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Minggu, 14 Agustus 2011

Article Math: A Multiplying Effect!

Writing for the internet requires that you create a large number of articles in order to get yourself noticed. You may think, "who has the time?" Well, you do if you follow a few of the simple rules I have outlined here.

1. Divide and conquer. Chances are you have a few excellent articles in your portfolio which, by themselves, are worthy reads. Still, take a second look at these articles as they may have much more "to speak" to readers than what you currently have to say.

Exactly what am saying to you? Here is an example: One of my favorite and most read articles discusses the premium topic of business aviation. The article describes five leading private jet aircraft and compares and contrasts these particular makes and models. My readers say that the article is very informative and engaging, but I know that there are another five articles contained within that one article. How so? Each aircraft can and should be a story in and of itself.

I plan on taking the original article and dividing out the various aircraft and writing stories on each one. Where I previously had one solid article, of just over 1200 words, I will have an additional five articles of approximately 500-600 words each. Basically, I am "fleshing out" some of the verbiage previously written by expounding on several key points. In essence, the one article will be divided up to become six articles in total.

2. Point/Counterpoint. In the earlier days of the news show, 60 Minutes, the show featured a segment called Point/Counterpoint whereby two members of the staff argued back and forth about a certain topic. Each person took the view diametrically opposed to the other's viewpoint and the fireworks began.

I am not suggesting you have an argument with yourself, but I would guess that you have already written a highly slanted opinion piece in the past. If so, why not counterpoint your previous point? Gasp! Isn't that odd? No, as it shows that you can objectively look at two sides of an issue, even if you don't agree with one side. Debaters do this all the time as they learn what their opponents view is and immerse themselves accordingly. The benefit to you is that your initial article serves as a terrific springboard for the second article.

3. One in a series. Newspapers often spread top stories out over 3 or 4 days. Usually beginning with the Sunday paper and running through the following Tuesday or Wednesday a feature story grabs readers attention one day and brings them back the ensuing days. Call this for what it is -- a smart marketing ploy -- as it is a way for newspapers to boost their circulation.

How can you apply this formula to writing articles? Well, much like the newspapers do you can do the same: the four days of feature stories is, in fact, one story. Because of article length and the desire to bring readers back, the editors take the one story and divide it up. The reporters create the single big story, the editors turn it into four, and the publishers love it as they can hit up the advertisers for more money.

Guess what? If you apply this same methodology to your one colossal article -- which few people will take the time to read because of its length -- you will now possess four manageable articles that stand a better chance of capturing readership.

In summation, by incorporating these rules into your article development plan, you will soon be writing more articles than you had written previously. More articles equals more attention for what you do which should mean more demand for your services and, hopefully, more money in your pocket. This is simply Article Math at its finest.

Posted on 21.51 / 0 komentar / Read More

Article Marketing To Boost Site Traffic

You've been writing great articles for your website or blog, keyword rich, insightful pieces that should be studied in marketing classes. You've probably seen an increase in site traffic since you started writing using SEO. But there's another way to use the articles that you're already writing to boost traffic even more.

Publish them on other sites.

It's simple math. Your site receives 200 hits a day. Site B receives 500. If you get an article published on Site B, your site and marketing links are exposed to 700 people.

Unfortunately, this can be easier said than done. You have to convince the editor or webmaster of Site B that your article is more worthy of publication than Joe Schmoe's about the same subject. If you think you can, then you are all set to start your very own article marketing campaign and boost traffic to your site. Here're some hints to sell articles for your article marketing campaign.

ARTICLE MARKETING STARTS WITH THE E-MAIL TO A PUBLISHER SITE

E-mail has become one of those quick forms of communication. We type them out real quick, using the first words and phrases that come to mind, and then send them off without a second thought, like leaving a voicemail. But in the case of article marketing (and everything else you use e-mail for), the e-mail is the first writing sample a buyer will read. If your e-mail is not professional and well written, there is no reason for a buyer to move onto the actual article. You will have failed the ever important first impression.

This is a failure that can be avoided by taking the time to edit the e-mail. Make sure that there are no grammatical mistakes, that your sentences make sense, and that you don't have more words necessary. Other things like making sure the subject line is eye catching or addressing the e-mail to a specific person instead of a company or a "To Whom It May Concern" can make your article stand out in the crowd.

