Article marketing is an excellent marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. An article marketing campaign consists of submitting articles about your industry or topic of expertise to one or more online article directories. You may submit your articles to general directories arranged by topic or choose to submit your articles to a directory that focuses on a narrow niche. Once your article are published, you will realize one ore more benefits of article marketing.
Website Links
The more links you have to your site around the World Wide Web, the more likely it is that people will find your site and use it to gather information or purchase products. Article marketing allows you to build links to one or more of your sites each time you submit an article. Some article directories, such as
E-Zine Articles, allow you to post a short author biography at the end of each article. Your biography can contain links to your site or blog. Other directories and portals, such as Associated Content, allow you to build a professional profile and include your contact information so people who read your articles can contact you directly.
Credibility
When you submit quality articles to online directories, you will gain credibility in your industry or area of expertise. The key word here is “quality.” If you are submitting articles simply to gain links to your site, and the articles are irrelevant or poorly-written, your credibility will suffer. If you write articles that contain valuable information for readers and steer clear of making blatant sales pitches, you will be seen as an expert in your field. Many authors, professional service providers, and affiliate marketers have made a lot of money and increased their credibility using the article marketing technique.
Solid Reputation
If you’ve never published any articles, it will be hard for your potential customers to know you exist. However, article marketing helps you change that in a very inexpensive way. When you write and publish articles about topics you know a lot about, you are building a reputation for yourself as an expert in your field. Potential customers may find you by reading your articles, but there’s also a chance that journalists or prominent blog owners will find you and ask you to contribute an article or interview to their publications. This will help create even more positive exposure for your business.
Sample Work
Article marketing can also serve as an excellent way for you to showcase your work if you are a writer. Writing articles on a variety of topics and posting them in article directories gives you the ability to show potential clients that you are talented and versatile. If a potential client wants you to write about a specific industry, specifically point him to links of your articles on that industry. This is a great way to maintain an online portfolio without the expense of building and hosting your own site.
