10 Things Every Marketer Should Know About Article Writing
By: Mr. Know-It-All
As Google and it's natural language search algorithm have grown in popularity, article writing has become one of the most effective ways for marketers to develop high-quality inbound links to their website. Articles provide opportunities to develop informative, contextual content around high-value keywords. And, with article directories providing plenty of free distribution, the ease and benefit of article writing has never been greater.
So, if you are ready to start testing the waters, but not sure what you need to know, here's out top 10 list of things every marketer should know about article marketing.
1. Write about what you know. And, write about what your reader may not know. For example, if your company sells the latest and greatest widget, then write about the benefits of your widget. Yes, it is a good idea to cover the basic value propositions. But articles are also a great opportunity to feature the lower-level features and benefits that would otherwise be left out of your marketing materials.
2. Before you start writing, do some research. Find out what others are writing about and look for current trends. If you cover topics that are old and stale, expect to have your article buried at the bottom of some very long search engine results.
3. Organize your findings in the form of notes. You can write these notes in any format you want, but the best way I have found is to organize them in to bullet points. List the most important things that you want to share with your reader. Make the list as long as you'd like, but then limit the number you actually include to about ten items — more or less depending on the depth of information contained in each item.
4. Structure your article. A good article usually consists of three main parts: an introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Make the introduction succinct, yet captivating. The body of your article should be designed so that it can be easily consumed by the reader, so avoid the long narratives. Here’s where those notes come in handy — stick to the message and avoid fluff. The conclusion is the final impression that you will leave your reader with, so keep it tight.
5. Draft, draft and draft again. When you are writing, don't get bogged down in the process. Start putting thoughts down in much the same way that you may speak to another colleague. After your first draft is complete, you can review and clean up, so don't let spelling and sentence structure slow you down the first time through.
6. Collaborate with a peer. There is nothing worse then producing in a vacuum. Without critical feedback you will never whether your article conveys the sentiments you want or if the quality is good enough. Remember, that once published your article will begin a life of its own. Most article sites allow others to repurpose your article content, so long as the signature remains intact. SO expect to see your article somewhere else. Get it right by getting feedback before you publish.
7. So what should you do if you can't come up with a good idea for your article? No worries! There's plenty to write about, if you know where to look. Here are a few places to go to get your writing juices flowing:
- User forums are one of my favorite places. There are so many ideas floating through it from newbie questions to experienced marketers' feedback and everything in between.
- Chat rooms, like forums also offer these great benefits. You don't have to participate, but it wouldn't be a bad idea if you did to get more feedback.
- Television, radio and blogs. Snippets of information, quick tips or polls/surveys can ignite a great article topic.
- Magazines, newsletters and newspaper. There are a good variety of headlines that are interesting, thought provoking, controversial and opinionated. Take it and run with it.
- Question and answer sites like Yahoo Answers or LinkedIn's Q&A. They provide plenty of questions and some good responses, too.
8. Choose a good format for your article. If you have a lot to cover use a numbered list, like this article. People love reading about tips. They are precise and to the point. How To articles are a great idea, also. Most people are keen on learning how to do something well, so "How To" articles peak their interests.
9. Search engine optimize your article. Make sure that your article is written for the readers and the search engine. Optimize by using 2-3 chosen keywords in your article. Repeat the keywords — use them in the title and the body — but avoid keyword stuffing, as the article won't read well. Keep your keyword density per article to 3% and below.
10. Choose a Good Title. Try to avoid generic title like 'How To Write An Article'. Instead, engage your reader and leverages the search engines with specificity. Choose a title like 'How To Write Articles To Build Your Website Traffic'. Your articles will have much more credibility this way.
So there you have it. No, this article will not be printed in the NY Times, nor will it win a Pulitzer. But, the point is to provide useful insights that others will find useful. And, if they do they just might publish your article on their site or link to it in their blog.
Provided by ArticleGOLD: Articles Directory - Article Directory
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