trendjacking can be one of the most affordable types of marketing because you just have to capitalize on concentrated attention—you don’t have to build it yourself. It doesn’t require any additional promotion costs and you can develop a post in less than a day. So, if you’re strapped for cash, you can use trendjacking to drum up interest without blowing your budget. Tip : Use Wix’s social media design tool to execute your vision. What are the drawbacks of trendjacking? Although trendjacking can be a cost-effective way to boost your following and amplify your brand, it comes with risks. You could turn off segments of your audience or ultimately miss the mark, impacting your brand reputation. Trendjacking isn’t right for every business, either. The strategy might not fit a business with an older clientele, has a more buttoned-up brand or deals with sensitive subject matter. How to decide if and when trendjacking works for your brand Whether your business can gain from trendjacking depends on if it fits your social media branding . Your company’s social media skills and bandwidth also factors in. “If you think that this is one way to get attention for cheap because you have a low budget, you could put this as one of the things you focus on,” said Murray. “But if trendjacking is just a side thing you’re trying out, then it might not be super successful.” How to make trendjacking work for your business Like most social media trends, trendjacking can be simple if you know how to do it right. Use these trendjacking tips to grow your strategy: Use audience research tools to stay in the know Research the trend Set brand guidelines Dedicate some time to scrolling Get to know your audience Comment Be human 01. Use audience research tools to stay in the know Murray recommends using trend-tracking tools such as Google Trends and social-listening tools such as SparkToro to keep up with the conversation. Set up Google Alerts on relevant topics and notifications on relevant accounts so that you can pounce on trendjacking opportunities as soon as they arise. 02. Research the trend If your post doesn’t hit the mark because you either didn’t fully understand the trend or didn’t have anything new to add to the conversation, you’ll come off as inauthentic. Even worse, you might accidentally participate in a meme that has political or harmful undertones. To avoid this, research the trend before you participate on sites like Know Your Meme. 03. Set brand guidelines Because trends move quickly, speed is essential to trendjacking. You don’t have the same amount of time to plan, design and deliberate on a post. Setting brand guidelines allows your business to move quickly on trends and introduce content that aligns with your marketing objectives and identity. “You have to commit to having guardrails and not micromanaging,” said Murray. “That’s where brands won’t be successful with trendjacking. If you try to make it too buttoned-up, it won’t fit.” 04. Dedicate some time to scrolling The best way to get good at trendjacking is simply to spend time on social media. Murray says that trends usually start on Twitter and Reddit, so spend time on those platforms to stay ahead of the curve. Follow meme accounts as well to keep your finger on the pulse. 05. Get to know your audience Know your target market beyond demographics—you need to know what your customers care about, what interests them and how they communicate. “If you do a Friends meme, but none of your audience knows what Friends is, you’re not going to hit with the audience,” Murray explained. Build a customer profile that identifies what they watch, what they read, who they follow and how they spend their time. This profile can act as a blueprint to help you figure out what posts will appeal to them. 06. Comment If you’re new to trendjacking and don’t know if it’ll fit your brand, start by commenting on viral posts. “People forget that commenting is a way of creating content,” said Murray. “Commenting is a great way of testing content because if your comments get a lot of likes, then you can go and create [similar] content.” 07. Be human The most effective brands approach social media with the same energy that an influencer would. The content managers behind Netflix , The Museum of English Rural Life , RyanAir and Duolingo know that they need to speak the language of social media to tap into the Internet’s power. “We’re in the age of people wanting to follow people,” said Murray. “People want to see behind the scenes. People want to know who works for your company. People want to know that you're human.”

