Mention marketing to a lot of small business owners and their thoughts jump to advertising. But there are other ways to warm up your prospects and have them lining up to buy your product.

One of the most powerful involves writing articles on your site, or other sites, about issues related to your product. You can also submit articles on your specialty to local newspapers, magazines and trade journals.

When you use article marketing as a strategy, be sure to include a bio box that sends people to your website for more information.

There's a real knack in developing articles that people will want to read and that will encourage them to trust your advice and seek you out for more information.

Start by thinking about the product or service you are offering. Ask yourself, what is it people want to know about this product or service to decide on a purchase, determine its usefulness, or perhaps to use it effectively.

Use article marketing to educate prospects

Create a table that compares the features and benefits of varied products. This will let you show why your product or service is the best choice without having to spell it out.

Educate your site visitors about a topic related to your product or service that will help them understand how or why they need what you are offering.

If you build websites, your free newsletter might show:

• How to plan a site
• What features or pages they might want to include
• What the costs and benefits of interactive features, ecommerce tools or other extras might be--whatever you think they should consider.
• Besides encouraging them to work with you, a well-written newsletter might also make the reader a better customer.

Here's a neat video with great information about article marketing: 

Write articles for article directories

You will want good information on your website, but you also will need to write articles for other article directories. The other directories already enjoy a lot traffic. When people read your articles on those sites, or in your local paper or magazine, they will be interested in visiting your website for more information on the topic or to learn more about how you can help them with their problem.

You want them to see you as a trusted expert, so make sure your articles are well written and full of useful, accurate information.

Write articles frequently for best results

Don't expect great results from a few articles. Get in the habit of writing regularly about topics related to your product or service, or area of expertise. Visit forums on your subject area and share useful information.

Always consider the problems of the person who lacks your knowledge about your product. Make it easy for them to get to know you and the product or service you offer. Always try to be helpful, even if it doesn't lead to a sale.

Article marketing can be a low-cost strategy if you can write. But even if you are not comfortable putting words on paper, delegate the task to someone else on your staff, or hire a talented college student, who needs the money, to do it for you.

Don't expect article marketing to do the job all by itself. You're much better off using a variety of marketing tactics that work together to build your business. But article marketing done well can be an effective way to build credibility for your company and get traffic to your website.

Great News! I've just discovered a resource that should make it easier for you to produce articles faster:

Grab a copy of Melanie Mendelson's 30 Minute Article Writing System. How To Write A Profit-Pulling Article In Exactly 30 Minutes - Guaranteed!

Here's another great product to consider: Read my review of Easy Article Writer.

Marcia Ming

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