Article Marketing - A Strategy to Increase Business

9 Tips for Successful Article Marketing:

How are you introduced to a new product or service? While advertisers would have you think that commercials are the largest influence on consumer's decisions, you know better. The average consumer is smarter and likes to be well-informed.

The best referrals and customers come from people being hyped up about something they heard, read, or that was passed on from a friend. Friends don't talk about commercials all that much. What are they talking about? News, articles, etc.

Writing articles is a simple strategy. Luckily, it also happens to be one of the most effective ways of generating web traffic for free. Article writing, because of it's informative nature, also happens to be a great way to get free press and advertising.

Tip #1: Have a Goal For Each Article:

Don't just write. Have a marketing objective and a target audience in mind before writing the "next great article." 

Some of the best marketing goals are things like getting a reader to sign up for your newsletter, a free trial, or just giving you their contact information. You can do that by making your article informative and touching on a problem that the reader wants you to solve, but can't do so unless they find out more from you.

Tip #2: Write a Slam-Dunk Title/Headline and Opening Line:

Some research suggests that you have less than 10 seconds to grab the attention of a website visitor. When you're naming an article, make a list of 20-30 possible titles, and rearrange the words until it's perfect.

Tip #3: Publish Fast and Often:

What small business owner has time to sit and blog every day? The number one tip I can offer is to pre-write 20-50 articles and auto-set your blog to publish one a day, or a few a week. Customers will see regular posts and search engines will see updated, fresh content on a regular basis. Win-win.

Tip #4: Think Viral:

Each year, more and more of the same content is published on the web. Trends, creativity, and hot topics are important factors in distinguishing your article from the rest. Think of all of the "nobodies" who've landed spots on national news for a funny or bizarre viral YouTube video. Viral is in.

Tip #5: Sell Without Selling:

No one likes a shouting salesperson, in person or in print. Make sure your articles sound objective, even if you're writing them with business marketing objectives in mind. Here are some ways to "sell" without "selling:"

1. Write a "how to" guide.
2. Solve a problem for a customer.
3. Share expert advice, fact or opinion.
4. Write for a specific niche, as though you are speaking directly to the reader.
5. Repeat important parts.

Tip #6: Always Include Your information:

When you publish an article, the real marketing strategy is to establish yourself and your company as a valuable resource to the customer. Include somewhere in the article (typically at the end):

1. Your website.
2. Your email/contact info.
3. A photo.
4. Your credentials/biography.
5. Your company name/basic description.

Tip #7: If You Really Hate Writing, Hire a Ghostwriter:

There are many services out there where you can hire a writer to put your thoughts into words. A service like Elance.com or Guru.com is great, because you choose your writer and can set your budget.

Tip #8:  Get Your Article Out There:

E-zines, magazines, blogs, and other websites are waiting for your fresh content! Take advantage of sites in your field looking to publish expert articles and promote your business free-of-charge. Do a few Google searches or look at e-zine directories online to get contact information for how to submit your articles and start funneling readers into your website.

Tip #9:  Spell-Check!

While this is certainly a #1 tip, I put it at the end so that it's fresh in your mind. Never submit an article without using the spell checker or asking another person to edit or proofread your work. And even if you use a spell checker, read your article over once yourself. A spell checker won't save you from typos where your misspelled word is still a word, like "there" for "their," or "produce" for "product." Once something is on the web, it's hard to remove it permanently!

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What's Next

Next In This Guide
Part 38:
Values-Driven Marketing - Research shows that 1 in every 4 shoppers chooses one product or company over another based on the values or ethics of the item or the business that sells it.

Previous In This guide
Part 36:
E-mail Marketing and Newsletters - Take advantage of the cheapest and easiest marketing tools a small business has: e-mail marketing and newsletters.

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Street Smart Guide to Small Business Marketing

 

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