HOME BASED BUSINESS.

Article Marketing Made Easy!
By: Cori Fox
There’s no doubt about it, article marketing is here to stay. Many
people are finding it to be a viable strategy for quality, free
advertising. What could be better than free advertising? The problem
though is that many people think they can just slap a bunch of
sentences into a Word document, insert keywords every other line and
voila! You’ve got an article. The truth is articles are actually meant to
be read. They should inform the reader, not annoy them. If you’re
looking to join the ranks of hundreds of successful internet marketing
campaigns you’ve come to the right place. Consider this your guide to
all things article marketing. Let’s get started!

BEFORE YOU WRITE THE ARTICLE
Consider first, what are people interested in reading about? Before you
actually write the article you may want to do some research to find
what people are talking about out there. A few resources you may
want to look into are:
Groups.yahoo.com – If you are interested in writing on a particular
topic, you can find out what people are talking about here. This
resource is simple and easy to use. If you don’t already have one,
create a Yahoo! User ID. After you have your username and password,
simply login and select from any of the categories. Joining a group
allows you to see firsthand what other group members are interested
in through regular postings.
Ezinearticles.com – Since you’ll be writing an article, it makes sense
to see what articles people are out there reading. Here you can view
most recently added articles or drill down into your specific topic of
interest for the most popular articles.
goarticles.com – Here you can not only see recently submitted
articles, you’ll also see the top downloads in the past 30 days to see
what kind of response people are getting in regards to the content.
Search the internet for other article sites and resources for hot topics
of interest.

DO YOUR RESEARCH
You’ve got a topic but do you have a keyword? It’s a good idea to
research which keywords people are searching for.
One resource to help you come up with different keywords is
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordSandbox . Type in
“collectible coins,” for example and the tool will give you a list of
similar keywords people are using.
Another great keyword resource is http://Inventory.overture.com.
Again, type in your topic of interest and voila! You’ve got a list of not
only the top keywords, but the number of times people have used
these terms in the past month. Keep in mind though that you may not
want to select the #1 keyword for your area of interest as there’s sure
to be lots of competition. Try selecting a somewhat lesser used
keyword to help weed out some of the competition while still targeting
your specific audience.

WRITING THE ARTICLE
Now that you’ve done your research, it’s time to write the article. The
internet is already chock full of poorly written articles and content; so
why not put some really great information out there for a change?
Many people feel they can write just any old article by inserting as
many keywords as possible and submit it to article sites. Stuffing a
bunch of words into an article isn’t enough to be effective. The truth is,
article sites really don’t want this garbage out there and neither should
you. Your article should entice the reader instead of making them want
to keep moving. Your goal should be to write useful, informative
content people will actually get something out of. A sales pitch is not
proper article writing. The article itself is not where you sell a product.
Would you take the time to read someone’s sales pitch if you didn’t
have to? Probably not. Think about the last time you read an article all
the way through. Was it informative? Educational? Amusing? Chances
are there was something you took away from the article or learned
about that you didn’t know before.
The great thing about articles is if someone finds it interesting enough
they will take it one step further by posting it on their own website. In
two words, FREE advertising. Consider if 20 people read your article
and 5 of those people chose to re-publish the article on their own site.
That’s 5 extra links you now have pointing back to your site for the
one article you submitted. Imagine the possibilities!
HOW LONG SHOULD MY ARTICLE BE?
A decent length for an article is anywhere between 400 to 1,200
words. If your article is too long your readers may lose interest. If it’s
too short, it’s probably not enough to be informative. The key is to
strike a balance between too short and too long.

THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL
Generally, it is a good strategy to pick your top keyword and insert it
into the title as long as it doesn’t compromise the quality of the title. It
has to make sense though, don’t insert the keyword here just for the
sake of doing so. Let’s use the example of coin collecting again. If this
is the top keyword you’ve selected, select an appropriate title with that
in mind. Say you’ve got your heart set on a certain title but also want
to make sure the keyword gets in there. Take Coin Grading Services
for the Novice for example as your desired title that you want to fit
your keyword into. Coin Collecting Grading Services for the Novice
doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and it’s a borderline tongue twist.
Coin Collecting for the Novice works much better. Keep in mind the
title will be the first thing readers see when they come across your
article. Make it a good impression.

LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, THE FOOTER
One of the most important pieces to your article besides writing quality
content and having a catchy title is the footer. The footer is your
reader’s call to action; the reason you even wrote the article in the
first place. Here is where you can get sales-y if you desire but again,
only if it makes sense. If you’ve written an informative article and
want to push your readers to the next step (and you should) you’ll
want to have a punchy footer. The article should have been so
informative it left the reader wanting more. Offer them something
whether it be free information, an ebook or an opt-in weekly
newsletter.
Here are some examples of effective and ineffective footers:
(Where’s the link back to her website?)
Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work
quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rojo_Sunsen
(This footer gives you a reason to want to visit their website – free
stuff!)
Boost your ebook sales with quality 3D ebook covers! FREE 34+ clipart and
photo resources. Quality custom design of Web graphics
http://www.QualityEbookCovers.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leva_Duell
(What incentive is there to visit this person’s website?)
Further details:
http://www.ysg.org
http://www.comtec.com
About Comtec Enterprises
Comtec Enterprises has provided specialist IT support services since forming in 1994. The
company is part of a national group of companies based in Surrey and provides efficiency
based business solutions. The company follows a clear, simple strategy of supplying highly
qualified consultants to a range of companies to meet their IT consultancy needs.
(This one is just right)
Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours. Recent Entrepreneur
Magazine's e-Biz radio show host is turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight
Success Stories. Discover The Secrets To Unleash The Powerful Promoter In You! Sign up for
Matt Bacak's Promoting Tips Ezine ($100 value) just visit his website at
http://www.powerfulpromoter.com or http://promotingtips.com
Starting to get the idea?
When writing your footer remember, less is sometimes more. It should
be as concise and to the point as possible utilizing approximately 2-5
lines at most (any more and your reader could lose interest).
A mistake many people make is including a URL but not including the
“http://” portion. This is absolutely imperative because if you leave
this critical piece out, your link could be sitting dormant at the end of
your article. Make it simple for your readers; don’t force them to have
to copy and paste the URL into their browser. Besides, many are much
more likely to click through if the link is active and ready for them.
WHERE’S THE END OF MY ARTICLE?
Something else to consider is that you’ll want to clearly differentiate
your footer from the article. If the site you’re submitting to accepts
html, put a horizontal line between your article and the footer. Some
sites even have a separate box for footers completely separating it
from the article. It should be obvious when someone has reached the
end of your article.

NOT A WRITER? NOT A PROBLEM
You may be thinking to yourself that you’re not a writer, you don’t like
to write or you just don’t have the time to write. No problem. You can
outsource this kind of work via freelance boards like
http://www.elance.com or http://www.sologig.com/. There is a wealth
of freelance writers just waiting to make themselves useful. Many offer
reasonable prices for their services attainable to anyone from the
novice to the seasoned marketer.
Once you’ve submitted a job and start receiving bids, you’ll want to
pay close attention to a few things when selecting a writer. First, what
is their history? If the writer has worked through a freelance board
previously, they’ll have feedback left by other buyers. While it’s not
imperative that you select a writer that has feedback, it can be helpful
in knowing who you’re dealing with.
Next, what is the writer charging you? You get what you pay for so
selecting the cheapest writer here may not save you a couple bucks in
the long-run. Your goal should be to attain a well-written article that
isn’t just an everyday, run of the mill keyword-rich page.
What is the writer’s experience? Schooling? Language skills? By taking
a look at their writing samples you should be able to get a pretty good
idea of what kind of writer they are. If they won’t provide sample
work, don’t work with them.
A good ghost writer isn’t just a writer but also a researcher. Quality
writers can write an informative article about any subject you want.
Look for a variety of writing styles in someone’s writing examples.
If you can’t choose just one writer, why not try two of them to test
each person’s writing abilities? Assign them both the same article and
see who does it best. If you like the results and plan to continue your
article marketing form a relationship with your selected writer. This
will save you the time and money of having to find a new writer every
time you need an article written.

