Magic Action Box

This guide assumes that you’ve already installed Magic Action Box. If not, you can head on over to grab the Pro version, or you can also try out our Lite version. After installing Magic Action Box, you should see two new menu items in your WordPress Dashboard – Action Boxes and Magic Action Box Settings.

So, what we’re going to do is to add an opt-in box at the bottom of your blog post. If you’re wondering why the bottom of your blog post is the best place to put your opt-in box, check out this article for the reasons why.

Quick start guide to add an action box under your blog posts:

1. Log in to your email list service provider and grab the HTML form code (not the javascript version).

Some examples of email list service providers: MailChimp, Aweber, Constant Contact.

What it looks like in MailChimp

What it looks like in Aweber

2. In your WordPress Dashboard, create a new action box by going to Action Boxes -> Add New.

You should see a screen like this:

 There are different types of action boxes and you cannot change the type of an action box once you have chosen it’s type. For the purpose of this guide, choose Optin Form.

3. In the next screen, find the Select Mailing List Provider dropdown select box and choose Other (Copy & Paste).

4. Now paste the raw HTML form code that you copied from your email list service provider in step 1 into the Opt In Form Code text box.

5. Then click on the “Process Code” button.

6. Now, you can select a style for your action box

And add in the headings and other text you want the action box to have. You can also show an image to go along with your action box.

7. Now save your action box by hitting the Publish button.

8. Then head on over to the blog post (or page) where you want the opt in box (action box) to appear.

Go to the post’s edit screen and find the Select Action Box dropdown and select the action box that you created in steps 2-7.

You can also choose to show the opt in box before the blog post or after it.

9. Save the blog post and you’re done.

Yes, it is long overdue, but it’s finally done – the first part in a series of tutorials that will help you make the most out of Magic Action Box Pro and Ultimate.

There are so many things that you can do with these versions of the plugin that it is pretty insane.

(more…)

Creating a blog for your products is a great way to reach your target audience and promote interaction. It can be used as a leverage to convert potential customers into buyers through optimized content while also building a connection with them. It allows you to tackle certain issues that your target readers are concerned with and provide your input, solutions, or new perspectives.

So, is your blog producing results? It is one thing to get a heap amount of traffic but it is another thing to convert that traffic into buyers or subscribers. What can you do to easily make visitors do what you want them to do when they visit your blog?

The very first thing you need to start with is to clearly define what you want to attain from your visitors so that you would know exactly what you want them to do. Are you building an email list, selling products, or getting information? If so, then make it clear and start from there.

Once you know what you want to get, then all you need now is to clearly guide your visitors to that action.  This is where a lot of blog owners get it wrong. They write amazing pieces of content but fail to draw out a clear pathway on what they want because they are not aware that their readers are just waiting for them to provide that all important next step. Giving a clear and concise call to action is what separates a good post from a great post that converts.

What is the Purpose of Your Call to Action?

A call to action is more than a mere phrase that tells people what to do. It helps your content push people towards a decision to act or not. The purpose is not just to make someone click, or sign up but to show them the benefit of making that particular action.

It also makes it easier for your visitors to realize the benefits and advantages of building a connection with you via your blog. It helps in easing their concerns which is essential in their decision to invest in your services or products.

Examples of Calls-to-Action Telling A Reader What to Do

So, how do you effectively incorporate calls to action into your blog?

With the information and technology available right now, there are numerous ways to take your readers to the next level using your calls to action. Some incorporate them in blog posts which can serve as a navigation tool while also offering content while others place it before or after the post using an interesting phrase or sentence.

A majority of blogs these days operate under the WordPress platform mainly because of the flexibility and freedom that can be done with it. Numerous plugins make it easier for bloggers to do certain tasks without the need for manual coding. You can even find plugins that helps you incorporate effective calls to action in your blog posts.

Lastly, incorporating a great call to action will make all the difference for your blog. Supercharge your blog posts with effective calls to action that emphasizes value and see your conversions hit the roof. Remember, it’s all about telling people what to do.

Do you have your own way of making calls-to-action that convert? Or a unique way to boost your blog posts?  I’d like to hear from you!

So, you’ve bought Magic Action Box Pro since the first public release and have been upgrading your plugin with no apparent mishaps. Now, you just heard about our latest and biggest update so far, and you, being the excited owner of MAB, log in to your WordPress website to upgrade your purchased plugin and see what goodies we have for you this time. Upgrading is painless. Then you check out the pages where your action boxes are and instead of seeing your action box styles that you’ve spent 5 hours creating

 You instead see this ugly pile of unstyled text.

Come to think of it, it doesn't really look like an ugly pile of text. Tell you what, just take our word for it.

Now, before you hit our support page and tell us how we screwed up this update, read the little blurb below about one teeny, tiny issue about the action box styles.

Who needs this fix

The blurb below applies to users who

• have been using Magic Action Box Pro prior to version 2.8 and
• like to design their own action box styles and now find that their action boxes looks ugly (unstyled) after upgrading to version 2.8.

