Whether you're starting a business, struggling to keep it afloat, or enjoying steady profits, a little marketing can go a long way toward growing your market share. I should know -- I've used article marketing to grow my business, and I've been amazed at the results.

Marketing yourself with articles is easy, but it does require a little time and effort. Spending an hour a day once or twice a week at your computer writing about your website, product or service can suddenly mean a huge influx of profits!

There are a few things to keep in mind when you write your articles. One of the most important things you can do for yourself when you start your marketing campaign is speaking to your market.

There are literally thousands of content sites on the Web that specialize in a particular area, and it's almost guaranteed that some of them are posting articles about the very things you do. Still other sites are divided into sections that allow visitors to search through headings and subheadings to find what they're looking for.

Since specialized newsletters, e-zines and content sites have already done this hard work collecting people interested in a particular topic, why would you want to go and rewrite the Constitution?

It's very important when you submit your article, whether through a service or using your own software program, you spec it accurately to represent what you're writing about. One day you may write about business management, and the next about keeping the books. Each of these articles will fall under the category of "business," but you have the option to further specify "management" on one and "accounting" on the other. These more detailed specs will allow people who are looking for advice on how to track their income and expenses a greater chance of finding your article among dozens of others.

You also need a catchy title. The title is the first thing a person sees when he or she looks at your article. The title will often be the link that a viewer will (or won't) click before she even sees your first paragraph. Think of your inbox. If you have 100 emails, how do you decide which to open first? You look at the title or subject line. The very same principle holds true in article marketing.

The third thing to remember is, writing is fun and you can do it! Everyone knows something about something, so the secret is writing about what you know. Many people fear the "blank-page" syndrome -- when they site down to write that little cursor just blinks at them accusingly and they quickly get up to do something more fun, like the laundry.

There are plenty of tips about how to get over these fears, but the most important thing is to just forget you're "doing a chore" and start by writing one paragraph describing your business. It's likely you'll be surprised how easy it is to keep going.

Do you have a website? Talk about how you started it. Do you offer freelance writing services? Tell readers about projects you've completed recently, and maybe give them pricing information.

When you start writing and submitting your work, once or twice a week, consistently over time you will see more visitors to your site. We all know that ultimately, that means more sales.