By
allen on November 3rd, 2008
Posted in Article Directories, Article Marketing | No Comments »
Every now and then you’ll hear someone say that article marketing is dead. I’d like to know who killed it.
Actually, it isn’t dead at all. And the only evidence I need that article marketing is still alive and well is the long list of article directories that are still populated with articles on every topic under the sun. There is more competition for articles now than there ever has been. And the reason is because it still works.
If you’ve tried article marketing and have struggled with getting the results you are looking for, maybe you should think about these points. If you are doing any of the following then article marketing may appear dead, but you’re holding the knife - quit stabbing:
- Writing and distributing one article every two or three months - Sorry. If you’re not doing it at least once a week then you’re not doing it often enough. Ideally, you should be publishing one article every day.
- Using just one article directory - Why are you limiting yourself? Do you think everybody in your niche uses the same directory? They don’t. Distribute your articles widely.
- Leaving links out of your author resource box - Don’t leave links out of your author resource box. No wonder you’re not getting traffic. How do you think people will find you? You have to have at least one link in your author resource box for every article you write.
- You don’t have an author resource box - What? No author resource box. That’s worse than no link. You have to have a resource box with links in it.
- Sending people to the wrong page on your website - Don’t just send people to your home page. Send your traffic to a targeted landing page. People aren’t buying because they have to muddle around your website to find what they are looking for. Make it easy for them.
- You have too many links in the author resource box - How many links do you need? It’s up to you, but if you are promoting more than one page per author resource box then you may be confusing your readers. Just promote one page.
- Your articles aren’t well optimized - It doesn’t matter how well you write if your articles aren’t optimized for traffic. You’ve got to optimize your articles for the right traffic. Otherwise, you’re spinning your wheels.
- You’re using the wrong article directories - Use the article directories that attract people in your target market. Whether you use a niche article directory or a general article directory is up to you, but if the people you are trying to reach aren’t using the article directories that you are targeting then you’re wasting your time.
Article marketing is not dead. If you do it right then you’ll get targeted traffic. Whether you convert that traffic to sales or not depends on your landing page. Find out more about article marketing from the seasoned pros.
By
allen on October 31st, 2008
Posted in Article Marketing, Author Resource Box | 1 Comment »
Can you promote more than one website with each article you write? You can, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Your articles need to be focused. You are allowed up to three links in the author resource box of your articles at most directories. Some directories only allow two links, but that’s OK. You only need to promote one website. If you promote more than one website with any one article then you will likely get fewer click throughs.
When I create an author resource box I include two links to the same web page in two different ways:
Allen Taylor is a blog ghostwriter. Check out his site at http://blogcontentprovider.com
By using both the URL as a hyperlink and a key phrase that I want to target I ensure that my website is known when a publisher uses my article on his or her website or in her e-zine. Some publishers do not activate the links. If they do then I get relevant anchor text in a back link. If they don’t then my URL is still visible to readers of the article. Not as effective, but at least the reader knows who wrote the article and how to find me.
The only exception to the one website rule is when I want to promote my website and my related blog. Sometimes, for marketing purposes, it is prudent to put your blog on a separate domain name. In that case I’ll promote both the blog and the website, but that is a special situation. Otherwise, it’s one website, Baby.
By
allen on October 30th, 2008
Posted in Article Writing | 1 Comment »
Here’s a great article on repurposing:
The Top 10 Simple Ways to Repurpose One Article to Get Yourself Known
By Maria Marsala
Definition of Repurpose: To use or convert for use in another format or product: repurposed the book as a compact disk. American Heritage Dictionary.
If you don’t enjoy writing, this article may help you see “writing” in new and simpler light. And if you enjoy writing, this article could help you leverage what you’ve already created. How do you leverage your marketing efforts? Think about it… You’ve created a marketing piece or paid someone a good deal of your hard earned money to do it for you. And it looks great. Usually you think that’s it. However before you even create the piece, I’d challenge you to create a list of 10 other ways you’ll be able to use that item - in whole or in part - at least 10 ways.
1. Write
What’s an article? It could be two short paragraphs, two sentences followed by five bullets followed by a conclusion, or it can be more than that. It does not have to be a novel. Hey, this top ten list is an article. Get it?
2. Ezine, Blog, Ecourses
If you have a web site and no way to capture the email addresses of those to visit, you have really created a very expensive brochure. And you can place your articles in your ezine (online newsletter), blog or use a few based on similar topics to create an ecourse. And each could be as simple as a tip and call to action (ad) The main thing a is that you send it out at least once a month.
