Is article marketing working effectively

[montyauto]

The reason so many are using article marketing is because it works. I'm interested in your experiences with article marketing.

Do you have any tips or strategies you would like to share that have made article marketing work well for you?

[Audrey]

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.

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

[tltfaas]

I created an article strategy for my e-zine readers and I thought I would share it here.

Anatomy Of An Article Submission Project

Writing and submitting articles to publishers in order to promote your business, services and products is a wise choice for any entrepreneur. The only cost for this kind of marketing project is your time and, if you want the maximum benefits, the amount you pay your proofreader/editor. Many people are overwhelmed by the submission process and don't know where to begin. I have outlined below the ten steps I take with each article submission project. Having a process in place makes organizing submissions so much easier and removes the confusion of where of what to do first.

1. Start by having your article proofread and then add it to your website. Make sure you have a catchy title and a by-line that compels readers to take action.

2. Use a text to html tool to format your by-line so that your URL will appear live when your article is posted on a site. I recommend you use the tool at http://thephantomwriters.com/link-builder.pl.

3. Collect the information you'll need for most submission sites including: title, author name, address, phone number, e-mail, website URL, topic, two line summary of the article, word count, line count, article URL, auto responder address (if available), document file names and 10-15 keywords.

4. Make a list of the type of submission sites appropriate for your article. I use EzineAnnouncer to collect and keep track of my submission list and I always write down the categories that are a match for my article. My latest submission qualified for more than 400 sites but your success depends upon your article topic.

5. Begin submitting to sites that accept articles by e-mail. Never send an attachment unless asked. Incorporate the entire article into the e-mail and include an option for the recipient to opt-out of your list.

6. Your next step should be to sign-up for all new submission sites on your list that require registration. Typically, you have to wait for a confirmation e-mail before submitting. You can move on to the next step while you wait.

7. Submit to all sites you have registered for and to all sites not needing registration but offering a submission form.

8. Check your e-mail, confirm your new accounts and visit those sites to add your article. Keep track of your login and password for each site.

9. Update your submission list by removing or correcting bounced e-mail addresses and URL errors. You will also need to add your new submission sites to your list.

10. Create a report to keep on your computer with the name and URL of the sites you used for submission. Update this list when you submit your older articles to newly discovered sites.

Create your own submission process by building on the steps I have provided and you will find your submissions taking less time while helping you to become more organized.

[Audrey]

I'm not familiar with ezineannouncer, what is it?

[tltfaas]

Audrey,

EzineAnnouncer is an old program developed to submit e-zines and articles to submission sites. I've been using it for years but the database is unstable so I"m transitioning to Article Submitter Pro.

Bonnie