One Of The Web's Most Powerful Marketing Methods
How would you like to get tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of free exposures to your ads every month? Sound good?
Well, I'm talking about writing articles for newsletters. And it's the fastest and most effective marketing strategy to build your personal web presence, your ezine subscriber list and ... yes ... your SALES!
Before you think, "I can't do this", read on. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you.
There are some tremendous advantages to getting your articles published. But like anything with worthwhile benefits, it takes some effort. Are your internet goals worthy of *effort*? If so, writing articles can become the *backbone* of your marketing strategies.
THE BENEFITS
So, let's talk about the benefits first to see if we can get you motivated to tap into this dynamic marketing method. Then, let's provide some tips to get you off and running.
* First off, and most obvious, is the fact that you'll gain the potential for massive free exposure. I typically submit two articles per month and get between 200,000 and 1,000,000 exposures for my ad (article Resource Box).
* There's more. Not only will you get a short term burst of traffic, but this is a very effective long term, viral marketing technique as well. Many ezine editors archive their issues online and you will continue to get hits from them long after your initial publication.
And that's not all. Some webmasters will actually post your articles on their sites as content!
* Your OWN search engine rankings will improve. First of all, your articles on other people's sites create links back to you, which important search engines, such as Goggle, rate very highly.
You can also submit to dozens of article submission sites on your own. Again, you're creating both more links back to your site and new pathways for web surfers to find you.
Second, when you put your articles on your own site and submit them with the targeted keywords used in the article, you are giving yourself more search engine fire power. The beauty of this is that you can target an article for any search term you want.
* Your articles will create the all important awareness of WHO YOU ARE. Internet sales are all about trust and credibility. As people continually see your name, this is exactly what you are building.
* You will experience enormous growth to the size of your own ezine. It's simple. The people who enjoy your article want to hear more of what you have to say. And the growth of your own ezine is vital to your long term internet success.
* This is also an excellent Affiliate marketing technique. The *Super Affiliates* have successfully branded their names. Again, this is exactly what you are doing when you write articles!
HOW TO GET STARTED
Okay, sounds good so far, doesn't it? But how do you go about it?
Well, let me say at the outset that you don't have to be a great writer, so cross that off the requirements.
If you can talk, then you can do this. Why? Because the best articles just flow along smoothly and easily like a conversation with a friend.
You want to write like you talk. Just make sure you do a spell- check. And if you are a real beginner, have it proof-read by a friend for any MAJOR grammatical errors. Or, send it to me and I'll proof it for you.
Don't sweat the small stuff though. For example, I often start sentences with *and* or *but*, which are grammatical no-no's. This is acceptable in web writing, however, because it's simply the way most of us talk.
First, two cardinal rules:
* Write about something you know about. If you don't know about it, do some research and learn, or pick another topic.
* Put YOUR OWN spin, or stamp, or twist on it. Give it *personality*. Make it distinctly YOURS.
Your content does not have to be something that's never been written about before. For example, I've written several articles on headlines and copywriting. I've seen dozens of such articles before. So, the best approach is to do it in a way that is new and unique.
Remember the article, "Your Headlines Are Your *Salesmen*"?
Well, writing about headlines is hardly a hot new topic. I simply gave specific types of headines a unique and descriptive name (i.e. the "This Is Your Lucky Day" headline or the "Drum Roll Please" headline). Both editors and newsletter readers are much more likely to respond to something they recognize as a fresh and unique approach, even if the subject matter has been around for ages.
As a reference for this technique, you can read this article here:
http://www.internetprofitwizards.com/Headlines_Are.html
Another way to create *uniqueness* is to use stories from your own life and weave them into your subject matter. Some of you may remember, "Why Your Marketing Efforts Aren't Working", which appeared here several weeks ago.
Remember the story about the Ping-Pong Champ?
http://www.internetprofitwizards.com/Copywriting_Th.html
The result was a new and unique approach to a subject that has been addressed countless times.
TIPS ON COMING UP WITH TOPICS
Coming up with ideas to write about isn't very difficult. Think creatively about the marketplace you are serving.
If you're selling gifts, write articles about the history of certain items, or about birthdays, holidays, etc.. If you're selling jewelry, write about its proper care, or appraisal and insurance issues, etc. If you're in the internet marketing field, write about methods that have been effective for you or experiences you've had or your pet internet peeves. The opportunities are endless.
If you are at a loss for ideas, here's a technique that I've found useful. Go to a famous quote site, such as:
http://home.att.net/~quotations
Start reading quotes and think of how they relate to your particular business. Usually, a little neuron will spark in your brain and ... bingo ... you've got a subject to write about.
Here's an example,
"There are three ingredients to the good life; learning, earning, and yearning."
--Christopher Morley
You can take the above quote and relate it to about any business field you can think of. If you don't like that one, there are literally thousands and thousands more.
You can also read other articles in your field to inspire NEW ideas. NEVER copy or plagiarize someone else's article. But use them to trigger your own unique take on a particular subject, or to inspire a new one.
WRITING TIPS
The next step is the actual writing. I won't suggest that you can expect to just sit down and write your article in one fell swoop. It takes work and you very likely will find that taking breaks and coming back later is more effective.
Once I've selected a topic, I just sit down and start writing whatever comes to mind. I then put it aside and come back later, with a fresh perspective. As I re-read, I often get new ideas to improve it. I'll do this anywhere from 3 to 10 times, usually over a three or four day period.
Here's some tips to keep in mind:
* Keep your words simple. Don't try to impress people with your wonderful vocabulary. Be straight forward.
* Keep your paragraphs to 2-4 sentences and try to keep your sentences brief.
* Editors love bulleted lists. That's why you see alot of articles with titles such as, "7 Ways To (whatever)". You can write an introduction, then proceed into your bullets, write a summary ... and bingo ... a hot article!
* Prune, prune, prune. Try to keep your article in the 400-700 word range. While editors print articles of nearly every size, those in this size range seem to have the most appeal. This article, for example, at approximately 1400 words is likely too long to gain widespread use.
* DON'T turn your article into an ad! If you want to be widely reprinted, HELP OTHERS.
* Write a 3-7 line Resource Box as your ad. I believe it's best to promote your site benefits and newsletter here (rather than a product appeal or affiliate link). Remember, your article is creating trust and credibility and a *hard sell* will often defeat this purpose. You want their email address, not their "yes or no" decision today.
As you know, there are NO EASY roads to internet success. You need to put in the *work* to get the *results*. Writing articles has a whole host of benefits and is more than worth the effort. And like everything else, it gets easier with experience. Get started tonight and you'll be surprised by what you come up with!
Joshua Rose is webmaster at The Internet Profit Wizards http://www.internetprofitwizards.com, a site devoted to the three mandatory skills necessary for internet success: Copywriting that sells, a thriving ezine and effective Affiliate techniques. Visit to subscribe to his newsletter and get free e-books. Or, send a blank email to: mailto:webwizards@freeautobot.com
Written By: Joshua Rose