3. Article Banks
You deposit your article to article banks. Then others withdraw your article to use in their Ezine or web site along with your authors box and link back to your web site. If you use articles as a way to market your business, first place the article on your web site and then submit then to the article banks.
If your business is writing, you can also use article banks, but be careful. Many magazines won’t accept previously published articles — they want first rights to the article. If your business is writing, you can also use article banks, but be careful. Many magazines won’t accept previously published articles — they want first rights to the article.
4. Printed Media
Once or twice a year (or more often of course) put your best articles and information about your business in a newsletter. Distribute this newsletter by postal mail or by hand, in person. Consider using your newsletters as your brochure.
5. Newspapers
Research local newspapers to see which ones your ideal client would read. Get a feel for the type and format of the articles in that publication. Next, send your article directly to the editor of the section in which you’d like your article to appear, with a handwritten note. Call the newspaper to find the name of the editor if you’re not sure. You’ll be amazed to see your article in print!
6. Print them #1
Put an article you’ve written on your business stationary, along with a summary and your picture. Mail the article to your clients, prospective clients, networking buddies, or your friends. Again, include a short handwritten note with the article. “Thought you’d be interested” is a simple and terrific note to include.
7. Print them #2
Always carry your articles with you. If you have a car, purchase a plastic container that holds folders to keep them neat and crisp. I also keep business cards and other promotional materials in the container. When I attend networking meetings, I hand out an article or assessment with my business card. Gives people something timely to read.
8. Turn it around
Consider this: some printed media or Internet marketers who use articles from others don’t like “Top Ten,” or even “Top Five” lists. However, if you remove the numbers, they’ll print your article. So use “top” sparingly - such as at www.topten.org or when you’re asked specifically for “top” lists. Otherwise, turn your “top” list into a bulleted list that doesn’t contain numbers.
9. Get known…
Peruse your local bookstore’s magazine section for ideas of where to submit your articles after carefully reading the guidelines. Consider purchasing a Writers Market Book or the online version of their writer’s directory.
10. Don’t forget…
Have someone proofread your work! Who can help you? Virtual Assistants (VA), copyeditors, copywriters, or ghostwriters all provide you with an extra pair of eyes.
©2008 Maria Marsala, the founder of Elevating Your Business, is a business strategist, speaker, author and former Wall Street trader. Since 1998, Maria has helped service sector CEOs, presidents, professionals and management teams struggling with the problems of quickly expanding businesses by helping them to streamlining and automating their planning, operations and marketing processes. The results? Many have doubled their sales, they have more free time, and enjoy a higher quality life. Would you like to be next? Learn more and receive a free business building audio at http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maria_Marsala
Need a ghostwriter? We can write original articles that you can later repurpose in one of these fabulous 10 ways.
By
allen on October 29th, 2008
Posted in Article Directories, Author Resource Box | No Comments »
It seems that everyone and their pet rattlesnake has an article directory now. Here’s a new take on the article directory: AdSense share. I’m just not sure about it.
Nevertheless, this article writer understands how to put together a good author resource box.
Optimizing Your Author’s Resource Box
By Kerry Thomas
Article marketing is a very effective way to promote your web site and services. One simple article can ultimately end up on hundreds or even thousands of other sites. The links back to your site from these articles is what drives your web traffic. You can get direct referrals as well as organic search results via an effective article marketing strategy.
A very important tip for article marketing is to always optimize your author’s resource area. The author’s resource box is usually the area where you are allowed to place links that point back to your site. I’ll demonstrate an optimized resource box below.
Your Name loves to write and (submit articles) to http.//www.examplesite.com/ (actual link would have a ” : ” after the http instead of a ” . “)
My example is a very short bio, but in this case it shows how I have made the article resource links work for me. In this example (submit articles) would represent the anchor text of my link. I would hyperlink the text “submit articles” and have it pointing to the example site. In this context, submit articles would be a keyword that might help drive traffic to the site. I have basically told the search engines that the text “submit articles” is relevant to the site and I want to place a little more emphasis on it. Here’s the key…the text you choose to hyperlink should be keyword related and you should always take advantage of the ability to hyperlink keywords in your author’s bio area.
I have also allowed for the http: version of the URL. Most article sites will automatically hyperlink the http: format of the URL. If by chance the article ends up on a plain text article site, then the link will not be hyperlinked, but the user can still find your article by simply copying and pasting the URL to the browser’s address bar. While the the plain text version will not help your search engine rankings, it can and will allow for direct referrals to your bio information. As you can see I have allowed for both plain text and html rendering of my bio information.
