All Entries Tagged With: "do’s and don’ts"

Article Marketing Killers

The following article marketing practices, if you engage in them, can kill your article marketing efforts. Engage in these practices at your own peril:

1. Write articles that are obviously blatant advertising messages. Articles are not to be straightforward advertising articles. If they are, many article directories will reject them out of hand.
2. Include links within the body of your articles. Some directories are OK with this, but most are not. You shouldn’t promote websites within the body of articles, particularly if those sites are yours.
3. Don’t include too many links in your author resource box. You’ll be rejected for sure.
4. Excessive profanity. Profanity, if used, should be very sparingly, but you should probably stay away from it altogether. Some article directories will not publish articles with even light profanity and for most businesses just a little bit is too much. Think family friendly.
5. Trashing the competition. There’s no need to go negative. Trash talk might work in politics, but in business it will just give you a bad reputation.
6. Articles too short. If you go below 300 words, and 400 words for many directories, then you’ll be rejected.
7. Writing too long. Many directories will reject articles if they are too long. 700 words is usually enough, but you should never write more than 1,000 words for an article for mass distribution.
8. Excessive HTML. Some article directories frown on any HTML, but those that do allow HTML in the body of article will only allow so much of it. Don’t go overboard with your HTML.

Article marketing should be about what you know, not getting the sale. You are not offering a sales pitch, you are offering your knowledge. Give it away and they will come. Article marketing builds trust.

Article Marketing: What NOT To Do

I just love articles that make outlandish claims. Claims that make no sense. Claims that are easily refuted. Claims that can’t be backed up by the facts or with logic. Why do I like these articles? Because I don’t write them, but my competition does.

I found an article online about article creation software and, of course, the author is extolling the virtues of such software. Word to the wise: This kind of software has no virtue. Seriously. None.

Besides the fact that article creation software doesn’t work the way it promises to (I’ve never seen one that could write half as good an article as the worst human writer – unless that writer is Trent Dixon), there are other problems with Trent Dixon’s article on the subject. Firstly, don’t get sucked into the false claim that article creation software will save you time. If you have an ounce of self respect, it will cost you time. Otherwise, you’ll be distributing the crappiest articles online.

But take a look at this claim and tell me what you think is wrong with it (besides bad grammar):

Article creation tools is certainly and probably the best software that I have bought. Downloading and using article writing software to automate the writing and create unique content is easy. This software is reducing my research time and effort by at least 1000%.

Really? 1,000%? See, how much would that be, exactly?

Let’s suppose it takes me 1 hour to research an article. It doesn’t. But let’s pretend. If I reduce that 1 hour by 50%, I’ve now spent 30 minutes researching the article. If I reduce it by 75%, I’ve now spent just 15 minutes researching the article. If I reduce my research time by 100% (the maximum allowed by law and common sense) then I’ve effectively reduced my research time to 0. But what if I reduce it by 1,000%? Let’s see, what’s 60 X 10? 600. Subtract that from 60 … figure … think … figure … think … double-check math … yes, that’s right … a whopping negative 540. So Trent Dixon spends -540 minutes – that’s 540 minutes below 0 – researching articles? Wow. Sign me up now please! I’d love to have a product that not only saves me time, but gives it back to me as a rebate.

Do you want to buy Trent Dixon’s software now?

Don’t make outrageous claims in your article that anyone with a brain can figure out are ridiculous faster than it takes you to write them. You’ll just look like an idiot.