MARKET ARTICLES TO THE APPROPRIATE SITES

This one sounds like a no brainer, but at least now you can't say nobody told you. Make sure that you send your articles to places that will actually publish them. This obviously applies to content (don't send an article about high New York Society to a Mountain Climber's website), but this also applies to style and voice and things like that. If you're an edgy, sarcastic writer, you probably don't want to be submitting to a serious, boring site. They simply won't publish your article, and your article marketing campaign will be a waste.

Also, don't just write an article and then try to get it published. This method might produce some results, but they will be few and far between and will require a lot of time and selling. Instead, write your articles with a specific site in mind. Go and read other articles on the site. Know the voice and structure of the already published articles. Review the submissions guidelines. Be familiar with policies. In the e-mail, include reasons that your article is a perfect match for their site. An article written with purpose for a specific site or group of sites will be more successful than one written without a destination in mind.

GRAMMAR, GRAMMAR, GRAMMAR

The whole point of article marketing is to convince people to click on the link to your site that you've included in your byline. You will lose a lot of credibility if your article is full of grammatical mistakes and poorly thought out sentences. Write several drafts of your articles. Make sure you're saying what you mean. Once your article is perfect, have someone else read it to make sure you're not blind. You'd be amazed what you miss in your own writing, even if you're a professional editor. Doing this will A. Make editors more likely to accept your work and B. Give the reader the impression that you are professional, which will in turn make them try to find out what else you have to say.

REFER BACK TO YOUR OTHER ARTICLE WITH LINKS

If you can, include links in the body of your e-mail that will lead back to your site. After all, that is the entire point of article marketing. A good way to do this is to refer to an article that you've written in the past that is 'coincidentally' posted only on your website. People like more information, and if you tell them there is more on another site, chances are that they'll go there, and you just got another hit.

Be careful not to overuse this technique. Too many links will make them commonplace and readers won't notice them. Including one or two makes them special and probably worthwhile. Also, don't link to irrelevant articles. Readers will just get annoyed and not browse around your site. The object of article marketing is to get people exploring your site. If they wind up at a random article, they'll just close the window and go back to what they were reading, instead of stumbling across your affiliate marketing links.

SIGN YOUR WORK

Don't ever forget about the signature or byline at the end of your article. This should include your name, of course, but also a link directly to your site's homepage. You might also consider linking to a few related articles that are posted on your site. Anyone who enjoyed the article will take the time to see who wrote it and what their background or own personal ventures are, and chances are, they'll click on the link to read more by you. The signature section is the climax of your article marketing campaign. It is where you are trying to guide readers with your article so they will see your links and visit your site and make you money. It's that simple.

Posted on 21.50 / 0 komentar / Read More

Article Marketing Tips

I have been writing articles and submitting them to various article directories for around a year now. When I started I felt very fresh and had plenty to write about. After a few months however, I started to get what is known as writers block. I could not think of anything else to write about. In this article I give advice about how to react when this happens, advice which I hope will help you to continue to write quality and original articles.

My name is Steve Hill and my line of business is as a speech coach. I developed a stutter when I was four years of age and it continued to affect my life for the next eighteen years. I have managed to overcome this speech impediment and as a career I now help other people to achieve fluency. I feel I know quite a lot about the subject and found it quite easy and enjoyable to write about all aspects of stuttering.

After a while I could not think of anything new to write about stuttering, which would be of value to people and made the mistake or re-writing some of the articles using different words. I must admit I was unaware that this was against the rules but now realise that each article needs to have original content, which I accept and understand.

I then wrote about some of the experiences from my own life, like how I coped when my now ex-girlfriend left me and even stories about my dog! A number of people have read these articles and have sent me some very nice e-mails stating how much they have enjoyed them.

One morning I woke up with very good intentions, I was planning on writing three or four new articles. I turned on the computer and basically sat there. Come on write something, I tried to tell myself. The problem was that I could not think of anything to write about. I decided to go back to bed. I seem to be able to think clearer from my bed, a bit weird I know.

I decided that I was not only going to write about my own life and experiences but I would also write about my family and friends. Other areas I could write about would be:

How to promote a website

Web design

Self confidence

Travel

World affairs

Sport

Exercise

Weight loss

Stress management

Anger management

Business

These are all areas I have a great interest in and even though they are not my main line of business, the articles should be of interest to people. Most of the topics which I have listed are things which I or people I know, have had experiences with. For example a lot of people who stutter including myself in the past, have issues with their self-confidence.