Apply these same principles to all your article bios and you will be effectively working towards driving both organic search results and direct referrals to your work. As you can see, choosing the right link text, and properly hyperlinking it, can add a considerable boost to your search engine rankings. Please remember that most sites will only allow for a couple of links in the bio area so don’t over do it. The http: version will count as a link itself in most cases. Choose your keywords carefully and get them properly optimized to maximize your traffic.
Kerry Thomas is an article writer and owns an Article Directory offering AdSense® revenue sharing here: http://www.myarticle-writer.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kerry_Thomas
Not only does an article resource box build solid links, but it also can drive traffic to your website from highly trafficked sites within your niche. Here’s another article directory you can submit your articles to.
Learn how you can have your articles submitted to 40,000 directories and websites for less than $5.
By
allen on October 28th, 2008
Posted in Article Marketing | No Comments »
Article marketing is not hard, but it’s no piece of cake either. If you aren’t familiar with how to write articles for the Internet then you’ll have to learn what publishers are looking for. Most web publishers want well-optimized articles that teach others how to do something. Simply using articles as cheap forms of advertising is not going to help you promote your business. Articles are best used as indirect methods of marketing.
There are times when you might want to write your own articles, but there are times when you probably want to hire a ghostwriter. If you cannot sustain article marketing for a long period of time then you probably want to hire a ghostwriter. You don’t want to do it all yourself and do it in patches. You’ll be a lot less effective that way.
If you don’t have the time or are not confident of your ability to write articles for the Internet then I’d encourage to interview a few ghostwriters and try to find one that you feel can promote your business for success.
By
allen on October 27th, 2008
Posted in Article Marketing | 1 Comment »
I haven’t tried this new article marketing software. Amid the hype, it sounds pretty good. The fact that it works with WordPress is different enough that at least I’m curious now. But whether I’ll ever try it or not, I do think this article marketer knows how to play the game.
Are You Like This in Article Marketing?
By Dominic Tay
If you want to succeed in article marketing, you cannot be calculative. The word is calculative. What does it mean? Let me explain further.
When we say someone is ‘calculative’, it means that they are expecting every single return they ought to receive base on what they give out, usually instantly.
This means that if they give out a 50%, they expect a 50% return. Admittedly, that’s not always the case in article marketing for 2 good reasons.
So far I agree with Dominic’s premise. Article marketing is not about calculating benefits. It is about communicating with people on their level and watching them respond. You have to have some people skills to pull off article marketing successfully.
1. The results you see might not come in the form you desire. If you are calculative, article marketing would just disappoint you because the results you see may not come in the form you want.
Instead of driving traffic to your website according to your initial intention for the article, the article might end up merely explaining what you’ve written in your previous articles.
Along the same time, you can only tell what your readers want exactly after you’ve spent enough time researching the needs of the market. And during the time of your research, if you’re too calculative and you expect to reap
I’m not sure where he was going that as it looks like the article is cut off, but I’ll finish the sentence any way. If you expect to expect to reap the calculated benefits of every article you write and publish, you’ll be disappointed. Engaging in article marketing is a lot like dating. You can calculate the outcome of your date based on every action you take and every word you utter, but you’ll likely fail because people have free will and can respond to you any way they want to. Your best bet is to show what you have to offer and let people respond the way they naturally will. Then, you can can respond to the ones who respond to you favorably.
2. The results you get usually come only after some time. Reaping instant results is just not something you can get overnight unless you already possess a list of publishers or readers hungry for your content.
It takes some time to write an article, lots of time to get it published and lots of effort in marketing the article (that’s why it’s called article marketing).
The bottom line is that to excel in article marketing, you must give first.
Trust that over time, your results will come in little by little. Practise patience and allow time and article marketing to work for you. Understand that readers need time to read the article, rave about it and promote your article to their fellow friends.
Finally! Announcing The New Incredible Article Submitter That Checks, Formats and Submits Your Articles On Complete Autopilot! Want to find out how it can automate all your article submissions to save you time and effort? Visit http://www.AutoSubmitArticleMachine.com/3/ Now!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dominic_Tay
The key to successful article marketing is patience. Drop the line and wait for the fish to bite.
By
allen on October 24th, 2008
Posted in Article Marketing | No Comments »
Article marketing gets a bad rap. It seems that many Internet marketers these days have the idea that it doesn’t work. It’s time to move on to something that does. So they abandon article marketing - a proven marketing strategy online - for something like spamming social media websites, which has a relatively low success rate for marketers.
If you believe in an afterlife then you’ve probably heard of heaven and hell. Successful people go to hell. Right?
