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As advances in technology bring constant change to internet applications, Internet Marketing continues to evolve as well. Whereas email marketing, banners, safelist advertising, etc., were the standards for internet marketing some years ago, you now have internet video sites such as YouTube, Social Networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, and many other places for a savvy marketer to promote their self or their business. While these advances have opened up new horizons for internet marketers, there are still some traditional internet marketing methods that should not be overlooked, and one of the most effective is Article Marketing. There are many advantages and benefits to writing and marketing articles including; 1. Cost... You won't find a more cost effective way to market online since your only cost in writing and marketing articles is time. This is a great option for those with limited funds to advertise. 2. Building Name Recognition... Writing and marketing articles is a great way to build name recognition as an expert in your field. Writing and marketing articles to article directories, ezines, and other places online will build a following and also credibility. Some of the biggest internet marketing guru's online still contribute articles because they are well aware of the value of 'branding' their name. 3. Increased Traffic.... Marketing articles is also one of the best strategies for building long term traffic through the process of linking and search engine optimization. Articles submitted to article directories, ezine publishers and other places not only build lots of one way links back to your site, but also increases your search engine ranking. 4. Building Your List...Article marketing is also a great way to build your customer list for your business by having visitors sign up for your newsletter, ezine, etc. The way this is accomplished is by having a link directed to your site in the Resource Box at the end of the article. Writing Your Article...Tips and Suggestions • Before starting to write an article, ask yourself, what is your purpose in writing this article? Are you trying to build name recognition? Pre-sell a product or business? Attract newsletter subscribers or add people to your mailing list? Knowing your motivation for writing an article will help guide you in developing your article. • The article's title is vital to the success and distribution of your article. Make sure that the title is catchy and speaks to the content of your article. One approach you might consider is to wait until you have finished writing the article before coming up with the article's title. • Another key component is knowing the audience that your are writing for. Ask yourself who are you trying to reach in writing this article? If you are having trouble determining your target audience, spend some time looking at your site and take note of the keywords and topics that your site focuses on. • The final and most important element for a successful article is the proper use of the resource box. This is the primary reason that you have written the article and it should contain key elements including a short bio of who you are, a description of your business, and a link to your website. It is generally accepted to speak in the third person when talking about yourself. Instead of saying something like "I will build you a great website", instead use something such as "ABC has been successfully building the most flashy, creative websites for businesses for blank years". Marketing Your Articles The last step in the process is getting your article posted and distributed. The most effective way to do this is to submit your article to article directories and ezines. While there are literally hundreds of directories that you could submit your article to, my suggestion is to submit your articles to the top ten or so directories. You can easily determine which directories have the highest rating by doing a Google search for "top article directories" and look for one's that have the highest traffic and page rank ratings. The two main ways of submitting your articles is manually and using article submission software. There are pro's and con's with both, the biggest advantages of using article submission software being that you can automate many of the submission functions and are able to submit your articles to numerous directories at the same time. The biggest drawbacks to using submission software is that oftentimes your articles end up in categories and places that you don't really want it to be. While submitting your articles manually does take a bit more effort, you do have more control over the submission process, and are less likely to run into problems with your submissions. While the internet will continue to evolve and new technologies emerge, one shouldn't completely abandon the tried and true internet marketing methods. While some forms of marketing will certainly become obsolete in the future, article marketing will continue to provide benefits for those who use this marketing strategy for many years to come. Bill Thomas is actively engaged in E-Commerce and Internet Marketing. Bill also contributes articles on life, business and other topics. Bill is currently involved with a business that allows anyone to make excellent money without recruiting, sponsoring or investing large sums of money. Discover how you too can earn money with the power of the 98% Solution
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