Strategies For Article Marketing

[Audrey]

In an earlier thread I spoke of article marketing as a means of "free advertising". Here's an article I wrote about article marketing:

Strategies For Article Marketing

You’ve read all the articles telling you that you should write articles, but there are hundreds of article databases out there. How do you decide where to submit your articles? I have a couple of strategies that bring me results.

First, I always read just a few articles from any directory I’m considering submitting to, to see what type of advertising is being used on their site. I do not want my family friendly articles on sites that allow what I consider to be questionable advertising. If the advertising is not family friendly, I will not submit my articles. I have also deleted my articles from sites that changed their advertising policies and began accepting non family friendly advertising. Continue to monitor sites that carry your articles.

Next, I submit only a few articles to a directory and then I monitor those submissions to see how long they take to go live. There is no way to know if a directory is active until you submit your articles. Just like any other business, directories come and go. Just because it was active last year, does not mean it is still active this year. Don’t waste your time submitting more than 3 articles at one time in the beginning. There are so many wonderful directories out there, that I refuse to invest my time submitting to directories that take months to approve my articles. If I submit my article today I expect to see it live within a few days. Remember the reason you are writing articles is to help others and get your name out there. If your articles are not live, your name is not being seen.

I prefer to submit to directories that allow me to check my stats on a regular basis. I want to know how many others are reading my articles. If your articles are not being read, then your name is not getting out there. Why are your articles not being read? Have you chosen a topic or written on a subject that folks are not reading? Or did you submit your article to a directory that is not getting enough traffic for others to read your article? Two very high traffic directories are www.ezinearticles.com and www.searchwarp.com I monitor my stats daily on those two directories. I also submit every one of my articles to both of these directories. They are the first two directories to receive all new articles I write. The stats from these two directories tell me that my articles are being read and are wanted by others. So, if I view my stats on another directory and see that my article has only been read once or twice, I do not continue submitting articles to that directory.

The last thing I do is to use both Google and MSN and search for my name. I want to know what directories are getting their pages indexed quickly and where my articles are showing up. I submit my articles to the directories that are getting me the exposure.

By using all of the above strategies, my articles are being read and folks are clicking through to my site.

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Audrey Okaneko has been marketing online for several years. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.scrapping-made-simple.com

[ImagineThat]

Thanks, Audrey for posting the ins and outs of article submission. In fact, after reading your thread about article marketing as a means of "free advertising", I returned to Freelance Mom to ask you whether you submitted one article to more than one directory. Now, I know. ;) My answer was already here. Hmmmmm...isn't that called anticipating the customer's needs? *grin* I've saved so many magazine and newspaper articles as a basis for information and ideas to write my own articles. I'd planned to use the information in a newsletter, but if I go ahead and produce some articles, I can clear the clutter of bits and pieces and retain just my own articles that will be used again and again! http://people.delphiforums.com/sunshine210/smilies/luxhello.gifOf course the information will have to be updated from time to time, but that's to be expected.

[Audrey]

Yes, I do submit my articles to more than one directory. I start with ezinearticles.com every time. Once my articles are there, then I'll start putting them up on the other directories.

I also have a few publishers who have asked me to submit certain topic articles directly to them, so I do.

www.999articles.com This guy offers a free ecourse on article marketing. His course is pretty good. He covers just one point in each lesson. He explains in detail what it takes to launch a successful article marketing campaign.

If you go to ezinearticles.com and look up the owner Christopher Knight, he's written some awesome articles on article marketing. Chris runs the largest ezine directory out there. He stays very up to date on the latest and greatest. He just recently read a book and then discussed the importantance or titles for your articles. Great information.

hope that helps!

[ImagineThat]

Thanks, again, Audrey. This has been most helpful.

This is for you, if you wish.

http://people.delphiforums.com/sunshine210/Audrey.gif

[Audrey]

Oh my gosh...that is soooo cute. IT-information technology is not my thing at all. How would I use this?

[ImagineThat]

You may use it any way you wish ;) : 1) as a signature in emails or on forums or 2) on your website. I have not watermarked it because it is a gift and yours to use as you wish. Once you have loaded it onto your computer, I will delete it from my files. You will need a website to store your graphic. That gives your graphic a web address (url) and enables it to be viewed online. Enjoy! :flower: Oh! If you need the graphic to be smaller, let me know.

[Audrey]

Thank you again!!! I've put the graphic on my desktop. I'll upload it to my site later today.

I really do love it.