Weight loss is subject which is close to my heart as I have had many problems in controlling my own weight. I also run my own business and therefore have had to learn aspects about how to do this.

I also love playing and watching sport. This was therefore something else which I then concentrated on and I have now written articles on snooker and football.

To gain inspiration and to help me to write my articles, I read a lot of books and newspapers and I also like to watch the news and current affairs programs on the television.

I hope this article has been of help to you and please feel free to read and re-print more of the articles I have written.

Posted on 21.49 / 0 komentar / Read More

Article Marketing Strategy - Select Only The Best Directories And Ezines

Writing and marketing articles online is probably the most effective, most cost-effective way to publicize your website, and promote your products and services online. The Web is a printing press with an insatiable appetite for articles written by experts. There are literally millions of websites and ezines that are begging for good articles. They want people to submit good articles to them. They even search sites on the web for permission to use articles.

So, how do you know which sites to select?

Through my years of experience, and many conversations with the top Internet Marketers, in order to have the greatest impact, you need to use a 3-tiered article marketing approach targeting:

1. The major article directories like Ezinearticles.com, Goarticles.com, Ideamarketers.com and Articledashboard.com
2. Smaller niche directory sites that are related to your content
3. Niche ezine and website publishers who need and want quality related content that will add value to their website or email newsletter audience

My consulting clients ask me many times, “ What is the best way to find ezines and websites that are the most read so my article gets the most exposure?” That should not be the first question you ask yourself. Yes, you do want to find websites that are highly visited and ezines that are the most read – but more importantly, you want to focus on finding websites and ezine publishers within your specific niche that have strong emotional connections to their audience.

Most likely, you are already visiting their websites or subscribing to their ezines. If you don’t know who has a great ezine related to your industry niche, there are plenty of ezine directories like bestezines.com on the net that can guide you.

Other strategies include:

- Research your competitors – where are there articles being published?

- Perform a Google search. Just type in your industry or article topic followed by the words article submission. That’s how I helped our client’s book jump to the #2 spot on the NY Times Best Sellers List. I typed into Google, “health article submissions”, “medical article submissions”, and “thyroid dysfunctions article submissions” and discovered (among many other sites) the contact information for an About.com editor – one of the top 50 sites on the net today. After receiving the submission, the editor blasted an email book promotion to her entire list, giving Mark Hyman MD 1500 additional opt-in subscribers and much higher sales in just one day.

- Think about which organizations, your audience may belong to. If you’re a sales lead expert, like our client, Mac McIntosh, then the chances of your audience belonging to an organization such as the American Marketing Association are very, very high. With more than 200,000 registered users and more than 2 million visits each year from a wide range of influential decision makers, Mac McIntosh’s soon to be published article on the American Marketing Association’s website will provide him with an excellent opportunity to connect with the marketing community.

- And, don’t forget to check sites for magazines within your niche. More and more publications, are looking for fresh, new content for their website, to drive traffic up in order to sell more print magazines in the long run. This constant updating of articles found only on the website and not in their print publications means more opportunities for writers and experts. An article written by you published on sites like Entrepreneur Magazine and Mothering Magazine will give your company the vast amount of exposure and credibility it needs.

Follow these strategies and you will have a sound article marketing campaign.

Posted on 21.49 / 0 komentar / Read More

Article Marketing Strategies: Selecting The Best Sites & Ezines For Your Article Marketing Campaign

Writing and marketing articles online is probably the most effective, most cost-effective way to publicize your website, and promote your products and services online. The Web is a printing press with an insatiable appetite for articles written by experts. There are literally millions of websites and ezines that are begging for good articles. They want people to submit good articles to them. They even search sites on the web for permission to use articles.

So, how do you know which sites to select?

Through my years of experience, and many conversations with the top Internet Marketers, in order to have the greatest impact, you need to use a 3-tiered article marketing approach targeting:

1. The major article directories like <a href="http://www.ezinearticles.com" rel="nofollow">Ezinearticles.com</a>, <a href="http://www.goarticles.com" rel="nofollow">Goarticles.com</a>,<a href="http://www.ideamarketers.com" rel="nofollow"> Ideamarketers.com</a> and <a href="http://www.zapcontent.com">ZapContent.com</a>
2. Smaller niche directory sites that are related to your content
3. Niche ezine and website publishers who need and want quality related content that will add value to their website or email newsletter audience

My consulting clients ask me many times, “ What is the best way to find ezines and websites that are the most read so my article gets the most exposure?” That should not be the first question you ask yourself. Yes, you do want to find websites that are highly visited and ezines that are the most read – but more importantly, you want to focus on finding websites and ezine publishers within your specific niche that have strong emotional connections to their audience.