If the two criteria above applies to you, then know this, you can fix this. Read on how.

Basically, the issue is the result of an improvement to the way you create action box styles. Where previously any styles you created apply only to that one action box you created it in, now, styles are created globally and can now be applied to multiple action boxes.

So, where previously, if you had 15 different action boxes and you wanted all 15 action boxes to have the same style – a style you proudly came up with – you had to go through each action box and set each action box style settings. One by one. All 15 of them.

But with version 2.8+ you just create one style that you assign to all 15 action boxes and avoid getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as an added benefit. Lovely.

“But I’m still seeing this ugly pile of text!”, you say.

Not for long. MAB Update Tool to the rescue.

The Fix

Simply 1) Install,  2) Activate, 3) Find under Magic Action Box Settings › Update Tool and you’ll get something like this

What this tool does is it takes the styles you’ve created prior to upgrading to version 2.8+ and saves it as a global style – hence the button Globalize Style. Red indicates action boxes where you are using your own created styles and you haven’t converted the style yet.

After clicking on the Globalize Style button, visit Magic Action Box Settings › Styles and Buttons to make sure that the style you created previously has been converted to a global style.

Next, edit each action box that need to use the style that you just converted and assign that style to the action box.

Save. And you’re done. Ugly pile of text gone.

If you’re still seeing the problem, try using the Clear Cache button found under Magic Action Box Settings › Main Settings › Other Settings Section. If that still doesn’t solve it, that’s the right time to tell us about it.

The latest version of Magic Action Box (MAB) Pro is now available for download in the members area.

This is the third major release since we launched MAB and while most of the big improvements have been made “under the hood” – we refactored a lot of code to make way for the features we are planning for future releases – we also have some treats for our users.

New Action Box Type – Share Box

Share Box is the latest action box type added to MAB. It’s essentially an Opt In Form action box + social sharing, adding more opportunities for your content to go viral! Check out the Share Box below styled with one of our new styles – Purity.

Shortcode and Template Tag

We have improved the shortcode and template tag function You can now show any action box using the shortcode:

[magicactionbox id="ACTIONBOX_ID"]

or if you you’re comfortable tinkering with your php template files, use the template tag:

mab_get_actionbox( ACTIONBOX_ID );

Global Styles

If you like to unleash the creative inside you and creating your own action box styles, you will welcome the switch to Global Styles.

Where previously the action box style only applied to the action box it was created in, now styles are created separately and can be assigned to multiple action boxes.

**Note: If you have previously created styles, you will need to use the MAB Update Tool to convert your styles to global ones. This tool will extract the styles you’ve created for your action box previously and save it as a global style under Magic Action Box Settings › Styles & Buttons menu.

Check out this video to see some of the cool new things in MAB 2.4!

Remember, become an affiliate and make 50% of all sales of Magic Action Box!

This post will help you to do two things. The first is that it’s going to help you to get the attention of your visit visitors who visit your site. The second, is that it is going to help you to qualify those visitors so that your list is very clean, and provides more value not only to you but to your prospects.

The reason for this post is because I got a couple of requests asking “how do I put magic action boxes in my sidebar?”

Well, you can’t, and there’s a reason for that.

The primary purpose of magic action box is so that you follow two very effective marketing strategies. The first strategy is the idea of Above the Fold marketing.

Now Above the Fold marketing has to do with grabbing your visitors attention by showing them something that is featured on the page before they have to scroll down. This gives them an opportunity to see that there’s valuable content that they might be interested in without having to find it. Often a reader will only visit your site because they came from a search engine for specific content. Once that content is consumed they will move onto the next website. If you can grab them before they read your content you’ll have more of an opportunity to build a relationship with them and to offer them something of benefit.

The second reason is to qualify leads. As people are reading your post they are determining whether or not they trust you, believe what they you have to say, and find the content valuable. If they do find it to be of value then they’re much more likely to opt into your list.

Now, having a form in the sidebar is not a bad thing but it means that you’re getting get far less people qualified on your list and you get a grab far less attention than something that is above the fold. Just to give you an example of what I’m talking about, in the video above you will see a list of that I recently started building that is based off of a single blog post. You’ll see how fast it grows simply because of the qualification of leads. You’ll see how easy it is to be able to give them viable information.  However, if you want to have a cool looking form in your sidebar, you can have one designed via fiverr.com for $5.

That post in and of itself accounts for about 85% of all people subscribing to my e-mail list. About 10% – 14% of my optins come from my other action boxes, and the other 1% comes from my sidebar. So not only do I have people up on my e-mail list I know exactly why they’re opting in and I can then offer them services  and other benefits that they find valuable, and possibly make money while I’m at it.

The ultimate goal is to get people into your sales funnel effectivively, and to do it in a way that saves you time and hassle. If you have a list of people who opted in for one reason but never open your e-mail, then you have a list that is not very valuable. You’re paying for a service to house these e-mails that are bringing nothing back!