It’s no secret: travel is back. Global travel and tourism is projected to reach pre-pandemic levels in 2022, contributing $2 trillion to the US economy. But the rush to visit friends and family or go on that much needed vacation has resulted in travel nightmares for many. While demand is high, travel-related businesses are still reeling from the pandemic’s layoffs, staff health issues and closures. In fact, 7 out of 10 hospitality operators report that they still can’t find enough employees. As the industry that makes up 10% of the global GDP struggles to adapt to a post-pandemic landscape, many hospitality businesses, airports and airlines have turned to technology to help boost productivity and optimize their efforts. These technologies can be applied across types of businesses. Here are three tools to incorporate into your business website that can help sustain your business growth amid increased demand and less-than-ideal resources: Chatbots According to a Drift survey , chatbots were the fastest growing communication channel among businesses between 2019 and 2020—and these 24/7 helpers really came in handy as short-staffed hospitality businesses looked to support guests through their booking journeys (check out AI customer service to see just how this works). An NYU School of Professional Studies and StaynTouch report found that 10.1% of hoteliers said they planned to use chatbots in their operation in 2022—the biggest industry-wide technology implementation. While your business may not have a chatbot for the same reasons as a hotel, you can use this technology to supplement your exceptional customer experience just the same. Chatbots provide always-on customer support, whether that’s helpful links, account statuses, and supply product or service-related information. “Thinking about the bot as a frontend representative of your product or service can make a lot of sense, and having a delightful bot that provides a useful service can generate strong attachment to your brand,” writes Amir Shevat, Head of Product at Twitter, in his book Designing Bots: Creating Conversational Experiences . Tip: Connect a chatbot to your site to take advantage of these capabilities. Voice assistants and voice search Voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa are one of the most widely adopted tech trends in recent years, particularly in hospitality. And this investment has paid off during summer 2022, as voice assistants stepped in to assist with verbal requests that normally would be funneled to the front desk or concierge. For example, Amazon’s Alexa For Hospitality has been adopted by major hotel chains, including Marriott. The device connects to smart speakers in hotel rooms and enhances the guest experience by allowing guests to adjust their room temperature, book spa and restaurant reservations, order room service and even check out. “I think it’s safe to say it’s already been a game-changer within the industry,” says Melanie Smith, digital marketing manager at Run2, in an interview with Click. Magazine. “Aside from drastically changing the way people search for and consume information while planning their trip, hotels are now starting to utilize voice search to enhance a customer’s experience during their stay.” Thirty-one percent of smartphone users across the globe now use voice search to conduct online searches at least once a week, a demand that hotels have met by incorporating voice search SEO best practices. In that same Click . interview, Justine McNamara , senior SEO specialist at New York-based hospitality technology company Next Guest, says that it’s important to look at what consumers are asking around hotel bookings and having content on the site set specifically to answer popular questions. That way, travelers get their questions answered without having to speak to a live person. Tip: Learn more about how to incorporate these practices into your own website by checking out this article on voice search SEO. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) VR and AR have become popular technological advances in the tourism industry, and the market is expected to reach close to $300 billion by 2024 . Particularly during the height of the pandemic, virtual reality allowed consumers to see new places without leaving their living rooms. Although travel is back, people are still using these technologies to decide where to jet off to by checking them out virtually first, helping to ease the load of concierge and customer support teams. For example, a British resort called The Hub Hotel from Premier Inn, places AR compatible wall maps in each hotel room. When viewed through a smartphone or tablet, the wall maps include additional information about local places of interest, educating tourists on places to check out. Learn more: How to start a hotel business As a small business owner , incorporating this technology onto your website can help you free up sales or customer support staff by allowing customers to try a product or experience on their own before they make a purchase. For example, if you're starting a business that sells kitchen cabinets, you can implement an AR feature that allows customers to superimpose what new cabinets would look like in their own homes through their smartphone screens. Tip: Connect a 3D/AR viewer to your website to implement this technology.

Website backgrounds often do not get enough attention. This is a shame, because a website background has the potential to make or break the entire design. An ideal website background sets the mood and atmosphere you wish to convey, whether you use parallax scrolling or a still image. It catches the visitor’s eye but never distracts from the actual site content. It raises curiosity and demonstrates originality and sophistication. It can be a photograph used as a fullscreen background, a color gradient , or maybe some cute illustrations that decorate the frame. When you decide how to make a website , take some time to think about which background is right for you. Whether you choose to use your own photos or Wix images , your background should make a powerful statement. Here we have a list of websites – all created by Wix users – that boast a really great background. These will give you a good idea of the different types of backgrounds you can choose from. Get inspired! Charlotte Campbell Daza Cultural Jarow Joram Letwory Ken Riley Jr. Ah Yo Open Up Festival Sitzmuster Des Todes Oceanu HH Photo Graphix Melanie Bellemare Steven Weathers Pro tip:  Use background elements like images, patterns, colors, videos, or even interactive features such as custom cursors  and hover effects  to bring your brand’s story and purpose to life.

