Not doing what, you ask.

Writing and submitting articles.

Writing articles is a cost- effective way of promoting your business. It exposes you to potential customers in a way that few other marketing vehicles do.

Writing and submitting your work to online sites gives you fr*ee marketing opportunities. It also increases your credibility in the eyes of potential customers.

Have you taken advantage of this very effective marketing strategy?

If not, why not?

* What If I Can't Write?

Common question, common excuse with a simple answer: if you can talk, you can write.

You don't need to be a professional writer before you can write as a way of marketing your business.

All you do need to do is

• Want to write

• Decide to write

• Write

* What Should I Write?

A few ideas are:

• Articles

• Tips (eg top ten or top five ways to....)

• Letters to editors

• Reports (yes, reports!)

Think of some more and add them to this list.

* What Topics Should I Write About?

Here, your only limitation is in your imagination. So be creative and let these questions serve as guidelines in helping you decide what to write about:

• What information will potential customers find useful?

• What are you interested in? Find a way to make it relevant to your business and write about it.

• If you were in your potential customers' shoes, what topics (related to your business) would interest you?

• In what ways have you solved problems for people in the past? Write them down. Chances are, other people would benefit from the solution you provided.

• What are your experiences as a business owner? Write about them.

• Fill in the blanks :

  1. How To .......

  2. Top 5 Ways to......

  3. What Many People Don't Know About......

  4. My Favourite Pastime is....

What you've got now is a bunch of potential headings for your articles, tips, reports or whatever. If you think about it, there's a lot for you to write about.

All you have to do now is actually put pen to paper (hand to computer).

* What Should I Do With What I've Written?

Submit, submit, submit!

Newsletter editors and webmasters all over the 'net are looking for fr*ee content for their subscribers and visitors.

Imagine the exposure you get by submitting an article to an ezine with thousands of opt-in subscribers. Fr*ee of charge, too! It'd be more expensive (and not always as effective in pulling in prospects) to advertise in the same publication.

Here is a brief list of places that accept articles for publication or announcement:

• PromoteYourArticle@yahoogroups (you need to subscribe fr*ee)

• article_announce@yahoogroups.com (subscribe first. Fr*ee)

• http://www.articleblaster.com/submit-articles.htm

• http://www.family-content.com/articles/submit.shtml

• http://ezinearticles.com/add_url.html

To receive a list of 50 groups and sites that accept submissions send an email to submissionlist@daysofsuccess.com.

Here's how it works. The key is to have a system that you use. An example is below:

• Write at least one article each month.

• Include a resource box at the end of it.

• Include permission to fr*eely distribute it at the top.

• Submit it to at least 5 sites each day.

* To make your writing easily acceptable and profitable

• Provide useful information. No sales letters or pitches.

• Include some way to get readers to contact you: you could offer a fre*ebie or a link to your website. This info goes into your resource box.

• Make your resource box about 4 - 6 lines long. I've included mine at the end of this article to give you an idea.

• Write it using a text editor like Notepad - that's how many editors prefer to receive submissions.

• Format it to be 65 characters long per line. Press the 'enter' key each time you get to 65 characters (unless your text editor has word-wrap in which case you'd set it to wrap at 65 characters).

• Always obey submission guidelines to the letter.

• Follow the writing tips below.

* Writing Tips

• Write like you talk. Be conversational in your writing. If you can hold a conversation, you can write.

• After writing your first draft, leave it to 'fallow' then start on your next article.

• Never submit your first draft. Rewrite it after a day or two.

• Spell check thoroughly. Check for grammar errors too. Get someone else to read through it if you can - they may pick up something you've missed.

• Obey submission guidelines (it's so important, hence my repeating it here)

• Write something everyday. Even if it's just a personal journal entry, just write. It'll get you into the habit, and keep you creative.

Practice what this article says and write something today.

About The Author

DR Kem Thompson is a Business Writer and Business Coach. Visit www.daysofsuccess.com/bizwriter.htm to find out how she can help you promote your business through writing articles and other business material. For a fr*ee list of 50 submission venues, send an email to submissionlist@daysofsuccess.com.

kem@daysofsuccess.com