Article Marketing For Business

Like anything else, it is possible to go wrong with article marketing. I`ve put together a list of tips to help you get the most from your articles and boost your traffic and expertise online.

1. Provide real info. It really doesn`t matter how many articles you write, if they are just promo articles full of obvious ads, you won`t get a good response. In fact, quite the opposite, you`ll get a reputation as a scammer. Writing informational articles that actually give people something useful will take you a lot further. Make your articles useful to people and they will share them and bookmark what you`ve written.

2. Spellcheck. Nothing is worse than submitting an article full of spelling and grammatical errors to an article directory. Do you really want to be known as someone who can`t even bother to spellcheck their work?

3. Stick to the top directories. There are a few quality article directories and a whole lot of crud ones. By sticking to the top level of directories, you`ll get the best results for the time spent. Sites like EzineArticles.com and Article Alley are good places to submit.

4. Rewrite the articles. To avoid issues with duplicate content and to help your URL spread around more, try rewriting your articles before submitting to new directories. For example, you might write one article and submit it to Ezine Articles. Then you would rewrite it and submit to another directory, rewrite and submit to a third, etc.

5. Get some help. If you aren`t a great writer or just don`t have the time to turn out articles on your own, invest a few dollars and have a professional freelance writer do it for you. It is well worth the money to hire a professional since you will get quality results. Freelancers will usually do rewrites for a low price, as well.

6. Look beyond article directories. You can use your articles elsewhere with great results. Try guest posting on a blog, creating a Squidoo lens or a Hubpage. There are a lot of other places that your article marketing can go to work for you.

7. Write a quality bio. Your bio or resource box needs to be convincing if you`re going to get people to click on it. Take the time to craft it carefully, or have a professional do this for you.

Article marketing is a great way to boost your business results, but it does take some care and time. If you have that down, you`ll be increasing traffic to your business in no time flat.

Are you targeting the right markets with your article marketing? The advantage of this type of marketing is that you really can focus on specific demographics within your general target group and this means you will get a better response.

What do I mean by this? Let`s look at an example.

Let`s say you`re running a business that sells beef jerky. Your general audience would be people that eat beef jerky, of course, but if you narrow it down, you can write articles that will deliver your information directly to sub-groups like the following:

- Parents who need a quick snack for their kids
- Hikers who need food that lasts in a backpack
- Business people who need a pick me up on the road
- Dieters looking for a long-lasting snack

The list goes on and on. No matter what your market, you can break it down into more specific targets. Then write articles directed at each of those smaller groups and watch the conversion numbers rise!

Some of the best article directories are very picky about the articles that they accept. If you know why articles are being rejected, then you can avoid this problem in the first place.

1. URLs in the text. Most article directories do not allow the use of URLs in the main text body. If you aren`t sure, then take the time to read the rules before you get started. Otherwise, just avoid using any links in the actual article, save them for the bio box.

2. Poor spelling and grammar. Quality really does matter when it comes to article marketing. Not only is it a big part of your reputation management, it`s important to getting your articles accepted by top quality directories. It doesn`t take much to use a spellchecker, but if you are really not good at writing, you might want to have someone else do your editing for you.

3. Too salesy. Believe it or not, the best article marketing is not about sales. It is actually about giving the best information you can. A sales letter not only won`t be published by many directories, but it will be avoided by actual human beings.

Avoid these three problems and keep your article to the recommended length and you`ll find that you are very successful in your article marketing. Getting your articles accepted is half the battle.

When it comes to article marketing, submitting the same article to dozens of article directories isn`t necessarily the best idea. While you will get a lot of links, Google will discount a lot of points because of the duplicate content. So what`s a marketer to do?

The trick to getting your information out there without any problems from the search engines and to maximizing the power of your article marketing is to rewrite your articles. There are several reasons to do this.

No duplicate content. Obviously, if each article is different, Google will rank them all separately.

Faster and cheaper than new articles. Whether you are writing your own articles for article marketing or hiring a writer, rewrites take less time and cost less to do. So you can invest $20-40 in a really great article (or an hour of your time) and then pay just a few dollars to have it redone several times.

Boost your reputation. Article marketing isn`t just about links, it`s also about building a reputation as an expert in your field. Having one article published 50 times isn`t going to do a lot for you, but if you have 50 articles published throughout the net, people are going to start noticing.

