Using articles to boost your traffic and sales is one of
the most effective online marketing strategies you can use.
Why you ask? Mainly because articles are the perfect marketing
tools for promoting any website or business.

But you must do this right, you just can't throw a few
words together on a webpage and expect things to happen.
To effectively use articles as marketing tools you must
follow some simple procedures and practices in order to
get your articles published online and in ezines. So here
are some simple article marketing tips you can try.

Why Articles Work

Before we start, you must understand why articles are
so crucial to your marketing in the first place. You must
truly understand why and how articles work so effectively
as marketing vehicles in our newly wired world. It all boils
down to one word... information.

The main reason articles work is information. The whole
Internet is based on information. People use the web to
access information and your well written article can help
satisfy this need. You must place your article squarely
into this whole information cycle.

Your article must be informative and provide some benefit
to the reader. Tips, advice, how-to... your reader should
gain something from spending a few minutes reading your
article. The more beneficial your article, the more popular
it will become and you will have a better chance of getting
it published.

Title & Keywords

Your article title should contain two vital elements:
Keywords and Benefits. Your title must contain your
keywords or keyword phrases, these are the exact words
someone types into the search engines to find what
they are looking for on the web.

To find profitable keywords many professional marketers
use keyword research software like Keyword Elite but you
can also use free keyword suggestion tools like WordTracker
or Overture: http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/suggestion/

I find short catchy titles are best for capturing the
reader's attention. With our split second surfing habits,
the title may be your only chance you get to hook your
readers and keep them on your page. Another tactic is
to make all your articles easily scannable with your
main points highlighted for quick absorption.


Length

Most experts suggest you keep your articles short, in
the 500 - 700 word range. Many authors/marketers use
even shorter formats in the 200 - 300 word range in order
to fit neatly on webpages.

I personally have found my more meatier articles in the
900 - 1200 word range have worked the best for me and
seems to get featured in important ezines like Addme,
SiteProNews... more often than shorter articles.


Submission

You must distribute your articles on the web. You can
personally submit your articles to the many article
directory sites on the web or you can purchase a service
which does this for you. I do both.

I personally submit my articles to the major high PR6
or PR7 sites which display my articles. I have found
articles placed on Ezinearticles.com, Buzzle.com,
Goarticles.com, Articlealley.com, Promotionworld.com,
Thumbshots.org, Site-reference.com, Ideamarketers.com,
Selfgrowth.com... do extremely well.

I have also found using a paid online service like
SubmitYourArticle is really helpful, especially when
I am on vacation or away from my computer for any
length of time. I also use this service to quickly
write different versions of my articles for the best
search engine optimization. Using different lengths
as many webmasters will only publish short articles.


Resource Box/Anchor Text

Your resource box is at the end of each article and
this is where you place URLS for those all important
One-Way links back to your site. Many marketers are
careful to place their targeted keywords and variations
in the anchor text of their links. It is also a good
idea to provide some benefit or free gift to enhance
your 'call to action' and improve your chances of
getting that all important click.


Be Consistent

I have found a steady supply of fresh articles on a
regular basis works the best. These articles keep your
site or products fresh in the search engines and in
front of your potential customers and editors/webmasters
who publish your content. Try for at least two articles
per week.


Own List of Editors

Along the same lines, build your own opt-in list of
editors and webmasters who have opted in to receive
your latest articles. Send a copy of your article to
these interested parties and you will increase your
chances of getting your articles published. I also
kickstart my newest articles by including them in
my own ezines and blogs.


Autoresponders

Many marketers place their articles in autoresponders
so anyone requesting your article can easily use email
to retrieve it. Many marketers also use RSS feeds to
distribute their articles. If doing your own feeds seems
too complicated, then just use any of the major article
directories like Ezinearticles which will supply you with
a convenient RSS feed for your articles.

Spam Check Your Articles

I always make it a point of testing my articles for any
words or phrases that will trigger the spam filters and
block my articles. This is extremely important if you want
your article to be featured in ezines and newsletters. I
check my articles with my Aweber autoresponder service but
you can use a free SpamCheck service offered by SiteSell:
http://bizwaremagic.com/spamcheck.htm


Personality

Articles that show some originality and personality
have worked the best for me. Showing and telling your
own story and experiences in a light hearted way seems
to work really well on the somewhat impersonal Internet.
Having a sense of humor also helps, try to make your
articles entertaining as well as informative and your
articles will be picked up more often.


Conclusion

Writing unique informative articles is one of the most
effective ways to market on the web. Remember to keep
your articles informative, personable, keyword rich,
short and to the point. Take a pro-active approach to
promoting your articles: submit them to the major online
article directories, send them to editors and webmasters
who request content from you and place your articles on
your site, in your blogs and RSS feeds.

Used properly, articles can be effective marketing tools
for boosting both your traffic and sales. Perhaps the best
part of all, article marketing is completely free. What
more can you ask for?



....

The author is a full-time online marketer. Give your
marketing a real boost, take this free e-Course explaining
all the tools and resources you really need to succeed
online: Internet Marketing Guide
For the most effective web marketing software try:
Internet Marketing Software
Copyright © 2007 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely
distributed if this resource box stays attached.