Online Article Marketing Brings Customers To You
Copyright (c) 2007 Tammy M. Ratcliff
the Phantom Writers
http://thePhantomWriters.com

If your are not making use of online article marketing to help
promote your business, you may be passing up an unlimited amount
of advertising opportunities. Marketing through article writing
is one of the easiest ways to gain notoriety for your company,
and it is so subtle, it hardly seems like advertising at all.

How It Works

The standard marketing approach for companies has, for a long
time, been to take out a billboard, a yellow pages ad, or to pay
for a radio or television commercial. The typical ad would
basically proclaim that, "our company is the best". The trouble
with this kind of advertising is that any company can say
anything they want to about themselves without having a bit of
proof to back it up.

Online article marketing is a much more unique approach. Begin by
choosing any subject that has something to do with what your
company does or sells, and write a short article about it. Better
yet, create an informational article that will appeal to people
who are in your target market. For example if you sell toilets,
tell people how to install their own toilet. Or if you do
landscaping, tell people how to landscape their own property ---
and in the end, most readers will decide that although you have
shown them how to do it themselves, the actual task is hard work
and they would prefer to pay someone like you to do the task for
them.

Next, find a company who will distribute the article online for
you through various e-zines, newsletters and websites, etc. These
distribution companies typically charge a small fee for sending
articles to publishers, and if need be, some distribution
companies can also write the articles for you.

At the end of each article there is something referred to as a
"resource box." In this box, there will be a short, 2-3 sentence
sales pitch telling people why they should visit your website,
with links leading directly to your company's website. The goal
of the resource box is to entice the reader to visit your
website. It is that easy.

Once a potential client is on your website, he or she can see
exactly what your company has to offer. Chances are, they will
use your services because they have already received free, useful
advice from you through the article. In this way, you have
actually proven you are knowledgeable instead of just saying it.
This low-key approach tends to be more appreciated by customers
than some in-your-face proclamation of greatness.

Is It Worth It?

Absolutely! For your money, you will never find a broader scope
of advertising possibilities. Distribution networks are making it
possible for these written articles to be seen by hundreds and
thousands of potential customers. And when your article is picked
up by a website, it has the potential of residing on that website
for many years to come, and often, your article could find its
way into the search engine results for your article's topic.
That means almost unlimited opportunities for your company's
name to be seen and heard. No other type of advertising can
deliver those types of results for such a small fee.

How Big Is Your Dream?

Ever heard of a small company called StubHub? This is an online
ticket broker that helps put sold-out event tickets into the
hands of fans everywhere. This company is also in the process of
being purchased by EBay, Inc. for a measly 310 million dollars!
Interestingly, article marketing was used as part of their
marketing strategy. Of course, offering a great service didn't
hurt either. In any event, this company saw the possible benefits
of this newer type of marketing and gave it a shot. Who knows,
maybe your company will be able to credit some of its success to
distributing well-written articles online.

Don't Just Write It, Write It Well

In order for article marketing to be as effective as possible, it
is important that the printed articles have very few mistakes, if
any at all. Misspelled words, run-on sentences and other writing
errors are really noticeable on a computer screen. You want
potential customers to focus on the content of the article, not
the mistakes in grammar or syntax. Inevitably, this inattention
to detail will only succeed in making your company appear not to
care about small issues. A carefully written article shows that
details matter to your company. In today's customer service
starved society, a little thing such as this can make all the
difference in which company a customer will choose.

That said; if writing isn't your strong point, don't hesitate
to hire a professional writer. As stated earlier, some online
article distribution companies have writers on staff that can
help you with this. Other writers do freelance work and can be
found advertising their services online. The point is, once you
decide to use online article marketing to promote your business,
make sure the articles being written truly represent the image of
your company that you want to get across.

The Skinny

Online article marketing gives you the opportunity to advertise
your company 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and 365 days per
year. It is an easy, inexpensive, and innovative technique being
used more and more by Internet savvy businesses. Don't let this
growing trend pass your company by. It could be the key to
turning your small business into a major corporation.

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Tammy M. Ratcliff is a staff writer and editor for
the Phantom Writers (http://thePhantomWriters.com); they have
been writing and distributing articles for clients since 2001.
If you would like to talk to a human being about their services,
please feel free to call Bill Platt at (405) 780-7745 between
9am-6pm CST, Monday through Friday. To get a feel for their
writing range, we encourage you to read the materials they
use as exclusive content on: http://www.PenCircles.com

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