7 Reasons you need to market with articles now

Looking for a simple way to get an edge on your competition? Successful businesses who are in it for the long haul continually apply innovative marketing strategies and tactics to differentiate themselves and get that edge. Two such killer marketing strategies are positioning and relationship building. And guess what? Article marketing is a proven tactic that just happens to address both of those marketing strategies. Is it the “be all, end all” of positioning and relationship building? Absolutely not. However, it is an excellent step in the right direction. And on top of that, there’s probably a good chance that your competition is not using this tactic. Face it. It takes some time, skill, and effort to write and effectively use articles, that’s why the masses don’t do it however, those looking for an edge do. So why choose article marketing as one of you marketing tactics? Here are 7 exceptional reasons: 1. It is quite simple. People love to buy from and deal with the best. Writing and effectively marketing your articles helps you position yourself as the expert in your field. 2. Let's take this first concept a step further for reason #2. Let’s be blunt here, as an expert, you can justifiably increase your rates and charge more for your products. 3. If your articles are good and distributed properly, they can spread like wildfire and literally cause a viral marketing frenzy. Ultimately driving business your way. 4. A big part of Internet marketing has to do with the Search Engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. It’s critical that we play their game. That being said, Search Engines love content such as articles! Many Internet marketers try the latest fad to trick Search Engines into getting a better ranking. If you have a lot of time and/or money on your hands to keep up with the latest trends and the ever changing Search Engine rules, then do what you feel is right. However, one tactic still holds true with improving Search Engine ranking, and that’s article marketing. 5. People love to be and feel well informed – It helps them make better decisions. Your articles can serve as the source for the input they seek. And who better to buy from then the source that provided the information in the first place. 6. Talk about getting major bang for the buck, articles can easily be repurposed in a variety of ways. For example: ==> They can become content for your or someone else's newsletter; ==> Used as free giveaways to prospects/clients, in seminars, at networking events, etc; ==> Used to spark conversation in a blog or an online networking group such as Ryze; ==> Combine multiple articles into an eBook, book or info-product that can be sold or given away in exchange for contact information; ==> Become the basis for a live seminar or teleseminar; ==> And we can go on and on and on. 7. Articles when distributed properly are a great way to stay in touch with clients and prospects. Studies have shown that on average it takes around 7 touches before a prospect buys. Why not use articles as some of those touches? This will help continually boost your prospect’s perception of you as someone who consistently adds value. We live in an age where information is king. We all know something others would be interested in knowing. Share your knowledge and like a magnet you’ll draw your prospects towards you. © 2006 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Using articles to build your list

How do you feel when you see webpages in the Google search with your name ? I am presently surprised every time Google alert informs me that one more webpage with my name has been indexed. But why would Google index those pages? I remember submitting just one page when my first website came into existence. Yet Google search with my name will show up thousands of pages. The reason is not difficult to find. It is because of my articles which are published at numerous sites. This is one of the privileges of being an author – free publicity for months and years after the articles are submitted to just few ezines. This and many other features make articles effective vehicles to find opt-in leads. If you publish relevant and useful articles on your website or blog, you can include a webform to collect contact details of interested persons. This will ensure that only those who have some interest in the subject of the articles will seek further information. When you submit articles to ezines, you have the option to add a resource box. This is where you can tell the readers about yourself and how they can get more information. Your articles give you wide publicity, build up your credibility and help you to establish yourself as an expert in the field. It is amazing how your articles are picked up by so many different websites and ezines and distributed with viral effect. In any marketing effort it is easier to find eager customers first and then offer suitable products which will satisfy their expectations. Your articles can help you do just that. It will first attract people, who are looking for information on resolving their problems, concerns or desire. Those who want to know more will ask for it and you get more people in your list. You get a chance to contact your list repeatedly and try to remove any apprehensions or doubts they may have about what you have to offer. You need to sell yourself as much as your product and again you accomplish this with your articles. The “list” should be considered and treated as a list of friends. You should try to connect to them at emotional level. This is a crucial factor in building relationship. Your intent is revealed by your writing. Therefore it is crucial to be absolutely honest about the message you wish to convey. The cost involved in using articles for advertisement is negligible. Yet it is profoundly effective. Well written articles full of content and useful information will help in building your list as more subscribers join. Your writing should be able to produce that anticipation by which your subscribers will be looking forward to the next newsletter. This is a step to make your list more responsive. As more people find your articles interesting and relevant your conversion rate is bound to increase. You know your subscribers, you know what is bothering them and you offer solutions to them. They joined your list for this reason in the first place. Retaining a list is as important as building it. The longer your subscribers remain loyal to you, the more they will trust you and they are more likely to listen to your advice. It would appear that there is a natural connection between writing articles and building a list. The articles you see on the net have characters of their own. They are presented in conversational form as if someone is talking to you. This is different from the articles your find in printed media where the articles tend to be are more essay-type. This unique feature of net-based articles makes them suitable for newsletters. Emails are most common medium for maintaining contact with your list. You are able to communicate to them at regular intervals and gradually clear their apprehensions. Once you have a growing list your aim should be to retain it for lifetime. You and your list are bound by a common interest and personal relationship. This is your most important asset – the real earnings for your marketing efforts.

Article marketing isn t for everyone

Marketing with articles can take a lot of time, time not everyone has to spare. It can used successfully for most businesses, but if you don't have a lot of time to spare, this may not be the method you choose. It only takes a few minutes to write an article of 300 to 500 words. It becomes a problem if you can't write. If thios is the case with you, it is better not to use articles to market. Hiring someone to write articles for you isn't always an option. You must first find an author you can work with then find the money to pay them. Most will seek immediate payment. This may not be something you are prepared to provide. If you are looking for ways to promote that cost little or nothing, you may try article marketing. It has consistently proven itself as a very effective marketing strategy and shows no signs of that staus disappearing. You can hire someone to write your articles and hire others to submit them for you. If you have the money to do this, and it can be very affordable, then article marketing may be a good choice for you. You won't know how successful you can be with submitting articles unless you at least try it. Write an article. The first ones always take more time but that changes with experience. If the article is good you are on your way. Now comes the submitting. Try doing this yourself and see how it works. Do you have the time it will take? Are you willing to put in that much time? If the answers are no, are you willing to pay a submission service to do this part for you? The answers to this will help you decide if this method is for you. Give article marketing a month trial. Write and submit a weekly article during that time and see what happens. By the time the month ends, you will have a good idea whether or not you want to continue with this endeavor.