The Secrets to Writing Perfect Article Marketing Content

Being successful in a highly competitive market...

Article marketing is a growing phenomenon which is now becoming central to the marketing strategies of many affiliate marketers. As this trend towards article writing has taken hold, so have the numbers of articles written and published on the internet with sales in mind. For this reason the ability to make your articles stand out against the crowd at first view, and then to provide relevant and informative content to your readers is more and more essential. The competition is increasing all the time but if you can write content people read then you have every chance of success. There are a variety of methods used by the successful article marketers out there to create their hugely powerful article portfolios - this article will outline how exactly these systems work and how you can tailor your own article writing to your marketing needs.
Quality or quantity - don't get stuck in between

The most successful of the 'super' affiliate's article-writing tactics generally congregate at the ends of a spectrum which has its extremes in either quantity or quality. This is to say that the first trap to avoid is to be lost in the middle with not enough average quality articles- I myself try to focus on writing quality articles which require more time to be dedicated, rather than bashing out a huge number which some have success with. This quantity based tactic is mainly used as part of an SEO minded approach to affiliate marketing which I don't personally like. Your real aim is to write as many high quality articles as you can therefore and this is often not an easy thing to do.
I like to take pride in my articles and in this way I believe writing short, and often vague, articles does not represent a good web marketing solution. It will provide you with a great number of backlinks which help with search engine rankings however I feel you are missing a brilliant chance to presell your affiliate products and to consolidate the impression of your expertise. To have the huge success it is necessary to produce huge quantities of articles and therefore many affiliates simply outsource the article writing function for a relatively small fee - this dedication to quantity can therefore have results but you can't compete writing independently and you will have to start paying external companies.
The advantages of quality over quantity...

To my mind a well written and highly informative article portfolio can overcome these problems and in the end offers similar benefits. For one thing the landscape in affiliate marketing has changed towards rewarding good quality content, and sites like EzineArticles are becoming increasingly strict in passing articles. Even taking this into account there are further advantages because you don't need to pay other people to write articles, you can use and enjoy developing you own expertise, and you can be proud of what you offer. The small amount of initial backlinks will also grow exponentially if your articles are well written enough - for instance I have had some of my own articles republished on hundreds of blogs and website around my different niches. This organic traffic is extremely valuable and will shoot you up the search engine rankings as well as providing highly targeted visitors. Here are my recommendations on what comprises a high quality and converting article.
Target the right keywords...

Firstly you need to make sure you are targeting the right keywords. Try to break away from the over-crowded areas and instead focus your attention on those gaps in the market which are yet to be exploited. You have probably already done this in your website SEO so it shouldn't be too difficult to find what to write about. Make sure the article reads naturally but includes as many examples of your keywords as possible - if the suggested keywords don't match what you hoped you have a problem.
Draw your reader in with a good title...

Next you need an excellent title - people aren't going to read if there isn't something relevant to them. Ways to do this include answering a commonly searched for or asked question; giving your reader the impression that the information is indispensable (for example by saying you need to read this, can't buy without this etc.), or by being highly controversial. If your quality is excellent then I wouldn't worry too much about the title making a few exaggerated claims.
Content is king...

Next you need to put together the content - this is obviously very niche specific but I find the best articles are generally between 1000 and 2000 words in length. This allows you to pass on helpful knowledge and impress your readers but isn't too long for them to click away. If you are only writing 300 words it is probable your content is not of much use - however if the article has answered a pertinent question in suitable depth obviously the figures above can be revised. To keep the interest levels up further I also like to break up the text with intriguing titles (as I have used in this article!) or even include graphs, pictures, quotes etc. to jazz it up a bit more.
Don't forget to presell your products if you can...

You should, if at all possible, try to include some sort of presell as part of your article. In the beginning this is easier because you have not exhausted the different approaches to promoting a product (e.g. reviews, self-help guides, complementary advice). However if you can develop the idea of a product's benefits in as many of your articles as possible your conversion rate should shoot up. By talking to the reader directly (using personal pronouns for example) you activate a relationship which has a greater chance in ending in you earning commission.
The all important resource box...

For this to happen at all though your resource box needs to be excellent in the first place - for me this is where many article marketers fail by including one standard piece of text pointing to some boring, unrelated page on their website. This box should be tailored to every article, making sure your readers feel a real need to visit your site, a call to action they can't turn down. This means selling yourself as much as is humanly possible- highlight your expertise, what exactly you have to offer and why your reader is missing something great if they don't click that link. This is the only chance the directories give you so make the most of it.
If you follow this article blueprint closely I believe you will be writing the quality article you need to be successful. Content is King in the modern era and this means you'll get your rewards for offering solutions to your readers problems. Thanks for reading and I wish you all the luck in your affiliate career.



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