Mantofa Articles Directory

Whether you are writing an article to promote your business, or you’re writing an article to sell, there are certain article writing strategies you can follow to help you easily create your article.

First, what is the purpose of your article? Is it to attract more business? Do you want to make money from the article? Are you using it to brand yourself as an expert? Are you submitting for publication in a print or trade publication?

Understanding the purpose of your article will help you determine what steps you need to take to develop your article. It will also help you decide what research you need to do to add detail to your article.

For example, if you are writing an article for promotion, you won’t need to do quite so much research, if any. After all, you should already know your topic well enough to write it.

The length of your article will be different because articles written for promotion are generally shorter. Around 500 to 700 words is usually optimal.

Your next step is to develop your idea. If you are writing for promotion, the article ideas you develop will be different from articles for print publications. Promotional articles require that you understand your audience and its needs. Articles for print publications require you to understand the needs of the publication and what it’s looking for.

Types of articles you can write are tips, how to, lists, and recipes, which are just step by step instruction on how to do something. There are other types of articles you can write, but these types listed are the easiest to write.

Another factor is the detail of your outline. An outline for a long article will need to be longer than an outline for a short article. Outlining is the simplest and easiest way to organize your material. It can also help you in doing your research, as well as see where you need to flesh out your article and provide more detail.

Develop your outline with as much detail as possible. Then you can add bullet points, or whatever you need to add to your article.

You can either organize your article using a simple text file and adding details as you go, or you can write your information on index cards and shuffle them later.

When writing my articles, I usually start with my title though. This allows me to tightly focus on what the article is about. Any information that doesn’t fit with the title of the article is discarded or used in a different article.

Once you have a working title and outline, then you’ll need to do your research. Avoid searching using general keywords because you’ll have so many search results you’ll have difficulty finding the information you’re looking for. At least three to four word keywords are best because the content you’ll find is more tightly focused.

Try to think like your reader. When you think like your reader, you’ll zero in on the types of keywords the reader is looking for.

When writing for print publications, study the publication itself. Then you’ll understand the needs of the publication.

When you’ve finished your research, it’s time to write your article. If you’ve done your homework, you’ll have enough information now to simply flesh out each of the points you’ve written.

Writing articles is an easy way to promote your business, but with enough practice, you can also use it as a way to make extra money for your business, whether you’re a writer or not.

Jinger Jarrett will show you how to find content to write your articles and build your website: http://www.marketingforwriters.com. Learn how to write an article: http://www.askjinger.com/cashwriting/. Find the best keywords for your articles: http://www.101articles.com/.

You invest a lot of time in your online marketing campaign. You’re doing all the right things, getting your name out to all the right places. But you’re still not seeing the results you had hoped for. Are you sure you’re not killing your own campaign? Don’t squash it before it gets off the ground. Check yourself by reviewing these common online marketing campaign mistakes so you can steer clear of them.

Yes, you write and submit articles to increase your exposure, get more links back to your site, raise your page rank and get into the top ten in Google’s and Yahoo’s search results. So that means you need to sell yourself, right? Wrong. Article marketing is not advertising. Write articles with the reader in mind. Publishers are looking for articles that deliver fresh, relevant, informative content to their readers. Don’t try to sell yourself, your products or services in your articles or you will limit your publication possibilities.

Successful online marketers pre-sell all the time, though. What is pre-selling? Pre-selling is like priming the pump. You write up compelling content filled articles with useful information. Readers like what they read and look for more articles written by you.

Maybe they click through to your site and take a look around. After the reader has read a few of your articles he begins to see you as an authority on that particular topic. He’s also become more interested in learning about the topic. Maybe he’s interested in ways you can help him with your products and services, which he now trusts you enough to purchase. Bingo! Pre-selling has taken place.

In that same vein, no one is interested in the same-old, same-old. Don’t go around submitting rehashed material lifted from other places or PLR articles that are showing up all over the place with different “authors” listed. Rehashing material won’t get you published very often. And if you do manage to get published in a few places, the stale content won’t get you many fans, or site visitors. You are a unique individual, so submitting original material that will get you noticed isn’t as difficult as you may think it is.

Another thing you want to concentrate on is staying focused and on topic. If your article content meanders off in different directions you’ll lose the readers’ interest. Similarly, if you submit articles about everything from cookware to canoes you won’t establish yourself as an expert in anything. This greatly dilutes the results of your efforts. Pick a niche and stay with it. Make a name for yourself. And keep your article subjects narrowly focused. “Home Improvement” is way too broad. “Installing Crown Molding” is focused. Figure out your target market and hone in on it with carefully focused articles.

