"Article marketing" is a popular buzzword phrase these days. Its pros and cons are debated often by web marketing experts. You may or may not believe in the power of article marketing as an SEO tool. However, even if you're happy with your current search engine rankings, it produces other benefits for your web business.
Article marketing has two major purposes. The first is helping your website to rank higher in the major search engines. Of course, it's possible in some cases to achieve a high ranking without embarking on an article marketing campaign. This may be particularly true if you have a unique or "niche" business. Web business owners may find it difficult to justify the cost of content marketing in such cases.
The second purpose is to establish your reputation as an industry expert. This is a very different goal from the first one. It may be possible to get a good ranking without this practice. However, developing that reputation may not be possible without it.
This reason alone is a compelling enough one to take the idea of article marketing seriously. It is a little bit like hiring a PR firm (but far less expensive). It's a form of self-promotion whose first goal is to raise public awareness about who you are.
After all, few people know an industry better than the ones who are selling products or services in that field. For example, let's say you have a website that distributes eco-friendly cleaning products.
An Internet user who wants to purchase eco-friendly cleaning products may have a dozen or more online companies to choose from. Why should he choose your company when it's just as easy to click on someone else's link?
It's never a guarantee that he'll click on your link, even if it comes up in the number one position on a search query page. He might be more inclined to choose your link over a competitor's, though, if he already trusts your expertise.
Since search engine users haven't met you, the only way to establish that expertise is by communicating it via the Internet. Article marketing is one of the very best ways to do this.
It's important to note that article marketing is a long-term strategy. This is one of the number one reasons that Web business owners either don't attempt it, or abandon it after a few tries.
It takes some time to develop a reputation in your industry. Submitting articles to distribution sites should be done on an ongoing basis. If it's your first foray into the world of article marketing, start small.
Create a batch of ten articles and submit them to 100 (or more) article directories. Then sit back for a few months and see how much difference your first round of articles is making in your bottom line.
After three or four months, evaluate your first article marketing campaign. Use that information to decide what subject(s) or product(s) to focus your next campaign on. Then create another batch of ten and do the same thing.
Doing this three to four times per year will begin to spread your name around the Internet. A well-written article (whether produced by you or a writing service) should attract internet visitors interested in your industry. It will also rank well and get read often if optimized properly.
In time, your readers will begin to associate your name and website with your articles. The sound advice that you offer in a well-written article will inspire confidence in your knowledge.
Your article marketing campaigns will have established your reputation. The next time readers need a product or service that you offer, you'll no longer be a stranger to them. They'll choose the one they "know" when they have the option to click your link or links to your competitors.
Mike Lawson is a freelance consultant to internet marketers. His Professional Writing Service provides quality content for article marketing automation programs.
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