subject: How Does Article Marketing Work? [print this page] Article marketing refers to the process of using informative pieces of web content to advertise products and services via online article directories. One of the oldest and most effective online marketing techniques, it has its origins in traditional print marketing, where merchants used it as a means of obtaining free press space for their businesses.
How It Works
Article marketing as a concept is quite simple and almost entirely without cost. Most forms of search engine optimization (SEO) and Internet marketing require a domain, hosting plan, and advertising budget. However, article marketing uses free online article directories as hosts and draws on their search engine authority to obtain traffic via organic searches.
The website owner (or a hired ghostwriter) writes articles they believe will appeal to the target audience. Each article will have a resource box that contains a bio box and byline that includes references and contact information for the author's business as well as a link to the relevant website. The business owner (or the marketers) then submits the articles to free online article directories.
People read the articles online and click the link to visit the relevant website. Once at the website, the visitors purchase the service (or not) depending on the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. The technique is often called affiliate article marketing because it is a favorite of Internet affiliate marketers. However, the process is popular with a number of online businesses and can be used to promote all kinds of products.
Writing An Effective Article-Marketing Piece
One of the most important rules of writing web content is that one should always write with the reader in mind. A visitor to a website is generally in search of specific information usually solutions to a problem so your article needs to be easy to understand, accurate and relevant. The aim is to provide genuine good quality content that will help the reader make an informed decision. How-to guides, comparisons, reviews, etc., are perfect for this purpose.
The first step is to choose an attention-grabbing headline. The right title is essential to the ultimate success of your piece. Many article marketers get so caught up in making sure to include effective keywords that they lose focus of the ultimate goal: to create a headline that will capture the interest of the viewers. Methods of writing attention-grabbing headlines include asking questions and using powerful selling words such free, best, etc. Another reliable technique is to use key phrases such as how to and learn to, which promote your ability to provide expert information.
The average article-marketing piece is roughly 400 to 600 words long, so take care to use sub-headings to break up the text and make it easier for the reader to focus on the relevant information. Make sure the information you provide in your articles is accurate and address each new idea in a fresh paragraph. Cultivate conciseness by using bulleted or numbered lists. Online users are used to informality, so keep the language casual and personal, but do not talk down to readers.
Successfully Promoting Your Articles
In addition to writing and submitting the articles, a business or website owner also needs to take the time to promote them. Social-networking sites like Twitter, blogs, and Facebook are wonderful avenues for advertising and building up readership. Tweeting links to the articles, sending out a monthly newsletter containing new pieces and occasionally linking out to relevant articles from your blog are all ways in which to promote article-marketing pieces.
Some website owners do try to maximize the results of an article marketing campaign by submitting their articles to multiple online directories. However, most search engines have effective filters to sift out duplicate content and such methods are largely unsuccessful.
Compiling an eBook of your best article-marketing pieces is another highly effective way of building up a positive market reputation. Offer it as a free download on your website and ask interested visitors for those their email addresses.
To conclude, the growing popularity of article marketing is clear proof of its efficacy and usefulness. When done properly, it is a highly effective way to increase ones virtual presence and establish online credibility.