Writing great articles is important, but don’t forget the about the author box. This is your one chance in article marketing to sell yourself. Be sure to include your name, many people forget this. This should be the same name you use in your byline. Also include a line or two about what you can do for your readers.

You want to provide the complete website URL for just one site. Avoid the temptation to include addresses of every site you run. Choose the link that best fits the article’s target audience. And always include a call to action. If you’ve done everything right, many of your readers are warmed up and ready to buy, or at least will visit your site. Go ahead and ask for the business with a line such as “set up your new account today.”

All these strategies will help you stop killing your campaign and breathe new life into your internet marketing efforts.

Nancy Amada helps small businesses become more successful, and offers more
ideas at www.nancyamada.blogspot.com. She is a frequent contributor to
www.articlemarketer.com, a highly popular article distribution service.

http://www.articlemarketer.com

You may not know it, but you have an easy way to bring targeted traffic to your site. You can write articles for publication in ezines that will continue to bring you traffic to your site long after they appear online. Just think of this as an unstoppable traffic generator for your online business.

You do not have to be a Hemingway to be a great article writer. There are some basic rules to follow though. Here are 5 steps to writing a good article that will attract attention and result in more traffic and sales for your business.

ACTION STEP 1 – Create A Hot Title

You must grab the attention of the reader first. People scan everything before they commit to reading it. Let them know what the article is about in a way that makes them want to dig into it for more information. Two classic ways to make a good title are to use a “How to” format, such as, “How To Get A Base Hit 7 Times Out Of Ten”, and the “Tips” format, which might go something like this: “5 Super Easy Tips To Relieve Stress”.

ACTION STEP 2 – Get Your Reader’s Attention With An Interesting Opening Sentence

The next most important part of writing your article is to grab the reader with a powerful first sentence. This will keep them interested and wanting more information. Two of the best ways to hook your reader is to ask a question or to state a fact.

A question should make the reader curious to find out the answer by finishing the article. If you state a fact, you must make it the basis for the rest of your article.

ACTION STEP 3 – Discuss The Main Points In The Body Of The Article

Here is where you provide the content of your article, and the solutions to the problem that you are solving for the reader. Your purpose here is to educate and inform. Address each problem and follow it with the solution. Or if you are giving tips to your reader, you can list each tip in the order that best solves their problem.

ACTION STEP 4 – Summary and Ask Your Reader To Take Action

Always include a brief summary for maximum results. Then tell your reader why it is important for them to take action now. Give a benefit or two as an incentive for them to respond now. This can be a link to your website or newsletter. After all, this was the primary purpose of your article.

ACTION STEP 5 – Include A Powerful Resource Box After Your Article

You absolutely need to make a resource box promoting your website, eBook, eCourse or affiliate program. The resource box gives the reader another way to get more information. This will spur the traffic to your promotion as more people read your article. Create a resource box that tells who you are and what you are offering to the reader. This should take no more than 3-6 lines of text.

These 5 steps will ensure that you have an article that people will want to read and then visit your website. Just use this easy 5-step format and simply fill in the details with your own information. Then distribute your articles to ezine and newsletter publishers in your business niche. The result will be more targeted traffic and increased visibility for your business.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of Net MLM Profits, a blog dedicated to providing information and tips for network marketers to succeed online. http://net-mlm-profits.com/

Back links – links back to your site from another site – are considered to be nods of approval by major search engines such as Google and Yahoo! In other words, the more links back to your site that are floating around on the Web, the more your page rank is likely to rise. And we all know that leads to what every internet marketer covets – more traffic.

Article marketing is an effective way to capture people’s attention and motivate them to link back to your site. It also helps establish you as an expert in your field and pre-sells visitors. By the time they click back to your site they feel as if they know and trust you and you’ve already captured their interest.

Now they’re primed to subscribe to your newsletter, join your forums and maybe even buy something from you. Before you can realize all the lucrative benefits of article marketing, though, you have to capture the attention of publishers so they’ll post your article in as many places as possible.

Your first opportunity to get their attention is with your article title. “Kitchen Fixtures” is not interesting enough. “Selecting the Right Kitchen Fixtures” still isn’t captivating enough to set you apart. “Choosing Kitchen Fixtures that Work for You and Your Decor” might just do the trick. If it sounds ho-hum to you, it will to others too. Put a little thought into it. Brainstorm. If you can’t come up with something stunning before you write the article wait until your done writing. Inspiration is likely to strike as you write.

