Article Writing for the Nervous

Article Marketing is the hottest way of marketing your web sites, but writing does not come naturally to many people. We'll show you an easier way to start your writing career.
All through school and then maybe college or university, even as the writing became more detailed and longer.  No matter how many times you have done it, writing is probably a task that many of your have continuously avoided. Now at a time when writing articles could help your job or work, facing the job at hand can be daunting.

I'm one of those strange people that enjoy writing, but even I get stumped some times and while there are a great number of people who do like writing, there are still those who would rather walk on hot coals than write an article. So for those people and the ones who like writing and would prefer to be more prepared here are some hints and methods that might help you.

Step 1: Prepare an outline or template first.
One of the best pieces of advice that I was given, many years ago, and which I still use in my consultancy is:
“Tell them what you are going to tell them.  Tell them. Tell them why you told them."
Roughly translated into an outline this is:
• Pick a subject
• Introduce it
• Go into your detail
• Conclude as to why this was important.
Another template to think of - and one that gets published often is:
"Ten Reasons Why", "Top Ten Ideas", "Seven Solutions"
Well you get the idea.
Step 2: Pick your topic
Pick something you know about and start jotting down ideas. I find it easy to pick a temporary title sometimes other times I work on the subject and then the title just comes along on it's on.
The Top Ten is always the easiest and as it is a popular one with ezine publishers maybe you should make this your first one.
 Maybe it is something for dog lovers so you could have:
• Top 10 best ways to make sure your dog gets its walk.
• Top 10 ways to meet other dog walkers
• Top 10 best ways to raise pups
Well you get the idea.
Step 3: Headings and Summaries

The first sentence for your article, should immediately grab the attention of your reader and introduce the subject of your article.
 Many article sites ask for a summary of the article as well.  The summary is used in two places:
• On the article site as a part of the search process
• On the search engine entry that links to where the article is on the article site
So you can see that this is the place to pique the imagination of the potential reader as well as get you well placed in the search engines.
Step 4: Add the Content

You should now be in full writing mode and able to jot down the rest of the article, remembering the conclusion.  Read it through several times - but don't expect perfection.
The more interesting the article is, the more people will read and remember it.
The best ezine articles are between 300 and 750 words long. I have written longer articles of 1,000 to 1,250 words, and had them featured on web sites, but long articles don't fare well in ezines.  So pick your market and try to get the right length for your choice of publication.

Step 5: The Resource Box
This is the reason for writing.  The resource box is the 4 -7 lines that sits on the end of the article.  The format should be as:
• Your Copyrights
• 2-4 lines about your expertise. You can usually include up to 3 hyperlinks.  Affiliate links are generally not allowed - so give your web site address.
• The terms of using your article - the expression “You may print this article without charge, provided this resource box remains intact."
Now that is it.

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© Copyright 2006 Biz Guru LLC
Lee Lister writes as The Biz Guru, for a number of web sites including her own www.BizGuru.us and www.clikks.com where she sells her informational products. With over 20 year’s management and business consultancy experience with businesses large and small as well as being a serial entrepreneur, she now helps others set up, develop and market their businesses.

This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
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Posted on 22.13 / 0 komentar / Read More

Article Writing And Article Marketing Basics

Want to know how to increase publicity for your website, in a sure and steady way? You may not realize it but many website operators use the same trick to generate traffic for virtually nothing.

Which is? Write content-rich and focused articles and submit to directory sites, other people's sites and ezines. This process is called article writing and article marketing.

Now, why would an ezine publisher or website owner want to post your targeted articles on their websites or use your articles for their mailing lists? The answer is that not many can produce tons of content that is specific and focused. And tons of high quality content helps to build traffic to their sites and loyal subscribers to their mailing lists.

Here is where your article comes in. In exchange for a byline and a link to your site (called a "resource box"), you allow website owners to use your content as it is. No one is allowed to make any changes to your article without your permission.

Here are some other advantages for article writing and article marketing:

* Gain "Expert" Status when you share your knowledge and expertise. Just look at the people who write newspaper columns. You get to appear like an expert when your articles are posted in a couple of article directory websites and when you write on a variety of topics pertaining to the same niche area.

