It seems that I must get dozens of newsletters and ezines in my email box every day. That does not include, of course, all the Internet Marketing groups that I belong to that send me a listing of all articles posted each day. It seems like thousands of new articles are published every week just on home business ideas alone. The pure volume of written material can be intimidating.
Why are there so many articles out there? Surely most of them go unread, right? I think you’d be surprised. The simple truth is, marketers write articles because they work. Let’s take a look at what original articles do for you, the writer. First, you’ve worked hard for the knowledge you have. If you could share some pearls of wisdom and help someone out, wouldn’t you? Not only that, but the more people that find your knowledge helpful, the more you establish credibility and name-recognition. Second, articles are a way of keeping your subscribers in touch with you. The more compelling your subject matter, the more likely you will re-visit the site that originated the material. Third, and probably most important, is the wildfire effect that articles have. As you write more original material, more people are bound to publish what you’ve written. That creates exposure as well as linking to your site.
When my business partner and I started writing original articles, we watched our websites’ page rankings soar and the Alexa number drop (which is good). Not only that, we started seeing our names and articles in the search engines too. Slowly, the keywords that are most pertinent to our site are starting to be associated with our site (as far as the search engines are concerned) and that is never bad.
I know what you’re saying. I can’t write and I don’t have anything to write about. Hogwash. Even if today is your first day in the Internet Marketing field, you bring with you a lifetime full of knowledge. Even if you don’t know the first thing about affiliate programs, pay per click advertising, or viral marketing, write about something that you know about. What do you know more about than most people around you? Parenting? Accounting? Tulips? Write about that. You never know who’s reading.
You say that you can’t write. That’s okay. Just make your first article a paragraph or two. Answer these questions: Why would the average reader be interested in your subject? What questions might a person want answered on your subject? What information can you provide that will address those questions? Where can the reader go to get more information on your subject? What will cause the reader to think about your subject even after they close the article?
If you don’t know where to start, begin at http://groups.yahoo.com and I can almost guarantee you’ll find a group that interests you. Not only will your market niche probably be represented there, you’ll also find general business groups that can be helpful and educational. Now I don’t want to make any wild claims. I’m not saying, “Write articles and make $10,000 a month with no other work.” You laugh, but I’ve seen it. What I’m saying is that articles are a great way to create exposure for your website, your product, and your presence as an expert in your field. Try your hand at writing a few and pretty soon you’ll not only get the hang of it, you’ll start seeing some amazing results come from your efforts.
Most everyone likes giving their opinion. Give yours to help out the next guy/gal and expose the world to what you and your business have to offer.
Remember, be good to yourself and never underestimate the power associated with the intensity of your passion.
Wishing you Success,
Scott Foreman
scott@build-passive-income.com
Copyright 2004 Foreman Enterprises
by Scott Foreman Build-Passive-Income.com
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This article was posted on December 06, 2004