A good title won’t get you published everywhere, though. That’s why an enticing description is important too. Think of a few lines that will really capture people’s attention and use them as your description. In addition to interesting publishers in your article’s content, a good description also gives them something to use to promote your article in their newsletters, blogs, e-zines and RSS feeds. The less work they have to do, the better.

Now that you’ve got publishers’ attention, you need to deliver the goods. There’s nothing more disappointing to a potential publisher than to be reeled in by a great title and description only to find there’s nothing worthwhile in the content. Focus on your subject and stay on topic. Write as if you’re explaining something to a friend, using a friendly, conversational tone and easy-to-understand language. Include unique anecdotes and helpful facts or advice. Not only does this strategy interest publishers, it positions you as a trusted expert with readers.

Even the best content can lose its luster if it’s riddled with grammatical and typographical errors. Don’t rely on spell checking software to catch everything. Ewe will regret it, eye as sure ewe. Enlist a trusted friend, relative or business colleague to read your work if possible. If not, walk away for a few hours – a few days is even better – and then come back at it with fresh eyes. You’ll be surprised what you missed the first time.

If you follow all these guidelines and then blatantly promote your business throughout the article you’ve just wasted your time. Publishers don’t want to post “articles” that are really ads. Remember, they want unique, informative, compelling content their readers are eager to see. Ads don’t fit that description.

By creating quality content that is not advertise-y, is free of errors, and is capped off with a catchy title and enticing description you will be setting yourself up to get as many back links as possible. And this, my internet marketing friend, is a very good thing.

Dana Davalos, graphic designer and online biz whiz, shares her thoughts on internet marketing, design and life in general at www.groovygraphix.blogspot.com. She is a frequent contributor to www.articlemarketer.com, a highly popular article distribution service.

http://www.articlemarketer.com

If you’re not seeing the results you want with your article marketing campaign, you may be falling prey to any of the common mistakes people make. We’re all pressed for time these days and it’s easy to discount the importance of things like providing unique content, using good spelling and grammar and avoiding black hat SEO tactics. But the fact that your time is so precious should make it all the more important to you to use that time wisely by producing articles that are more likely to be published around the Web. To do that, you’ll want to avoid these six common mistakes.

In your rush to get as many articles as possible out there in the world, you may be tempted to resort to using a PLR (private label rights) article or other regurgitated material, slap an about the author box on it and send it on its way. This is a big mistake.

Publishers want unique, compelling articles, filled with information their readers can’t find in thousands of other places. Reputable article distribution services such as Article Marketer will not even distribute PLR articles and other duplicate content. Do yourself a favor and write something original. If you just don’t have the time, hire someone else to do it for you. The money will seem well spent when you see the results of your efforts.

Good content is virtually worthless if it’s full of spelling and grammatical errors. Running a spell-checker software is a good start, but for real accuracy you need to enlist the help of a human. Having someone else read your articles is a great way to catch mistakes. If no one is available to help you, walk away for a few hours, or even a few days, and come back and look at it with fresh eyes. You will catch little errors you missed the first time.

Avoid being too sales-y. Remember what publishers are looking for: informative, engaging articles that capture readers’ interests and help them in some way. If you want to post an advertisement you’re going to have to pay for the privilege. The only advertising you should ever do in an article marketing campaign is in the about the author box. That’s your opportunity to sell yourself.

Don’t act like spam. Underhanded tactics such as keyword stuffing will have publishers dropping your article like a hot potato. Similar to being too sales-y, keyword stuffing is another way to alienate publishers and readers alike.

Write for the reader. You’re not writing the article for you, you’re writing for the hundreds of people who come upon your article. Avoid referring to your business or website constantly throughout the article. Remember, it’s not an ad.

Dish up something they haven’t seen before. Everyone has unique experiences, mistakes they’ve learned from, things they find inspiring or advice they can offer. Do that and you’ll get more readers. And more readers translate into more traffic for your site. Don’t do it and you’re limiting your publication possibilities.

Even if you avoid all the common pitfalls, you’ll never realize your internet marketing potential if you don’t track your results. The web is a unique marketing forum in that it readily allows you to see exactly where your back links appear.

Then you can go back to your site and analyze your traffic statistics. Are you seeing more traffic? Are more people subscribing to your newsletter? Is your forum seeing more activity? Use all the measurements you can to determine the impact of your marketing strategy. Then tweak as necessary.

Dana Davalos, graphic designer and online biz whiz, shares her thoughts on internet marketing, design and life in general at www.groovygraphix.blogspot.com. She is a frequent contributor to www.articlemarketer.com, a highly popular article distribution service.

http://www.articlemarketer.com