* You can do some nifty preselling. This is especially if your article appeals to a niche audience hungry for some specific information. That way, you've already presold yourself, when they click over to your site.

* You get more links to your site. Then, you'd be able to enhance your search engine positioning just by your "link popularity". Once your article is posted on another person's website or an article directory, it is likely that it will stay there for a long time.

* You are providing an excellent tool to help your affiliates. Your affiliates are likely to promote you more often and more effectively compared to those who don't provide such help.

* It is also excellent for building an opt-in email list. Statistics show that on average, a prospect visits your website seven times before clicking a buy order. A constant stream of emails (with his/her permission) at regular intervals can help break down "defences" and build relationships. In addition, once the relationship is build, back end sales or sales of other products and services become easier.

So, do you need to have a flair for writing in order for you to write? Absolutely not. You just need to remember just two simple rules:

* Put down your thoughts naturally. Just like how you would explain to a friend about this subject over a cup of tea.

* Write simply. Bad grammer does not help. Complicated sentences and sentences that go on and on forever may not help you get your message across. So make your article an easy read.

Now, what is an easy way to get started on writing? Think of key problems that your audience is likely to have and then write an article that provides the solution. A few key examples here should help kick-start your writing:

10 ways to help you.....
5 extremely useful resource tips that you should know about....
7 time saving tips to....
1 breakthrough tip that.....

You can organize your article in this manner: an introduction (you can identify the problems that your readers are facing and your own short story or experiences), the list of points (the "solution") and a concluding paragraph (asking your readers to take some action).

After you finished writing, get someone to vet through your article. Alternatively, you can wait some time later and take a look at your article again. Improve it and check for grammer and spelling.

Then, it's time for article marketing. Submit your article to article announcement lists and article directories like http://www.ArticleMap.com. In your submission, make sure your articles comply with specific guidelines required by the publisher.

Article marketing can generate visitor traffic to your website as your articles get published and syndicated across the world. As you write and submit more articles, traffic to your site will definitely pick up speed!

Posted on 22.12 / 0 komentar / Read More

Article Writing: Can It Help My Online Store?

Question: My online store can’t make money unless I get traffic, but I can’t afford to keep buying advertising. What can I do? I feel so discouraged.
Signed, Lonely in my Store

Dear Lonely in my Store,
First of all, you are NOT doing anything wrong. Online businesses take time and can get frustrating, especially in the first year.

If your online store is lonely, and you’re watching the dust balls collect, waiting for traffic to come and buy, it’s easy to get discouraged. As soon as the advertising ends, so does your traffic – if you’re even getting any results from your advertising at all.

What if you could get visitors to your website – free? And, not only that, but the visitors keep coming for years? One of the best methods of generating traffic to your website is by writing and sharing articles. This is not ‘get rich quick’ and it’s not a scam. It’s just plain old fashioned marketing with a twist.

Now, even if you aren’t a writer, you can use this method of getting traffic. It doesn’t take a degree in Literature to succeed in article marketing. All it takes is a little time and energy. If you have that – you can get traffic to your website.

So, how does it work? Well, it’s working right now. Look at the bottom of this article and you’ll see … me. I didn’t pay for this advertising, but you’ll see a link to my website right there, plain as day, just for writing and sharing this article with website publishers.

It’s actually quite simple, and it is underused, especially in work at home mom businesses.

All you need to do is write a short, simple, helpful article about something related to your online store. If you sell makeup, then write an article about how to choose a foundation color, or how to care for your skin during the winter. Then, after you’ve written your article, you submit it to the article directories.

Article directories are libraries of free articles. They are collections of articles that website and blog owners can use on their sites for free. The only stipulation is that everyone who publishes your article must include your author bio at the end which is where you include your website URL and some fascinating information about your wonderful online store.

So, now that you see how simple this free method of generating traffic is, I hope you give it a try. You’ve got nothing to lose and much to gain.

Posted on 22.11 / 0 komentar / Read More

Article Writing: Can It Help My Direct Sales Business?

