Two Sentences that Make or Break Your Article Marketing Success: How to Write a Resource Box that Attracts Ideal Clients

After composing a brilliant marketing article that showcases your expertise and gives your ideal readers information they love, you'd think your article marketing work was done. But wait! The resource box-those two or three sentences tagged onto the end of all your articles. Think you can just slap something together, drop in a link to your web site, and send the article off? Think again.

Although the article resource box section is often considered an after-thought, it's actually your one chance to convert your casual article reader into a hot prospective buyer for your services, books, or programs. These are arguably the most important two sentences in your entire article. And yet, most articles marketers get them all wrong! They focus on their personal accomplishments, their degrees and accolades, and a whole bunch of other stuff that doesn't make a difference to most readers.

Here's the thing: All your readers really want to know is, "What's in it for me?" If you waste these two sentences in your article resource box going on and on about yourself, then your readers won't see what's in it for them. They'll completely miss it, and as a result, they won't click on your link.

You must have a compelling, reader-focused resource box if you want your article marketing efforts to bring in ideal clients. So let's look at your two-sentence resource box in more detail.

Sentence #1: Who You Are and What You Do

The first line of your resource box is like your elevator speech introduction-it says who you are and what you do. Now, this may seem straightforward, but it's actually pretty easy to mess up. But before I go into more detail about this, let's consider a few examples.

First, "Melinda Copp is a ghostwriter and executive editor of The Writer's Sherpa, LLC."

And second, "Melinda Copp helps self-employed professionals, consultants, coaches, and speakers write and publish to establish expertise, attract a following of ideal clients, and make more money."

Okay, those two sentences both say who I am and what I do. But one of them is MUCH more client attractive than the other. (I'm sure you can guess which one I mean!) So what's the difference? The second one focuses on what I do for other people-what benefits people get from working with me-which immediately allows my reader to make a decision about whether or not they fit into the category of people I can help.

If I were a self-employed professional trying to sell my services online, I'd read example number one and think, "Good for her." But I'd read example two and think, "Boy, she sounds like a girl I need to call."

Sentence #2: The Call to Action, Plus an Incentive

The final piece of your successful resource box is a call to action. This tells your reader exactly what you want them to do to get more information from you, and it gives them an incentive for doing so. In most cases, the call to action is clicking on a link to contact you, sign up for an e-zine, or some other action that gets the reader onto your e-mail marketing list. To entice your ideal clients to click on your link, you should offer an incentive (I usually use a special report) that provides information that person really wants and gives them a sample of how you can help make their life easier. When you have something they want, they won't hesitate to visit your site.

That's It!

The two most important sentences of every article are the ones most people get wrong: the resource box. If you really want to attract ideal clients with your articles, then focus on your readers-not yourself-and give them a clear call to action with an incentive that gets them excited. When you use these tips for crafting your article marketing resource boxes, ideal clients won't be able to resist.