Most likely, you are already visiting their websites or subscribing to their ezines. If you don’t know who has a great ezine related to your industry niche, there are plenty of ezine directories like bestezines.com on the net that can guide you.

Other strategies include:

- Research your competitors – where are there articles being published?

- Perform a Google search. Just type in your industry or article topic followed by the words article submission. That’s how I helped our client’s book jump to the #2 spot on the NY Times Best Sellers List. I typed into Google, “health article submissions”, “medical article submissions”, and “thyroid dysfunctions article submissions” and discovered (among many other sites) the contact information for an About.com editor – one of the top 50 sites on the net today. After receiving the submission, the editor blasted an email book promotion to her entire list, giving Mark Hyman MD 1500 additional opt-in subscribers and much higher sales in just one day.

- Think about which organizations, your audience may belong to. If you’re a sales lead expert, like our client, Mac McIntosh, then the chances of your audience belonging to an organization such as the American Marketing Association are very, very high. With more than 200,000 registered users and more than 2 million visits each year from a wide range of influential decision makers, Mac McIntosh’s soon to be published article on the American Marketing Association’s website will provide him with an excellent opportunity to connect with the marketing community.

- And, don’t forget to check sites for magazines within your niche. More and more publications, are looking for fresh, new content for their website, to drive traffic up in order to sell more print magazines in the long run. This constant updating of articles found only on the website and not in their print publications means more opportunities for writers and experts. An article written by you published on sites like Entrepreneur Magazine and Mothering Magazine will give your company the vast amount of exposure and credibility it needs.

Follow these strategies and you will have a sound article marketing campaign.

Posted on 21.48 / 0 komentar / Read More

Rabu, 10 Agustus 2011

Making The Most Of Autoresponders

If you’ve created a website and started adding your content to it, chances are you’ve also built some links and submitted some articles to the major search engines. After you have done all of the above, the next logical step, which many happen to overlook, is to take your business to the next level with an autoresponder. These tools are great to have, although many simply overlook them.

Often times, someone will visit your website through a link or search engine. In many cases, a potential buyer will look around your site and find exactly what he has been looking for. Sometimes, the buyer will get distracted with other things, and leave the site before he makes a purchase. There are many reasons as to why a potential buyer might leave your site on accident before making a purchase, although you can capitalize and make the most of this opportunity with the use of an autoresponder.

By capturing the visitor’s email address, an autoresponder will give you the chance to contact the potential buyer in the future and capitalize on the sale that you missed out on before. Although autoresponders are mostly known for their abilities to automatically answer email, they are also more flexible, allowing you to do so much more. If you use your autoresponder creatively and productively, you’ll gain more leads and customers than you ever imagined.

The best autoresponders out there will manage your customer list and continue to follow up with customers who have signed up on your list. You can also keep your autoresponder list updated with new products and services as well. These programs will grow with you, allowing you to build a reputation in your area of business and become an expert over time.

Through the use of an autoresponder and an affiliate program you can contact your affiliates quickly and easily to let them know about new offers you have or offer them new material that they can use to help them sell your products to increase your sales and their commissions. You can also send out broadcast emails to your affiliates as well, providing them with tips and helpful advice that will assist them with selling your products.

Autoresponders are also a great way to provide advertising as well. If someone is interested in advertising on your website, you can use the autoresponder to automatically send out an email detailing the cost of advertising and how the individual can find out more about it as well. This is a great asset, especially if you make a lot of income with advertising on your website.

Another way you can make the most of your autoresponder is by allowing your visitors a taste of what you have to offer and the quality of your products or services. If you plan to send out samples, you should avoid making it appear to be a sales letter. If you do, you’ll normally end up losing more business than you gain. Most buyers don’t like receiving sales letters, and will avoid doing business with you if they receive a sales letter.

Even if you’ve never used an autoresponder before, you can find many different uses for it. Autoresponders are great for many different purposes, other than answering emails. There are several types to choose from as well, which gives you plenty of opportunities for your business. All you need to do is select the type that works best for you – then discover more and more creative ways to use it to your advantage.

Posted on 04.26 / 0 komentar / Read More