Writing articles, and promoting them for
publication, is one of the most productive long-term promotional
tactics available. Well researched and written articles... which
provide valuable, useable information, are highly sought after by
newsletter publishers, magazines, ezines, etc.
It is a marketing truth that "Content Is King".
Good, keyword rich, content is what drives online traffic through
search engines and gives the visitor a reason to keep coming back to a
website. This is often referred to as "sticky content". As a
traffic-generation tool it is unsurpassed.
Webmasters and publication editors have an
insatiable appetite for tightly written "niched" articles that are
relevant to their web sites or publications themes.
This need is your opportunity...
An editor of an ezine, newsletter or magazine has
a never-ending need for good content. Each issue they publish must be
filled with useful, relevant content that will appeal to their readers
or subscribers self-interest. A publication that cannot provide great
content will not long survive.
"An editor of an ezine, newsletter or magazine has
a never-ending need for good content.
By regularly supplying the media with well written
articles, you build a never-ending supply of links and traffic to your
own websites.
How?... Well, the secret is in the bio. Each
article you submit for publication has your own "authors bio" that
gives full attribution and links to your site. This is the payment you
receive for having supplied the articles... it is a payment which gives
you long-term dividends!
Not only will your article be presented to many
thousands of subscribers initially... but those same articles (with
your bio and links) will be archived on the publications websites.
Those archived articles become fodder for search engines which not only
provide on-going traffic to the publishing site... but to YOU as well.
It is truly a Win/Win proposition.
NOT A WRITER?... NO PROBLEM...
There are countless freelance writers who will
"ghost write" articles for you and... giving you the copyrights. I know
of many well-known names in the industry who have articles plastered
all over the internet...and they have never written a word themselves.
I know this because I have written some of their articles. :-)
If you need such services try elance or do a
Google search for "ghost writing" or "freelance writers". There are
many highly educated, english speaking, foreign-based professionals who
will write articles for very nominal fees.
OK... YOU HAVE AN ARTICLE... NOW WHAT?
Having a good article is only the first part of
the equatiion... now you need to get the articles distributed to those
editors and publications who will welcome your contribution... and
publish your work.
There are three primary means of promoting your
articles:
- Article Directories
- Article Announcment Lists
- Your Internal List
- Paid Distributiion Services & Software
Here is a breakdown of each... and a list of
resources to get you started...
ARTICLE DIRECTORIES...
Article directories are websites which categorize
and archive your articles... and promote them to editors and
publishers. Most are free... but some are fee based. They all provide a
submission system for you to provide your articles to them. In
addition, most have their own internal list of editors and publishers
that they announce your new article to.
TIP: The simple act of listing your articles in
the directory archives will provide you instant incoming links to your
website which could increase your site traffic and page ranks.
Here is a partial list of article directories.
(Please note that companies go out of business occasionally and you may
run into a link which no longer works.)
ARTICLE ANNOUNCEMENT LISTS...
Announcement Lists are email newsletters, lists,
or ezines, which allow you to "announce" your new articles to thousands
of editors and publishers instantly. Most of these announcement lists
are sent out daily to their subscribers. This means that you can have
your article circulating to key editors and publishers within hours of
completion.
Here are a number of important Article
Announcement Lists that will give you a simple and fast mechanism for
distribution of your articles...
YOUR INTERNAL, IN-HOUSE, DISTRIBUTION LIST...
Over time you will begin to build a list of
editors and publishers, who have used your articles in the past, and
find them to be relevant. This list is "your private goldmine". Each
time you finish an article the first step you want to take is to send
it, in a private mailing, to your in-house user list.
You might want to consider doing a "mail merge" to
this list and personalize your submission to the specific editor by
name.
Remember, this list could be worth thousand of
dollars to you over the coming months and years. Do not treat it
lightly. This list is truly a center-of-influence list that you will
want to spend time and effort nuturing. Remembering them at holidays
and on special occasions, goes a long way to building a profitable
relationship.
Pick up a phone and call them. Let them know that
you appreciate your relationship... and let them know you are available
for special writing assignments. (Here is an example of how strong and
beneficial this simple act can be... About two years ago I sent a small
holiday gift [a screen-saver of tropical Hawaiian images] to a magazine
editor who had used a number of my articles in the past. I waited until
the package had time to arrive and then I picked up a phone and called
her. She was delighted with the thoughtfulness of the gift and then
stunned me with the news that one of her regular columnists had been
forced to resign... and "would I be interested in replacing him?".
So... that simple telephone call resulted in a regular column in a
print magazine that serves one of my niche marketplaces. A marvelous
result that may not have happened if I had not "nurtured the
relationship".
Ask them "What Articles Do You Need?"... and
listen closely to their answers.
By doing so... you will develop a sense of what
materials are needed and wanted in your marketplace. Write specifically
to those needs and you will develop a strong editorial following that
will pay off in huge traffic flow, increased sales and profits, and an
enhanced image and reputation. These are pretty hefty benefits for some
time spent researching and writing articles!
PAID DISTRIBUTION SERVICES...
Two recent innovations that have burst on the
article marketing scene are: (1)custom distribution software (Article
Announcer) and (2) web-based article distribution services (Article
Marketer). My experience with these systems are that the web-based
service is much more cost efficient, easier to use, and has the
built-in advantage of having the most current and up-to-date database
of publishers seeking your content.
(c) Copyright 2005 Thom Reece All Rights Reserved
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About The Author
Thom Reece is the CEO of On-Line Marketing
Group, a direct response marketing agency with headquarters in Hawaii.
He is the creator of the Online Marketing Resource Center [ http://www.e-comprofits.com
] & the major portal for the network marketing industry- MaxxMLM.com
[http://www.MaxxMLM.com ]. Thom can be reached by email at:
thomATe-comprofits.com.
onlinemktgroup@gmail.com
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This article was posted on August 13, 2005
