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Article Marketing for Your Business

Article Marketing for Your Business

 

The Idea

 

Article marketing is one of the best possible ways to promote your business on the Internet.  The idea underlying this proven strategy is simple, yet powerful.

 

You create articles providing Internet users with information and perspective.  Those articles, in turn, drive traffic to your website.  It’s that simple. 

 

It’s the core strategy underlying countless successful websites and it’s an approach you can easily put into use to support the online component of your business.  Article marketing combines great results with low implementation costs, giving you an optimal return on your marketing investment.

 

Let’s take a moment to examine article marketing.  We’ll look at why it works, how to write articles and solutions for those who don’t consider themselves writers at all. 

 

Why it Works

 

            Content is King

 

If there’s one mantra that’s repeated more often than any other in the world of website promotion, it’s “Content is king”.  Written content is the hub of the online universe.  Everything rotates around it.

 

Ask yourself a question.  Why do people use the Internet?

 

They get online to find information.  They might be looking for a good Italian restaurant in their area.  They could be searching for last night’s sports scores or a movie review.  They may be hunting for a contractor.  The details change, but the underlying motivations remain the same.  People use the Internet to connect with information.  We refer to that information as “content”. 

 

When you provide them with information they can use, you put yourself in position to succeed.

 

That’s why article marketing is the most solid method of online business promotion.  It isn’t a trick or a gimmick.   It’s not an attempt to fight the Internet; it’s a way to become part of it in a meaningful and productive way.

 

            Driving Traffic from Your Articles

 

Article marketing sends people directly from the content you create to your website. 

 

After you write or obtain quality written content, that material is placed on the right websites.  You might be relying on article directory sites or on a cooperative marketing site for that purpose.  Either way, the same sequence of events transpires.

 

People find the information.  They read your content, which is published with links to your website.  After reading the content, many of those readers will follow your link for more information and to learn more about your company.  Your articles produce visitors to your website.

 

How do they find the content in the first place?  That will depend on your exact approach.  Many of the sites upon which you might opt to distribute your content receive a large and consistent flow of traffic from those using search engines.  They may also have a steady level of direct or “type in” traffic, too.

 

            Helping with Search Engine Traffic

 

The visitors your articles produce would independently justify article marketing.  It just so happens, however, that there is an additional advantage to producing and distributing good written content.  It can actually create a conduit between search engines like Google and your website.

 

Have you ever wondered how Google decides which websites to show you after you perform a search?  The algorithm that generates those results is a secret and it involves hundreds of factors.  However, we know one of those factors is the presence of links from other websites pointing toward yours.

 

Search engines notice when one site links to another.  They interpret those links as votes of confidence, assuming that if others are linking to a site, it must have some value. 

 

When you publish articles, you do so with links to your website intact.  The search engines find those links and realize that they’re pointing to your site.  Interpreting them as proof of your site’s value and authority, they may reward it with better rankings when people search for terms relevant to your business.

 

In other words, article marketing doesn’t just funnel traffic from distribution point sites to your own.  It goes beyond that, providing search engines with a good reason to rank your site high in the search results.

 

 

            Branding

 

Most business site operators are primarily interested in securing traffic.  As we’ve discussed, article marketing encourages traffic on two different levels.  That’s not the only advantage of the technique, however.  It also provides you with a chance to promote your business, emphasizing what makes you special and aiding in your branding efforts.

 

That works because every article you create becomes an ambassador for your business.  It can capture your tone, outlook, expertise, and attitude.  The links to your site we discussed earlier are generally embedded in “resource boxes” in which you can place custom messages designed to further your business and branding approach, too.

 

 

How to Write Articles

 

            An Informative Outlook

 

Only a small percentage of those using the Internet are actively seeking sales messages.  Most users don’t want a heavy-handed sales pitch.  They want information.  If you provide them with quality information and show them that you understand their interests and concerns, however, you can prime them to be receptive to a marketing-oriented message.

 

That’s pre-selling and it’s one of the many things article marketing does so well.  By providing quality insights to readers, you can increase your level of perceived trust.  Good articles attract visitors, transform them into prospects and lead them to your site where they become paying customers.

 

Those with solid writing skills can carefully craft articles in a way that go just beyond mere recitation of facts.  They can actually act as a subtle method of persuasion, leading visitors to your website with a motivation to use your product or service.

 

            Quality Craftsmanship

 

You don’t need to have the skills of a professional writer to make article marketing work for you.  Many of the most successful article marketing projects were assembled by website operators who would never identify themselves as top-rate writers.

 

However, it is necessary to have a solid grasp of the fundamentals.  Spelling, punctuation, structure and other similar factors do have an impact on the ability of articles to drive traffic to your site.

 

Will an excellent writer’s work outperform that of an amateur with basic skills?  Of course.  If all other variables are constant, a good writer will produce better results than an average one.  It’s important to recognize that great results are still within the reach of those who don’t necessarily have a “way with words”.