Well, myth and legend aside, article marketing isn’t sinful. Nor is it the entrance to the pearly gates. It is, however, a good way to attract traffic to your website using indirect marketing techniques that work. The reason many marketers try it and abandon it before they see any results is because they don’t really know how to do it. You can’t just write 10 articles and call it quits. You have to stick with it over time. Otherwise, it doesn’t really matter where you go when you die. You’ll go there with no website traffic.
By
allen on October 23rd, 2008
Posted in Article Marketing | No Comments »
If you have a blog and a website, which one should you promote with your articles? It’s a good question and one for which there is no easy answer. Rather than answer it outright, I’m going to take a more principled approach.
What you should really promote with your articles is the page where you want your customers to go to make a purchase. If that is your blog then promote your blog. If it is your website then send your traffic to your website. But you should make it easy for your customers to buy something and cut down on the number of clicks that get them to the end goal.
If you are using articles for lead generation purposes then send your readers to your opt-in page or the page where you capture their contact information. If you selling a product and you want to use articles to drive traffic to your sales page, landing page, or order form then send them directly to the place you want them to go to close the sale. If you are a service business and you use your blog as a marketing tool while your website closes sales, you have to decide whether you want article readers to go straight to your sales closing page or your blog for more information. Bottom line: You need to create a marketing funnel and get your article readers into the loop the quickest way possible. Define the funnel first, then start pouring traffic through the top of it.
By
allen on October 22nd, 2008
Posted in Article Marketing | No Comments »
Article marketing is more than just some passing fancy. It’s not the slick marketing brochure of yesterday’s washed up Internet marketing guru who has retired after his first $50,000 splash into the great unknown. Article marketing is time-tested and proven marketing strategy used by thousands of successful entrepeeneurs across many industries and niches online. But that doesn’t mean that just because you engage in article marketing that you are assured instant success.
One of the many mistakes that article marketers make is to make their prospects jump through hoops to get to the final click. Have you tried buying from yourself? How long does it take to get to your Buy Now button to make a purchase?
It shouldn’t be more than one click.
That’s right, your prospects should be able to read your article and when they get to the end they should be able to click on a link and go right to your sales page. There should be nothing in between. No popups, no “check out my bio” then “click the link”. Just, click the link and buy. Right from your article.
Make it easy on the prospect. Don’t give them any reason to abandon your site before they buy, because they will. Click here for more expert article marketing advice.
By
allen on October 21st, 2008
Posted in Article Directories | No Comments »
If you are an article directory owner, we’d like to partner with you. I’m not talking about some cheap here today, gone tomorrow partnership. I’m talking about a real live long-lasting partnership. Something that will be mutually beneficial and not require too much commitment on your part. We know your time is valuable and you are busy.
First, know that Article Content Provider is run by well known, knowledgeable, and competent article marketers. Chris McElroy aka NameCritic, the CEO of the company, has been involved in Internet marketing since 1995. He is well known among members of ICANN and frequently addresses issues of importance with ICANN and other Internet issues. He has so many websites that he doesn’t know what to do with them all and is giving some of them away, but he still finds time for article marketing.
Allen Taylor is the operations manager for the NameCritic family of websites and runs Blog Content Provider. Allen (that’s me) is an expert organizer and manager with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a background in creative writing, professional business writing and journalism.
Article Content Provider is managed by Allen’s wife, Theresa Taylor, is the only one among us with a marketing degree. She spent five years at IBM working with small businesses in IBMs small business partnership division. She knows the article marketing process backwards and forwards and deals with all of our clients regarding their article marketing needs.
In addition to the three of us, we employ many freelance article writers who assist us in the daily activities of writing and distributing articles for our clients.
What Kind Of Partnership Are You
Thinking About, Allen?
Good question.
I’m a firm believer in partnerships. Before I hooked up with Chris to run his business, I was a struggling freelance writer making ends meet by bidding jobs big enough that only I could handle. But since Chris and I have teamed up together we have found that both of us can do more than either of us could do single handedly before we met. Many of the jobs we now get are so big that there is no way that either of us could handle them on our own and we find it challenging sometimes to do it together, if you can forgive the honesty. Still, we love what we do.
Let me assure you that the partnership we want to establish with you will not require a huge time or money commitment on your part. We would ask you to help us write our blog - a simple guest appearance once a week is enough. We will even link to your directory from this blog for helping us create unique content. Your expertise in article marketing would be a welcome addition.
But that’s not the extent of how we want to partner with you. That’s just one way. If you’ll take the time to contact us through our contact form and let us know you are responding to this blog post, we’ll get back with you privately to discuss the details. Please give us a phone number and an e-mail. Thank you.
