How to Get Your Business Noticed by Thousands
All the experts kept saying it was a great way to give value,
gain free publicity, and position yourself as an expert. It was
something I had planned to do for years and I finally did it for
the first time in May, 2005 and I've been doing it ever since.
What is it? Writing articles. Don't be like me and wait, get
started today!
OK, I can hear the moans of protest from here, so let me explain
what writing articles can mean for your business and perhaps you
will be willing to give it a shot? For those of you who love to
write this is your big chance to get started or to write even
more.
You don't need to have a weekly or monthly newsletter in order
to consistently write articles although this is a good way to
make sure that you produce at least one article per month (it
sure keeps me on schedule).
Pick a topic you are passionate about, one that allows you to
provide insightful information that will help your clients, and
start writing. An average length for an article is 500-800
words. Once you have completed your article ask a friend or
colleague to review it for you and give you feedback. If you're
going to take the time to writing something, make sure it's the
best it can be!
There isn't room in this article to go into all of the details
of how to write, there are plenty of resources out there if you
need help in this area. The point is that you, as the owner of
your business, know a lot about the problems your clients face
and how you can help solve them. You have valuable information
that people want and need, so why not give it to them? Writing
is like any other skill, it takes practice and over time you
will improve and find your own unique voice.
So what's the big deal, what can you do with an article? I'll
mention a few here, be creative and don't limit yourself!
1. When you meet people who fit your ideal client profile offer
to send them an article. No sale, no pitch, just sharing
something that will support them.
2. Offer your articles to strategic alliance partners for them
to give to their clients.
3. Place your articles on your own website so visitors can see
the value you offer.
4. Once you have several articles you can package them together
and voila, an instant e-book you can give away or sell.
5. Finally, a highly leveraged action to take is to place your
articles on the internet where publishers go to find content for
their publications. This is really simple and it will cost you
nothing.
There are different places to submit your articles on the
internet depending on your focus and content. Here are just some
of the websites where I place my articles: ezinearticles.com,
goarticles.com, articlecity.com, amazines.com,
marketing-seek.com, ideamarketers.com, articlefinders.com, and
businessknowhow.com.
To find places where can publish your articles, go to google.com
and type in the keywords 'article submission.' You can also go
to http://www.ezau.com/latest/articles/0253.shtml for a list of
article submission websites.
Be sure to include a brief 'author bio' with each article you
write and publish (see mine at the end of this article). This
way, when people read your article they know how to connect with
you in case they want to know more. Include a "call to action"
in your author bio that invites the reader to take an action
like: sign up for your newsletter, get a free report, or receive
a sample of your product or service.
Because you can allow your article to be re-published without
permission you may not actually know how much exposure you have
received. To find out where you have been published simply type
the name of your article into Google.com or Kartoo.com. In some
cases you will be contacted for permission even though it isn't
necessary. You may also hear from people who want to thank you
for allowing your article to be reprinted.
What will sharing your articles do for you?
- Giving people valuable information they can use makes you a
resource and increases the possibility that people will think of
you, and your business, when they have a need. This is a way to
let people get to know you and start building a relationship
with you.
- You will increase your exposure by publishing your articles in
many places. Increasing your exposure increases your reach to
potential clients. Think leverage!
- You position yourself as an expert in your field by writing
about the kinds of problems you solve for your clients. Everyone
wants to work with an expert.
These things will all contribute toward the growth of your
business. Don't look for results overnight and stay focused on
serving your clients by producing articles that will help them
be successful.
Writing is just one of many marketing strategies you can use to
grow your business. Remember, the most important aspect of any
successful marketing strategy is consistent implementation. So
please don't write one article and then decide it doesn't work
and give up. If you choose writing as one of your strategies,
stick with it and leverage everything you create!
(c) 2005 Stephanie Ward