Entrepreneurs are always looking for cheap ways to market their brand. Well you can not get any cheaper then article marketing! Article marketing is a subtle way companies can gain exposure for their business by writing articles that provide information about news and trends occurring within their industries. It is a cost effective form of promoting your products and services because it does not require you to spend money and it enables you to build a relationship with your readers. Companies that incorporate article marketing into their marketing campaigns will demonstrate their expertise within their industry while simultaneously attracting new customers.
For example, if I am a hair stylist I could write an article about what products people should use to have healthy hair. When your readers are seeking services within your industry (i.e. hair); your company name will be a part of their evoked set because of the articles you have shared with them. If you plan on incorporating article marketing into your marketing campaign you have to produce quality content (emphasis added on quality). Therefore, if your goal is to have people remember your company based upon your articles, remember to keep the following points in mind:
- Pick a topic that will interest your readers. Obviously this topic should be related to your industry in order to resonate with your audience. Your readers want information that they will be able to apply to their own business. Therefore, you need to put yourself in the shoes of your readers. Think about questions that your readers are seeking to have answered. The ability and the degree to which you answer these questions will determine how much your readers value your expertise, so choose your topic with care and stick to what you know.
- Why is your article different? Chances are your topic has already been written about by someone else . Therefore, you need to choose an angle that has very little to no coverage. You can get a lot of ideas of the various viewpoints people have regarding your topic by visiting forums within your industry, blogs, etc.
- Get backup. Once you have identified the angle you want to take for your article, seek out sources whose opinions will further reiterate the angle you are trying to convey regarding your topic. Not sure where to find your sources? Head on over to Help A Reporter Out. The title of this website is pretty self explanatory. It is a website where sources help journalists complete their articles. Those writing the articles get the sources they need and those who are sources are able to gain notoriety in their respective industries.
- Mind your SEO. Article marketing is an excellent way to optimize your website. Take this opportunity to think of keywords that your readers will use in order to find your article. It is imperative that you take some time to think about this step because the key words you choose will decide whether people are even able to find the article you have written.
- Write on. You picked your topic, you got your back up and are minding your SEO so now it is time to write. The first thing I recommend doing is choosing a title. I know some people like to choose a title after they write their article, but I find choosing a title first helps me to stay focused on what the article is supposed to be about (It is up to you in how you choose to proceed). When choosing a title make sure it will grab your readers attention and uses your keywords (remember mind your SEO). While you are writing your article, make sure you do not lose focus of your angle. There is nothing worse than for your readers to feel like they wasted time reading your article because they felt it was incoherent.
- Tell them who you are. An author box should be at the end of all your articles. This is your “elevator pitch” on paper. Tell your readers who you are, what your represent and where they can contact you for more information. This is your chance to subtly self promote your company.
- All done. Now what? You have written your masterpiece and now you need to share it with the world. You need to submit your articles to as many industry specific websites, article directories, blogs, etc. However, you need to alter each version you send to these websites in order to avoid sending duplicate content (i.e. use different words that do not take away from the point of the article).
Article marketing is not difficult, but it can be time consuming. My next post will share how you can receive all the benefits of article marketing without you doing any writing at all (in case you’re wondering you did read that last sentence right!).
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