Ask an article marketer why they write articles, and they might say they do it to grow their business. But they would be wrong.

That's the reason they engage in article marketing, but it's not the reason they write articles -- or at least, it shouldn't be.

Article Marketing vs. Article Writing
The purpose of article marketing is to help you grow your business (by improving your search engine ranking, website traffic and overall web presence). The purpose of article writing is to inform, enlighten or educate your readers. Don't confuse the two.

Article Marketing Thought-Process
When planning your article marketing program, think strategically. What are your overall marketing goals, and how do articles support them? How many articles will you write each week? How will you integrate your articles with your website or blog? What will your call-to-action be?

Article Writing Thought-Process
When writing your articles, think only of how you can help the reader. What valuable information do you have to share with them? How can you engage them, teach them, delight them or educate them?

What Not to Do
Don't crank out articles just for the sake of attaching your website link at the end. This is often the path of the short-sighted article marketer. But in the long run, this will do you more harm than good. Weak articles will dilute your brand, erode your image, and lower your response rates.

Educate your readers with quality articles ... that's the path to article marketing success. Help your readers accomplish their goals, and you'll be more likely to accomplish yours.

* Copyright 2006, Brandon Cornett. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and include the author's note and byline.

About the Author
Brandon Cornett wrote the book on article marketing ... literally! And you can learn about it or download it through Brandon