 

            Tricks of the Trade

 

You could say that there’s more to article marketing than initially meets the eye.  The process is simple and easy to understand, but managing key details is invariably part of the strategy’s success. 


We didn’t assemble this overview of article marketing to explain every factor that can influence the technique’s success.  However, it is important to have at least a passing understanding with some key concepts.  The points we’ll cover don’t represent an exhaustive list of the factors that go into article marketing, but they should give you an idea of how different variables can come into play as you promote your site.

 

 

                        The Right (Key)words

 

In order to attract as much traffic as possible, you need to include the words search engine users are querying within your content.  These are called keywords and they can spell the difference between a modest success and outright domination within your niche.

 

You want to uncover keywords that are indicative of a desire to purchase your product or service. 

Information, not sales pitches.  In a perfect world, you’d find keywords for which people search frequently that aren’t already well-served by existing websites.  Terms that fit within the “high demand, low competition” model can be treasure troves of traffic.  You can rank among the top search engine results when people make those queries, resulting in a solid flow of visitors to your articles and your website.

 

                        A Fantastic Headline

 

Headlines can play a huge role in the success of an article.  Experts maintain that you only have a few seconds to capture the interest of readers.  That makes your headline arguably the most important part of your article.

 

Experienced article marketers make a point of devising powerhouse headlines.  They use a variety of proven techniques for maximizing response including the use of enumerated lists, certain types of questions and specific structures.

 

                        Hitting the Right Note

 

Articles are informative, but that doesn’t mean they need to sound like an excerpt from the Encyclopedia Brittanica.  Part of writing a great article is finding your voice as a writer and communicating ideas in an interesting, engaging way. 

 

You want your text to propel readers toward your resource box link.  When they get there, you want them to have a positive sense of what you have to offer and of your subject matter expertise.  When you’re hitting the right notes in terms of your tone, you can do just that.

 

             

            Commitment and Consistency

 

The power of article marketing is cumulative.  The more of it you do, the better off you are.  That’s because, unlike many other forms of site promotion, content has an indefinite lifespan.  If you’re paying for visitors by advertising, the traffic stops when you stop paying for the ad.  With article marketing, your content continues to attract visitors.

 

That means that a consistent commitment to content production and distribution can lead to amazing results.  You can still get some benefit out of article marketing as a “one off” experiment, but its true value becomes clear when your content begins to pile up!

 

Solutions for Non-Writers

 

            Reasons to Consider Alternatives

 

As we mentioned earlier, almost anyone can successfully use article marketing.  However, there are those who would prefer not to work through the process.  Although article marketing isn’t complicated, it can be labor-intensive.

 

Those who write slowly or simply don’t enjoy the process may be wary of article marketing.  Some business owners won’t have the time to deal with article writing and others may recognize that their time could be more productively spent on other tasks.

 

Article marketing will work for any kind of website, but it isn’t always an ideal fit for every kind of site operator!  Luckily, there are alternatives that will allow non-writers to tap into the power of article marketing.

 

            Writers for Hire

 

The obvious solution to the “I don’t want to write all of that content” problem is to outsource the task to a professional freelance writer.  Fortunately, there are many such writers who specialize or who have experience in producing material specifically designed for article marketing. 

 

Hiring a writer does increase the price of article marketing, but it doesn’t destroy the potential return on one’s investment.  Instead of trading time for results, one simply trades a monetary investment for the profit-pulling traffic article marketing generates.  After the sales are logged and the numbers are crunched, article marketing still stands as an exceptional bargain.

 

Additionally, as we noted earlier, professional writers will generally outperform novice writers in terms of results.  Outsourcing content production can generate results that will more than justify the expenditure involved.

 

             Finding Writers

 

In order to make outsourcing work you need to find a freelance writer who can handle your job.

 

While some may have luck utilizing online classified ad services like Craigslist.com, this strategy can be time-consuming and inefficient. Additionally, one isn’t likely to find the best talents scouring these ads.

 

Other site operators swear by “bid board” marketplaces like Elance.com and Rentacoder.com.  These well-trafficked websites allow you to post a job and to entertain bids from interested persons.  When handled correctly, these sites can offer a good combination of value and buyer security. 

 

Unfortunately, wading through numerous applicants, handling project inquiries, interacting with the site interface and the number of sub-par bidders populating these boards can make the process of finding a writer on these sites problematic.

 

Another strategy for finding a good article marketing writer is to enlist the assistance of a content broker.  These services allow the buyer to interact with a professional project manager who will line up and supervise writers to meet your article needs. 

 

Content brokers like ArticleWrangler.com often attract experienced writers and offer a level of protection and convenience that can make outsourcing your article marketing project easy and productive.  Your point of contact when dealing with a quality content broker will have a clear understanding of exactly what you need and how to make sure you get it.