The Internet gives your words—which reflect your brand, your commitment and your knowledge—an entirely new power that you need to wield wisely. As a greater percentage of your potential clients rely on the Internet for all forms of communication and become more savvy about advertising techniques, you must find alternative ways to reach them and build a mutually beneficial relationship through the computer monitor, tablet or laptop screen.

If you’ve already got a website filled with content and an often-updated blog, you might wonder why you would ever need more articles written—after all, your home base is all set and ready to read. But it’s not enough just to have a website with content; you’ve got to get the word out about your service and your site, and one of the best ways to do that is through article marketing.

What Is Article Marketing?

Article marketing is the process of writing articles that are relevant to your industry (and educational and entertaining for your readers) and putting them through different distribution channels. The articles then show off your approachability, knowledge and value throughout the marketplace in many of the different websites and magazines your potential clients read. This helps you reach clients you might not otherwise find and refers them back to your own website, bringing in new traffic and leads.

Where Can You Place Your Articles?

Articles intended for marketing can be used in many different places around the Web, including:

  • Facebook (as a note)
  • LinkedIn discussions
  • Industry-related blogs and websites
  • Article directories
  • Industry-related forums
  • Blogs and websites outside your industry but with readers who have an interest

But article marketing isn’t limited to the Internet. You can also put your content in trade magazines, local newspapers and other print publications.

Before Your Create Your Article

There are certain steps you should take before you create any articles for marketing. Here are some of the steps I like to take when writing them for my clients:

  1. Consider the problem and the solution: No matter what you write about, at the heart of your article should be a problem and a solution. This will give your article a natural call to action, allowing you to avoid coming across as forced or sale-sy.
  2. Keep the article relatable: If you are writing for an academic audience, write in the correct tone for that group by using a more formal voice and more complex language. When writing for regular readers, use a more conversational tone and consider how sophisticated they may be about the topic. When writing for parents, use analogies that they can relate to, etc.
  3. Create a road map: Every article you write should have well-defined starting and ending points, and everything in the middle should lead logically to that end.
  4. Get it proofread: It is almost impossible for anyone to catch all the errors in his or her own work. Hiring a proofreader will make sure that you leave no errors to help erode your reader’s trust in your professionalism.

I’m happy to work with you on developing an article marketing strategy, editing your articles before you send them through your chosen distribution channels, or creating ideas and writing articles for you. Contact me for details.