WHAT IS ARTICLE MARKETING?
Article marketing is a form of online marketing that companies incorporate to advertise products and services to the potential market. The term article marketing is not novel to us, although its form has been changed prominently. Traditionally article marketing was done through print media as it was the only medium of mass communication.
Companies or businesses in an effort to increase their customer base used to supply useful content in the form of an article to leading newspapers free of charge. Newspapers in turn publish these articles and in return print the company's contact information with the article. For example, visa consultants may submit an article on the latest visa regulations and a newspaper might publish this article with the name and contact information of the visa consultants. Hence it is a win-win situation for both players.
Today with the internet revolution, article marketing has taken the form of internet article marketing. Companies today in order to market their services and products to customers and to create brand awareness are engaging in article marketing activities via various online article directories like ezine and many others.
By posting their articles in various article directories and linking articles with pages of their own websites companies can generate leads for their businesses in order to flourish. Some online marketers often in order to maximize their online article marketing campaign results try to submit their articles to multiple article directories.
HOW TO USE ARTICLE MARKETING SUCCESSFULLY
Article marketing plays a crucial role in the success of any online business. It is an effective way to broaden the online presence of your business. By employing an appropriate article marketing strategy, companies cannot only harvest the benefits of increased traffic to their website and generate leads and new customers but also can build brand awareness and the company’s reputation online.
We will explore how to create an effective article marketing strategy. Various steps involved in developing an effective article marketing strategy are:
STEP # 1: Crafting Appropriate Article:
If I ask you a very simple question that what is involved in article marketing? Even if you know nothing about it you can still answer this question. The answer is of course an article. You need to have some content, some writing which will help you to market yourself.
An effective article with appropriate information that interests your target audience with the placement of proper keywords to optimize SEO is a key to success. You can either write your own articles or get the services of online writers to develop an effective article.
STEP # 2: Article Submission
Once you create a sound article the next step is of course to get it out in front of the eyes of your target market. In order to do that you have to submit your articles to various article directories. But what is an Article Directory?
In simple words, an article directory is actually a website that has hundreds of articles on it. Hence article directories are the best place to submit your article, especially the popular directories to generate traffic. You actually have to search for popular directories and then you need to create your profile and sign up for them. Once you are done with signing up you can log in to these article directories any time and submit your articles.
But is it that simple? Although seems simple actually it is not that easy. Just think what if you want to post your articles to a number of directories may be hundreds? Are you going to sign up for all? Is there any easier way? The answer is yes.
STEP # 3: Measuring Effectiveness:
Is measuring the effectiveness of your article in a marketing campaign really essential? Successful marketers always believe in evaluation and self-assessment or the assessment of their techniques. Although often ignored, measuring the affectivity of your technique is critical so that a marketer can visualize whether the campaign has been able to develop targeted business leads and hence help you improve your marketing methodologies and tactics.
ARTICLE SUBMISSION TIPS
Throughout our previous discussions, we have explored several ways of creating effective article content which is essential to ensure the quality of the article itself. Also, we have discussed in detail various strategies that can enhance web
traffic and in turn, promote sales.
Lets’ discuss the second step of the article marketing process which is ‘Article Submission’. The challenge for a marketer now is where to submit articles to ensure maximum viewership. Even if your articles are very well written and are SEO focused but they must reach valuable platforms to increase the chances of getting to masses of potential customers and help you generate an outstanding response rate.
Now the question is where to submit your articles to get maximum exposure. Listed below are some of the valuable platforms where you can submit your articles:
RELATED WEBSITES
There are thousands of websites available that source articles from writers. You can search for sites related to your article and submit it to these sites. This is a good opportunity to get to your targeted customers.
ONLINE CONTENT PUBLISHERS
You can search for online publishers that have publications in the categories relevant to your article and submit your article to them. All you need to do is write a letter to publishers enquiring if they would be willing to publish you. In order to get their acceptance you need to have high-quality content that is informational and authentic and that generates the publisher’s as well as viewers’ interest.
The more interesting your article, the more people will visit the publisher's site and read your article and the more will be the chances of them finally landing on your own websites by clicking on the link provided in that article. Also posting to these publications will help you reach millions of potential customers as the people who read your articles have already subscribed to and agreed to receive related content.
FORUMS
There are numerous free forms available online that welcome new member. You can find ones that are relevant to your website and publish your article. Forums are good places to gain maximum exposure but again to build credibility quality content is essentially important.
ARTICLE DISTRIBUTION SITES
You can also submit your articles to various free or fee-based article distribution sites. These sites will in turn distribute your article to a number of leading article publishers and content providers. When you submit your articles to these distribution sites, it will raise your chances of reaching millions of your targeted audience as these sites will send your article to hundreds of ezines, newsletters, groups, websites, and other publications in the relevant categories.
These tips should give you an idea of what article marketing is capable of doing for your business. Along with many other online marketing efforts, utilizing this article will help you create different sources of traffic and ultimately revenue.