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Articles That Sell
by Bonnie Jo Davis
http://www.articlesthatsell.com
Use The Best Kept Secret Of The Internet
To Promote Your Business For FREE!
The power of the Internet as a marketing tool for small
business owners cannot be overstated. However, developing
a web site is only the first piece of this intricate
puzzle. Driving traffic to your site is an ongoing, arduous
process ~ one that is most effectively achieved when you
employ multiple strategies.
One such strategy is contributing content to web sites,
article archives, and "e-zines." Because your URL will be
included in your by-line, this is a very inexpensive form
of on-line promotion from a number of perspectives:
~~A significant percentage of readers will ~click-
through~ to visit your web site
~~The increased number of links ~pointing~ to your
site improves its search engine rankings
~~Because you have demonstrated your expertise in the
article, you will generally be held in higher regard than
if you were simply advertising or listed in search engine
results
The first step in the article submission process is to
determine your target audience, the web sites they visit,
and the types of articles they enjoy reading.
Let's assume, for illustration purposes, that you want to
get the attention of human resources professionals. Visit a
search engine such as http://www.google.com, and enter the
phrase "human resources."
Browse some of the resulting web sites to get a sense of
topics that are currently "hot." If you find that employee
retention is a top concern for HR ~ and you have valuable
insights to offer ~ you~re ready to start writing!
Here are some tips to guide you:
~~Be sure that your content is informative and
useful ~ not an advertisement for your services
~~Keep the article length to between 750 and 1,000
words
~~Include a four-line by-line that consists of a
brief biography, your contact information (i.e., email
address and telephone number), and web site URL
~~Format your article in a text file with carriage
returns inserted at 65 characters or less and create a
version in Word or WordPerfect.
Don't overlook carefully proofreading your work. If
possible, wait at least one day after writing the piece to
proofread it and ask a friend, family member, colleague to
review it as well. Also consider hiring a writing or
editing specialist (such as Affinity Business
Communications at http://www.affinitybizcomm.com/) to
perform a bit of "wordsmithing."
It's now time to identify appropriate venues for your
article. The HR-specific web sites that you found earlier
are a perfect place to start. These might include
http://www.shrm.org/, http://humanresources.about.com/, and
http://www.suite101.com/articles.cfm/human_resources.
Next, identify professional and non-profit associations
whose members may benefit from your content. A search
engine or an association locator such as
http://www.asaenet.org/find/ or
http://www.associationcentral.com can help you do this, and
there may be opportunities to publish your work in journals
or newsletters at both the national and local (i.e.,
chapter) level.
Third, compile a list of article archives that accept
contributions in your topic area, such as
http://www.articles911.com/,
http://www.expertarticles.com/,
http://www.ezinearticles.com/, and
http://makingprofit.com/mp/articles/submit.shtml.
Fourth, explore both on-line and offline e-zines and
newsletters. There are several directories to help you
target those to which your article is relevant, including
http://www.ezine-dir.com/,
http://www.ezinesearch.com/search-it/ezine/, and
http://www.ezinelocater.com/.
And lastly, consider performing another web search, this
time for your specific topic (e.g., ~employee retention~).
I would even recommend taking it a step further by
utilizing the search phrase ~employee retention articles,~
for example, to generate a list of web pages that are
compilations of links to articles similar to your own. This
is a terrific way to be ~found~ by individuals actively
researching your topic.
It is imperative that you review the editorial and
formatting guidelines for each site and customize your
article accordingly. Most web sites that accept
contributions include a page with submission information
and requirements, or provide the editor~s email address so
that he or she may be contacted directly with questions.
If your article is accepted, it may take up to three months
for it to "go live." Some web sites do not acknowledge
receipt of your submission and may even publish it without
notifying you. It is important, therefore, that you create
a log to record, follow-up, and track your submissions.
Consider adding a page to your web site that lists where
your work has been ~featured,~ and update it each time an
article is published or reprinted.
As mentioned in the opening of this article, on-line
promotion is a continuous process. To keep the momentum
going, it is recommended that you develop new articles as
often as time allows and repeat the submission process at
least once each quarter. Be sure to create a ~Bookmark~
(Netscape) or ~Favorite~ (Internet Explorer) file for the
web sites you identify, giving yourself a ~head start~ when
writing on similar topics in the future.
While submitting articles can be a tedious and time-
consuming endeavor, the free publicity and client leads it
generates make it well worth the effort. And if publishers
value you as a consistent source of high-quality content,
you may even be invited to serve as a columnist or regular
contributor. Doing so will keep you in regular contact with
the people with whom you wish to do business ~ enabling you
to position yourself as a problem solver, a strategic
partner and, most importantly, permit you to remain ~top~
in the minds of your potential and existing clients.~
This excerpt of the new special report "Articles That Sell
is provided by the author, Bonnie Jo Davis. To learn more
about Bonnie and her favorite free marketing tactic visit
http://www.articlesthatsell.com.
(c) 2002, Davis Virtual Assistance. All rights reserved.
This article courtesy of ...
You may freely reprint this article on your website or in
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name and URL remain intact.
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