If you have been marketing articles for a significant length of time or if you are new to the game ? and it is a game ? then there are a few things you can do to give yourself an edge. Some you already know about, such as writing material that people actually want on their site while others may not be as apparent to you. Let's take a look at some behind the scenes marketing you can do so that your articles get the circulation they deserve.
Market Everywhere ? Well, mostly everywhere. There are plenty of ezines, article directories, and the like on the internet. If you are limiting your exposure to just one site, then you are missing out on something big. Market your articles to at least five sites; however be careful of bad neighborhoods where the directory manager isn't doing a good enough job marketing his or her own site. The best site example of a well marketed site is Ezine Articles. Chris Knight, the manager of the site, has a blog and a forum, and he keeps his members informed with the occasional email. In addition, this particular site has RSS feeds and is considered by many to be the cutting edge article directory site on the internet. I won't name bad sites by name; rather just taking a look at them speaks volumes. If they neglect their site, they will neglect your articles.
Market On Your Own Sites ? If you don't have your own site, then you are missing a terrific opportunity to list your own articles. One big advantage of having your own site is that you aren't don't have the restrictions you have with many article directories. No one will strip out or limit your URLs, therefore you can add many additional links to your articles [which is something that Google loves]. The more Google loves your site, the higher the page rank, and the more likely you will get what you really want: more customers!
Market On Handpicked Sites ? The best marketing practice is to aim for the moon. In other words, if there is a major site that you want to feature an article you wrote, then design your article to the level that the site manager wants and submit directly to them. Just think of it: if just one of your articles is picked up by a site that has several hundred thousands visitors per day, you stand to gain an awesome amount of traffic. If they pay you for your article, then that is an added bonus. At the bare minimum, one high quality link back to your site will drive traffic your way.
You can also supplement your article marketing campaign via emails to your members with links to your latest articles; posting your information on a site such as Craig's List; and changing your signature on quality forums to which you belong to include a link directly to an important article.
Some prognosticators and pundits are insisting that the internet is reaching critical mass and that article marketing will soon peak. Do not believe them. High quality articles containing relevant and useful information will always find a home online. Write well and they will come... the terrific back links, that is!
Copyright 2005 -- Matthew Keegan is the owner of a successful article writing, web design, and marketing business based in North Carolina, USA. He manages several sites including the Corporate Flight Attendant Community and the Aviation Employment Board. Please visit The Article Writer to review selections from his portfolio.