Question: How can I get long-term advertising for my Direct Sales website without spending a fortune?

Signed, Direct Sales Mom

Dear Direct Sales Mom,
Very often, people in Direct Sales don’t realize they can benefit from the same methods of internet marketing that other online businesses use. Writing and submitting articles is one of those methods of marketing that is extremely effective for Direct Sales businesses.

If you’re unfamiliar with the way article marketing works, basically, you write and give away helpful, informative articles. Why would you work so hard and give away your information? Look at the bottom of this article. There you’ll see my name and a brief bit of information about what I do. I didn’t pay for that advertising. It’s free.

So, how does it work? You write an article about a topic that you are interested in – usually one that relates in some way to your business. If you sell makeup, there’s no point in writing about forest fires. So, show your expertise and share your love of what you do in a brief article. Then you’ll want to find article directories that will accept your article. You’ll submit your articles to the directories, including your author bio and a link to your website.

Website publishers, blog owners, and ezine publishers will search the directories and find interesting articles to share with their readers. When they use one of your articles, they’ll include your author bio at the end with a clickable link to your website. Voila. You just scored some free traffic.

As long as your company allows you to link to your website, (and I realize that some don’t) – you can use article writing to grow your customer list and your team.

If your company does not allow links to your website, you may be able to set up a lead generation page to get people’s information. Or you can send them to a newsletter sign up page where you can get them on a list where you may talk more freely about your products in your newsletter. Just be sure to check with your company policies and procedures before investing too much time and energy into writing articles.

Now get writing!

Posted on 22.10 / 0 komentar / Read More

The Magic Of Autoresponders

A majority of those who visit a new website have no intention of purchasing anything.  Most of the time, those who visit new sites are surfing the Internet for information, and happen to stumble across your website.  There are a few impulse buyers out there though, buyers that will buy from your site on the first visit.  Although most visitors will leave without buying anything, you’ll find yourself wondering why your visitor counter keeps increasing and your sales aren’t improving.

In most cases, it takes several exposures to new products or services before someone will decide to buy it.  To get the most from your sales and capitalize on visitors who happen to visit your site without making a purchase, you’ll need a way to follow up with your visitors several times.  An email list is one way to do it, as you can show your product to the same market as many times as you like.

To successfully manage an email subscriber list, you’ll need something known as an autoresponder.  An autoresponder is a great asset to your website, as it can handle virtually any email you receive.  You can think of these tools as salesmen who never get sick and are always there to answer emails 24 hours a day – 7 days a week.  They will also follow up with your clients when you instruct them to do so, continuing to add information to your database as well.

Autoresponders are very helpful tools that people can subscribe to.  It can also capture and manage email databases that it collects from your website traffic as well.  Once you have signed into your autoresponder account, you can use a sign up form and capture both the name and email address for any of your website visitors.  Once you have the information, you can add it to your customer list so that you can get back to the customer with information about your services and products.

There are many other uses for autoresponders as well.  Along with sending out personalized emails to your clients, you can also send them free examples of your products, snippets of useful information, or special offers towards your products.  You can add virtually anything you want to an autoresponder, and send it out when you wish.  You can also send out a broadcast message to everyone on your customer list at the same time, which will get your information out there and save you a lot of time.

You can get an autoresponder program for your website in several types and several locations.  You can get scripts to add to your website, although they aren’t normally recommended.  Many prefer to go with third party services, which will operate the autoresponder for you.  This type of autoresponder is known as remote hosted, and proves to be very beneficial for those who don’t want to operate the autoresponder themselves.

If you want to run the autoresponder yourself, you can always go with locally hosted autoresponder programs.  These programs will allow you to run the responder yourself, giving you complete and total control.  To do it this way, you’ll need to buy an autoresponder program then set it up either on your computer or through your website.

To get started in the right direction, all you need to do is find yourself an autoresponder.  To find one, all you need to do is run a search with a search engine such as Google.  You’ll receive hundreds of different results, including free programs.  You should always avoid free autoresponders though – as programs that you pay for will give you a lot more in return.

Posted on 04.50 / 0 komentar / Read More