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Surefire ways for articles to build your online position

Written by: Kathleen Gage

Article Overview: Again, the strategy of writing and distributing articles to online directories is one of the most effective ways to build a targeted opt-in subscriber list. Over time this list can generate substantial revenues by way of other offers the reader receives.

Surefire ways for articles to build your online position

Something I specialize in is teaching clients and prospective clients how to gain visibility and credibility on the Internet by way of no-cost and low cost strategies. When done right the visibility can lead to increased revenues.

One of the most effective methods to accomplish this is through online distribution of articles specific to one’s market. At the end of the article is an offer for a high value information product such as an eBook, white paper, report or tips list. There is no cost or obligation to download the information product other than leaving a name and email address.

I have been using this method for years with great success, as have many of my clients and colleagues. There is no doubt in my mind that article distribution works to build a responsive, opt-in database regardless of industry or market.

Recently, I received a heated email from someone on my opt-in subscriber list claiming article distribution for visibility, credibility and increased revenues absolutely does not work. The writer was very upset and claimed she has tried this strategy with no success at all. She went on to say many of her friends and colleagues have had similar results as her.

What I found interesting is that the woman who sent the message claiming my recommendations don’t work actually got on my list by the very method she said didn’t work. She read an article and responded to a free offer for an eBook that was mentioned at the end of the article. The offer was placed in what is referred to as a resource box.

When someone takes advantage of the free offer in the resource box their name and email address automatically goes into a backend database. From that point on they receive periodic tips on how to market effectively on the Internet.

My purpose in providing the tips is to inform my readers on how to build visibility and credibility within their market as well as specific strategies to increase their revenues. With every tip they receive I am increasing my credibility and trust level with my readers. At any time the reader is free to opt-out of my list.


Again, the strategy of writing and distributing articles to online directories is one of the most effective ways to build a targeted opt-in subscriber list. Over time this list can generate substantial revenues by way of other offers the reader receives.

The writer of the message wrote, "I personally don't know anyone who has gotten increased business from this tactic and none of my clients have either. Who is getting more business from this and what are they doing differently?"

A primary reason article distribution does not work is because key elements are missing. It is not just a matter of slapping together something and hoping for the best. You must be very strategic in how you implement this strategy. There are several elements involved that determine if you will be successful.

- How well written is the article and is it specific to a market?
- Do you have a title that grabs people’s attention?
- Do you have a resource box at the end of the article?
- Is there a compelling offer you are making in the resource box that would encourage the reader to visit your website, blog or a landing page?

- Is your website set up to optimize those people who will visit your website with a visible opt-in opportunity that is of high value to the visitor?
- What is your follow up plan to market to the people who visited your site and opted into your database?
- Are you creating high value to those who receive messages from you?
-Are you a resource before you are a vendor?

I often find that when one of these elements is not in place article writing and distribution can be completely ineffective. I also find that because we live in an instant gratification society many people are impatient and don’t put effective systems in place, nor do they view the process in the long term of building their business and increasing their revenues.

Do not expect to immediately increase your revenues simply because you post an article. This should be a part of your overall marketing strategy. It is in the building of an opt-in database and creating ongoing value for the reader that some readers turn into buyers.

Increasing your market reach, credibility and revenues with article distributions can be like baking a cake. If you don't have all the right ingredients in the correct order you could have a total flop on your hands. On the other hand, when your systems are in place you can be extremely successful and have a very tasty outcome.

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Article Tags: authors, book marketing, internet marketing, making money on the internet, online business, online marketing
Referred by: http://www.sandcconsulting.com



Related Forum Posts
New Site - It would be a good idea to include a testimonial from the "big name" clients or a link to show what was done for them. These simple things will work to increase your credibility with new online visitors. Credibility is a huge issue online and brand new sites have to deal with that. In any of my articles or books I recommend finding ways to build your credibillity and offer proof of your claims. Its a shame that we have to be leery of new sites and/or new businesses, but there is a lot of spam, spyware, viruses etc that can do major damage to our computer systems. Shri
Re: I want to turn my ebook to video - Hi, Thanks for the positive response...we have been re-designing our entire site for 1 1/2 (still are) to not only showcase our services but to help people build/grow their business through our articles. Our company currently has 8 full time employees & they have managed at times 28 part-time / contracted web designers, programmers, consultants, and internet marketers. Many times for larger projects we will bring certified vendors on...just like a construction company would if they were building a large building. Give Dan from our company a call at 952-935-4852 if you wanted to discuss a software development project. What would be the most cost effective way to build a new piece of software is hire us for the Software Architecture (i.e. plan everything out). This can be compared to a blueprint for a construction company. Once you have a blueprint you can give it to ANY construction company to build it. So even though we would like to plan + build + help you market the software this will put you in the best position to make even our own company compete for your project. Jeff
Re: How do you make the most of your day? - Hi Daniel I agree with Tanny on this. I concentrate mainly on article marketing and use SEO in order to get my articles listed by Google and other search engines as this is the best way as far as I know to build a presence on the internet and generate targeted traffic to my website ( also article marketing is a free method of advertising) and when funds are limited it is a good way to build your business as articles I wrote last year are still appearing in Google. MichelleJ
Re: Traffic! How do you get it? - [quote="MrVen":nd7xmoiu]I agree, [i:nd7xmoiu]"The solution before getting traffic, is RESEARCH"[/i:nd7xmoiu]. "Keywords" are the source of traffic and its completely true that we should do a bit of research before crafting an article. Now a days, i see like its quite easy to rank well for long tail keywords esp. on Google because of the "freshness" in serp. The newly indexed articles are placed above the older articles to show fresh content to the user. Its advantage too but the question is, how long you stay in top position ?[/quote:nd7xmoiu] It depends on your competition, but to ensure you stay there, simply build backlinks to your site, post, etc. This can be done through article marketing (including web 2.0 sites) as David suggested, blog commenting, forum posting and social bookmarking.
Business Card = Money $Machine$! - Chris, I'm not sure the line of business you are in but something to consider. I got this idea from Dan Kennedy's Gold Inner Circle Newsletter. He stated in addition to just stating what you have to offer you also need to position your business cards to get people to actually contact your place of business so that you can capture their details and keep in contact with them. By keeping in contact you build trust and credibility and usually after 7-8 contacts they can potentially become a paying customer. How do you do that? Dan suggests offering intriguing, valuable information that helps a customer save money, relief from a particular stress or fear etc. but it has to be free so that they are encouraged to make contact with you. This works for B2B and B2C. B2B have been providing numerous whitepapers for a while now addressing different ways they have helped other companies with similar problems and end with how their product/service helped remedy the situation. Has anyone toyed with including "An Irresistible Offer" on their Business Cards? e.g. Free one hour consultation on your website to identify ways to increase your Lead generation by 40%"


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