Writing valuable content-rich articles for your target
market and submitting them to article directories and other
publishers is one of the best ways to market your business,
become known as an expert in your field, and add
subscribers to your list.
For example, if you regularly write an article for your
ezine, you can get a lot more mileage out of it if you
submit it to article directories and other online
publishing services. And making every piece you write work
more than once for you is one way to work smarter and not
harder. That's called leverage.
There are several reasons why you want to do this. One is
to get your name and your business out there so people will
learn who you are and what you do, and it helps to position
you as an expert. No more keeping yourself a secret and
hiding behind your computer! :) Another reason is that your
articles give people a taste of your style, what it is that
you offer, and it gives them an opportunity to get to know
you a bit without risking anything.
At the end of each article include a resource box so if
people want to find out more about you and your business,
they have that information at their fingertips. Once
someone reads your article, if they like your stuff, they
will likely visit your website and sign up for your Free
Taste (your free offering that gets people on your list).
And writing articles is one of the fastest (and FREE) ways
to get lots of exposure, especially if a publisher with a
large list picks it up!
Want to get started? Here are the 4 easy steps:
1. Write the article or recycle one you've already written,
giving it a fresh edit (it never hurts).
Write or revise an article targeted at your niche that is
full of valuable content. A couple of tips: Articles can be
anywhere from 400-700 words in length for the best chance
of being picked up (if you have a longer article, consider
chopping it in half and making it two shorter articles).
Also, articles with lists, steps, or mini-chunks of
information seem to be the most read.
2. Add your copyright.
Don't forget to protect your work by adding a copyright. At
the end of each article, put a copyright notice with the
date of when you first published the article. For example,
copyright (or ©) 2005 Alicia M Forest.
3. Write the copy for your author's box.
After your copyright notice comes what's usually referred
to as the "resource box" or "author's box." In order for
others to publish your work, ask that they include this
information at the end of your article, keeping what you
provide in it whole and intact. As this is standard
practice, you'll find most publishers will honor this
request.
Write 3-5 lines that entice people to find out more about
you by providing the web address to the sign-up page for
your Free Taste. You don't need to use this valuable real
estate to promote your business, but do use it to encourage
people to join your list by signing up for your ezine or
other free offering.
A tip: Don't send your article readers to your home page.
Send them to a page set up specifically to add them to your
list. For example, say, "for more articles like this,
please visit www.yourezinepage.com to sign up!"
4. Submit your article.
Although this is one of the most time-consuming marketing
tasks, it can be made much simplier by either hiring a VA
to do it for you, or using an article submission service.
The service I use is SubmitYOURArticle.com.
There are literally hundreds of websites that offer free
content for publishers who are in need of quality articles
for their own publications or websites. Here are some of
the best ones:
www.ezinearticles.com, www.ideamarketers.com,
www.goarticles.com, www.article-host.com,
www.articlecity.com
Bonus step:
If you want to see stronger results from submitting your
articles, contact directly those publishers of ezines and
websites in your niche. Google publishers of ezines in your
target market and then send a query to the editor/owner
about submitting an article. Present yourself as a
professional and offer your article for their use, provided
the resource box remains in tact. Paste your article under
your message (attachments can get blocked, and if the
receiver doesn't know you it's unlikely they will open and
read it anyway).
Writing and submitting articles is one of the
tried-and-true, if slow-and-steady, ways to build your
list, become known as an expert, and offer value to your
target market.
----------------------------------------------------
Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & CoachT,
founder of ClientAbundance.com and creator of 21 Easy &
Essential Steps to Online Success SystemT, teaches
professionals how to attract more clients, create
profit-making products and services, make more sales, and
ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE
tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit
http://www.ClientAbundance.com .
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