More links. People go to article directories to get content for their sites and blogs, but most are going to be wary of using an article they`ve already seen in ten different directories. The more original the content, the more likely others are to use it, giving you even more quality links.

Rewriting is a quick and easy way to extend the life of your average article and makes your article marketing that much more effective.

A huge benefit of article marketing is the ability to rank in several places within the Google search results. If you have 5 articles, plus your website, in the first ten results on Google, then you`re pretty much guaranteed getting a ton of traffic. But how do you do it?

SEO or search engine optimization is key. You need to establish your keywords and use them throughout your articles in a natural way. Most people agree that using your keywords 1-3 times per 100 words is a good ratio and will catch the search spider`s attention without causing it to flag you for keyword stuffing. If you are unfamiliar with keywords and SEO techniques, you can learn about them by doing a quick search.

Use your keywords in the titles of your articles, preferably at the beginning. This will help rank them higher. Also, creating webpages on sites like Squidoo which have high PageRank, can get you even more often into the search results.

All those links are not only great for your site, they can also help you reach more people by putting your information on the first page of search engines!

I`m a freelance writer, so I do a lot of article marketing for other people, as well as for my own websites. Recently, after people had been asking me about methods of free promotion, I decided to compile my knowledge into an ebook, Article Marketing Step by Step, that people can use to do their own article marketing.

Even if you have no experience with writing or article marketing, this ebook is so easy to follow that there`s no way you`ll fail. I literally take you step by step through everything. Here`s what some of my clients have to say about the book.

"Article Marketing Step by Step is an easy to read ebook that really does teach you how to create an article for your business and then market it. I have known about article marketing but have never completely understood it. After reading this ebook I have done several rewrites on articles I already had, therefore prolonging the life of each article. I couldn't have done the rewrites with out the step by step instructions detailed in this ebook. Thank you!"

Karin Magar
www.lovetolabel.com

"Article Marketing: Step by Step Guide is a no-nonsense 'How To' guide for building or growing your business through article marketing. Genesis explains the importance of article marketing, provides clear and easy-to-follow instructions for composing your articles, as well as how to submit your articles to directories, websites and blogs. Unlike other eBooks full of 'fluff', Genesis' work is direct, to the point, and every paragraph has value. Article Marketing is an invaluable manual for anyone wanting to grow a business."

Mark Francis
www.MyRecessionProfits.com

You can buy your copy and download it instantly by following the link below.

Article Marketing Step by Step

Just about everyone is capable of writing their own articles for article marketing, the question is, how long will it take? Is it actually worth your while?

In my book, Article Marketing Step by StepI show people how to turn out an article using a formula that literally anyone can follow. If you know how to work the formula, it`s really not that hard. However, that doesn`t mean that everyone should write their own articles.

When You Should Write
These are a few reasons why you might want to do your own article marketing:

- You are just starting your business
- You`re on a tight budget
- You have more time than money
- You enjoy writing and are good at it
- You want complete control over what is written and don`t trust anyone else to do it right

When You Should NOT Write
You may be a prime candidate for hiring a freelance writer if you meet any of the following points:

- You have more money than time
- Your time is worth more than $20-30 an hour
- Your business is established
- You have a marketing budget
- You detest writing or are not good at it

In the end, the choice is up to you whether or not you`re going to hire a writer. Keep in mind that you can do the writing yourself, it`s not that hard when you know how, but it may not be worth the time you will have to spend on each article.

Article marketing can be done one of two ways . . . spammy or real. I highly recommend real. What`s the difference? Take a look.

SPAM
This method is all about selling and focuses entirely on SEO and search engines. Characteristics include:

- Automatic submission to hundreds of article directories.
- Spamming people who use one of your articles with emails.
- Using sneaky tactics to get people to sign up for emails they don`t even realize they are getting.
- Short (250-300 word) article that are mostly fluff and keywords.
- No real information offered, solutions are only hinted at.
- Long, salesy bios.

REAL
This style of article marketing is focused on SEO, but also on the human beings who will be reading the articles. Characteristics include:

- Hand submission to selected article directories.
- Rewrites of articles so unique ones are going into each directory.
- Making it clear what to expect when someone signs up for your email.
- Longer (400+ words) articles packed with REAL information.
- Bios that give just enough info to make you curious.

It`s worth being real with your article marketing . . . with all marketing, in fact. Remember that this isn`t about keywords and backlinks. You are also building a reputation and if you take the time to create a good one, you`ll be ahead of the game in the long run.