Article Marketing

Article marketing has always been a favorite marketing method amongst frugal entrepreneurs. Offering ultra-targeted traffic at a price that no one can argue with (hint: it’s free), article marketing has been used as a promotional platform for everything from expensive watches to online informational products. A mainstay of offline and online marketing, the rulebook for article marketing is hundreds of pages thick and as complex as they come.

The thing is, to succeed with article marketing, you do not have to follow every rule that is out there. Sometimes, all it takes is a little knowledge of the major rules, and you are almost all the way there. Before you embark on an article marketing campaign, memorize these five major rules and use them to guide your marketing efforts.

1. Keep it relevant.
The aim of a marketing article is to create forward traffic for your website. Sometimes all that takes is a slight contextual relevance, while other times it requires a highly detailed article. Some niches are naturally more specialized than others, and require a far more relevant article in order to generate traffic that converts into sales.

Whatever your case, make sure that your articles are relevant and informative. You are far more likely to create sales with an article that gets readers in a buying mood, so get that relevant information in there and get ready to convert readers into buyers.

2. Do not commercialize the body of your article.
Save promotion until the end of your article. The aim of your article’s body is to inform readers and get them interested in the content that you’re dealing with. There is a place for promotion in an online marketing article, but it is closer to the end than it is to the beginning. Fill the body of your article with ultra-relevant content, and bring in commercialization in your conclusion and resource box.

3. The resource box is key — use it to your advantage.
Your resource box gives you a chance to change a standard, somewhat boring article into a powerful promotional tool. In many ways, the resource box is more important than the article itself. Put it to good use by incorporating one or two good, ultra-contextual links to your product websites and sales pages. With the right information and layout, a good resource box can turn a failing article into a mass-sales opportunity.

4. Do not sell, just pre-sell.
Leave the selling to your sales page. Your promotional articles should achieve one thing: have readers click through to the landing page. You articles are not sales tools — your landing page is. Focus on getting the reader interested through pre-sales, but do not try and convince them to buy in the article itself.

5. Do not forget to research keywords.
Keyword research is just as important for a promotional article as it is for an SEO-powered website. Whenever you are embarking on an article marketing mission, go out of your way to ensure that your keywords are worthwhile. A simple five-minute scan with Google’s Keyword tool is often all you need to determine if an article is worth writing or not.

© 2010, Ask Steven Hippe. All rights reserved.