A WORD ABOUT ARTICLE WRITING SOFTWARE
Rather, three words. JUST SAY NO. There’s really no substitute for
content written by a real person. The software you can buy to write
articles for you may make the task of writing that content slightly
easier for you, but it won’t be the kind that you’ll want to put your
company’s name on. The quality article you’ll get from a real live
writer versus a software tool is second to none. Remember, you want
interesting content one in which your reader will take something away
from and want to visit your website to find out more. A canned article
service simply cannot provide this the kind of content that’s specifically
written for your product or website. Enough said.

FORMATTING YOUR ARTICLE – WHAT YOU SEE MAY NOT BE
WHAT YOU GET
Some article directories will ask that when submitting your article it should not be
formatted. To do this,it is highly recommended that you use a tool
such as Text pad or Note tab instead of Microsoft Word or Notepad.
Even though you may think you’re saving a document in Microsoft
Word or Notepad as unformatted, your finished product once it is
published on someone’s site may look nothing like what you intended
it to look like. Text pad will allow you to insert hard breaks (returns)
and set how many characters per line you’d like. Plus, your finished
product will look much closer to how you intended it to look.
CONVERTING ARTICLES TO HTML
For sites that do accept HTML, you may want to use software that does
this automatically for you. Text to html converters can be found at
sites such as http://www.boxersoftware.com , www.easyhtools.com or
http://www.html2text.com. Some of them are free and some of them
are not. Try experimenting with different software (some of them offer
free trials) to find the one that works best for you.

SUBMITTING YOUR ARTICLE.
There are three kinds of article submission sites. They are Article
Directories, Ezine Publishers and Article Announcement Lists
Article Directories maintain a search able database of articles organized
into topic categories. Companies looking for fresh, informative content
for their site often go to sites like these. Examples are
http://www.articlecity.com/ and http://www.ezinearticles.com/
Ezine Publishers are companies wanting to market themselves by
creating email newsletters to send to their list of subscribers. This is a
good way for a company to maintain contact with subscribers and
promote branding. If your article matches an ezine publisher’s target
audience they will want to include it as an informational resource to
their subscribers. Subscriber lists can reach into the thousands
depending on the company. Examples of ezine publishers are
http://www.directoryofezines.com/ and
http://www.ezinepublisher.org/
Article Announcement Lists maintain a database of subscribers desiring
fresh content for their website or ezine newsletters, for example. When
new content has been submitted within a subscriber’s selected
category or categories they are notified. This makes it easy for others
to locate new articles instead of having to hunt them down on their
own. By submitting your articles to an announcement list you greatly
increase the likelihood of having your article published in multiple
locations on the internet. Examples are http://submityourarticle.com
and http://www.ezinearticles.com/
When submitting to any of the above resources, be sure to mention
that the article is available for reprint within ezines, websites and blogs
so others know it’s ok to re-publish your article.
In order to submit your article to an announcement list or directory,
you must first subscribe to the each site you’d like to submit to. Do a
Google search for “Article Announcement Lists” or “Article Directory” to
locate them. Since there are hundreds of article sites out there it
might be helpful to keep a list of the sites you’re interested in
submitting to or have submitted to. If you request to subscribe to a
site or send an email to a list and you don’t hear back from them,
don’t bombard them with email. Just move on to the next one. If you
find websites or publishers on the internet that relate to your topic of
interest, don’t be afraid to send them your article. If interested, they
could publish the article on their website or even include it in an
outbound newsletter.

FINISHING UP
The main concept to take away from this e-book is that there really is
no substitute for quality written content. By submitting only the best
articles, over time you can establish your company as an expert on the
subject matter while building more and more back links to your
website. If you have the time, create new articles to submit a couple
of times per month. While simply submitting one article will help, the
more articles you submit the more links you’ll receive. Keep in mind
too that an article you submitted two months ago while still remaining
active in the archives isn’t as visible as an article you submitted
yesterday. As you’re aware by now, many article directories have
“Most Recently Submitted Articles” on each of their pages. If you
stagger your new content throughout the month you’ll always have
fresh content out there ready for someone to publish.
Also, don’t forget to publish your articles on your own website. By
doing so this gives your established subscribers a reason to come back
to your site again and again. You’re also providing food for those
spiders out there to fuel the search engines. This can only help you in
the long run.
Best Of Luck!

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