Social media marketing is a key element in the workflow of every professional nowadays – whether small business owner, service provider, freelance creative or artist. No online presence is complete without it. Just as it is crucial to create a website , learn SEO skills and collect email subscribers, it is absolutely necessary to establish a dynamic social media presence and to devise a social marketing strategy. Part and parcel of a successful social marketing strategy is maintaining a powerful social media schedule. This calendar combines big holidays, interesting cultural events and internet holidays. But why do you need a social media content calendar? Because it can be challenging to create original social content on a regular basis, and special events offer a great opportunity to post excellent content and keep your social channels active. Because these time-sensitive events have a strong sharable effect on social media, and tapping into that can help extend your reach to larger interested audiences. Now that the advantages are all clear, let’s move on to the practical aspect and explore how to create a powerful social media calendar with massive viral potential. It only requires some strategizing, a solid organizational skill and following these steps. Understand what makes your target audience tick Different events matter for different audiences. You won’t find the same level of enthusiasm for the World Series finals among a community of graphic designers as you would among a community of sports fans. Make a list of people your brand wants to engage and chart their interests, passions and subcultures: They could be techies, working moms, foodies or fashionistas. Find out what they do: are they into spending their free time going to movies, clubbing, gardening or exercising? Are they college-aged youngsters, Gen Xers with nostalgia for the 90s, or did they experience the disco era in real-time? Figuring out the answers to such questions helps you define your target audience better, which will, in turn, help you choose the most appropriate and effective dates to include in your social media calendar. Determine your social media strategy goals Generally speaking, every social media action you take on behalf of your brand should be guided by a clear objective. When you know what the desired outcome is, you strategize better, and a social media calendar is no exception. Before you start building your social calendar, clarify what are the broad goals that you hope to achieve in posting this social content: Are you hoping to energize your followers in a lively discussion? Do you want them to share your content with their own communities? Are you building a brand identity by associating yourself with specific events? Are you selling products directly through social media and want to see sales go up? Once you have the larger goals in mind, you can break them down into smaller tasks, like increasing social media followers , generate more leads or creating viral posts. After you have the social calendar more or less ready, and you’re starting to create specific content for individual events, we recommend that you go through this process once again. Ask yourself: What is the goal of this Earth Day post (for example)? Do you want followers to share it, or to comment on it? Are they supposed to click on a link to continue to your online store, or subscribe to your newsletter? Are you promoting some kind of time-sensitive deal? When you know the answer to this, you’ll be able to create a much better post. Tip: Choose from one of these url shorteners to get your links just right for your viral content. Go find those dates! Now, this is the fun part: Put on your research hat and get to work on finding useful, fun and quirky dates to add to your social media calendar. To streamline this process, you can do it in phases: Start with the basics and make a list of important national and local holidays you’d like to include. Do you represent a particular community? Make sure you include meaningful dates that your audience would appreciate: Pride Week, Black History Month, Ramadan or Chinese New Year’s are all great examples. Following the strategizing you completed in steps 1 and 2, think about major cultural events, entertainment happenings or significant dates you can add: The annual Grammy Awards, the Super Bowl, the release of a new Star Wars film, or any similar event that you believe will both be the focus of public attention and is of interest to your audience. Go over lists of online holidays and choose the ones that work best for your brand identity. These things can be silly but also very charming. If you find ones that really resonate with your target audience, you’ll do great. You can also maximize the time around a holiday. For example, posting in anticipation of a holiday or doing a round up post after the holiday has passed. Sample social media pages of brands, organizations and public figures and see what sort of dates they find worthy of mention on their feed (Wix’s Twitter , Facebook and Instagram pages are always a good place to start :) ) Check out the Google Doodle archive for excellent ideas for unique dates. Stay organized! Prepare an actual calendar Unless you have supernatural memory capabilities, you’ll need an actual calendar to keep track of all the dates you gathered. Trust us, the slight effort of entering the dates into a calendar is actually saving you a lot of time and effort in the long run. Plus, working with an actual calendar has multiple advantages: It allows you to make sure that your chosen dates are not too densely centered around the same timeframe. You want your “event” posts to mixed with your regular social content, not focused all at once. It gives you the opportunity to schedule alerts and reminders and set your mind at ease. Seeing the social media calendar in conjunction with your other day-to-day tasks will give you a good idea of how long in advance you need to prepare and work on your posts’ content (we’ll get to that in a minute). In technical terms, creating the calendar should be a breeze. You can either enter the dates into whatever digital calendar you already work with, or you could use a social media calendar template. Plan ahead with copywriting and images You went through all the research and prep work – excellent job! At the end of the day, it’s the content of your social posts that will determine just how successful your social media calendar is. Planning ahead can give you the time and the creative space for generating spectacular social media ideas (another good reason to stay organized and keep track of dates in advance). Take every detail into consideration which can include researching popular hashtags ahead of time, and making sure you're aware of social media image sizes to optimize all your content. Some posts require more real-time response than others. You probably don’t want to create posts about the World Cup Finals before you know which teams advanced to that stage, but you can definitely work on your Mother’s Day post a few of weeks in advance. One of your responsibilities is to determine which posts can be prepared ahead of time, and which require more spontaneity. Match the social content to the event As you create your posts, it’s important that you find the right angle to approach specific dates. A post celebrating Thanksgiving Day should look and sound different from one that celebrates “May the Fourth.” You want to take the essence of each event and find a way to talk about it that will excite your followers and benefit your brand. A helpful step in finding the right content is considering the genre of content that would be the most appropriate. You have many options to choose from: Images, videos, live broadcasts, blog posts, polls, gifs, posts that encourage users to share their own content, games (like image captions or sentence completion posts), and more. While posting photos from your office on Wear Pajamas to Work Day is an awesome idea, for an event like Human Rights Day you may prefer a video or a blog post, explaining in greater detail what this day means to you. Use scheduling tools to never miss a date After all this hard work, the last thing you want is to forget a date and miss out on an opportunity to post terrific content. Fortunately, technology is more reliable than our human capacity to remember everything and multitask perfectly. Scheduling tools, like Buffer , are your friendly little helpers that publish your posts for you. All you need to do is insert the content in advance and pick the exact time you want your posts to go live.