Is Article Marketing The Ultimate Online Marketing Strategy?
Have you ever wondered if article marketing really is the powerful online marketing strategy that others have claimed it to be? Can writing articles really help you grow your mailing list? Help you build your brand and become known as an expert in your niche? Help you make more money by spreading the word about what you do and what you have to offer the world? Help you grow perpetual (passive) and affiliate income, too?
Well, I have wondered. I’ve also hesitated to dive into the world of article marketing because I didn’t know the rules of the game. Worse, I wasn’t even sure how to get started.
After months of research, I confess I did not find a definitive guide on the subject of article marketing. I did find lots of ideas, opinions and strategies that seemed to work for the folks using them. Most interesting to me, I found others running experiments to test article marketing and even reporting their results. Okay, I was intrigued. What if I launched my own test?
Publishing and Distributing Your Articles
It seems that article marketing is becoming a mainstream online marketing tool with many publishing channels. I've begun to look for avenues for promoting my articles. So far, I have found that the most popular ways to distribute your articles are through:
- Ezines - yours or someone else’s.
- Article directories - you submit your article and they make it available to online publishers to place on their sites or in their publications online or offline. (This is my 3rd choice)
- Blogs - you create a topic-driven blog and post your articles which are neatly categorized and keyworded (is that a word?) to make them easy to find. (This is my #1 choice)
- Websites - yours or other’s where your articles are usually available in an area called an article archive.
- Expert Content sites - you can create an online guide filled with your content which is made available to the public. (This is my 2nd choice)
- And of course, Paid Content Sites – the online version of print magazines and news services where your articles are made available to their communities of users. Also includes coaching clubs, membership sites and association web sites.
Which article solutions would you choose?
Sharing What I Learn
I’ll explore and talk about each of these categories in great depth during the 100 Article Journey. I expect to share best practices, insider tips and lessons learned along the way. I’ll even share my growing list of the best places to publish your articles.
I am currently testing two templates - one for articles and the other for blog posts. I'm also reading a selection of resources cover-to-cover, testing their ideas, and selecting the best to recommend to fellow article writers and marketers. Lastly, I am still working our the details of what numbers I will track to "prove" my success.
Stay tuned.
Why I Chose Article Marketing
Among other things, I am an author, business mentor (since 1997), wife and mother of 4. I've helped purpose-driven, helping, healing and holistic business owners grow multiple, Meaningful Streams of Income™ using my signature, $1000 a Day Business Model.
Also, I've just launched my new Master Success Circle which offers affordable coaching and implementation support to people who want to learn how to grow their own $1000 a Day, Meaningful Streams™ business.
In the past I’ve grown businesses through
- speaking engagements,
- workshops,
- coaching programs,
- spread-the-word campaigns,
- collaboratives, and
- joint-venture events.
As a person who loves to teach and share new ideas, I enjoyed the opportunities to speak. I saw 80% of my clients in person in my home office and I continued to start new groups. I had naturally formed a strong business community. Speaking and creating groups were my main marketing strategies and my business grew through word-of-mouth and referrals.
Then I moved across the country.
After the dust settled – walls painted, furniture in place, cars delivered, kids attending a new school, my husband’s daily travel schedule secured, and of course, the dog settled in, too – I was a bit tired.
For me – my friends where a phone call away. For my business, my local business community contacts that I had come to rely on were no longer there.
Of course, I could go out and recreate the same community for myself in my new area – but what if we moved again. And what about the limitations of always having to be out and about in the community? (I did have 4 children in grade school!) (Update: Now I have one in high school, one in Jr. High and 2 in grade school.)
I decided to take some time off and think about what to do next.
Read the rest...see Article Marketing - The 100 Article Journey Begins - Part 2
