In my quest for low cost high quality traffic sources I've read a number of article marketing reports. Many will ruin your site credibility while some make good points. Here's a proven way to attract qualified traffic to your business website with articles:
One of the article marketing strategies that continues to work for me (and my clients) but is contrary to a lot of the crap they sell in eBooks is …
Focus on one directory (site, magazine, blog) at a time, get 10 unique articles published dripped over a weeks, then move to the next. Then in each outlet, drip one article or so a month. Each with unique value around your area of expertise.
… that's it.
You will adjust your focus for traffic response (i.e. buyers created from incoming referrals), then repeat the process. Notice I said “directory (site, magazine, blog)” not just “article directories”, this is because sites targeted by context have better credibility with search engines.
Very often I'll put together 10 articles expanding on different parts of the same topic, set them up to publish in the future, BUT also compile them into a special report for my newsletter readers.
I write my own articles because it is easy for me. If you aren't comfortable writing, then transcribe an interview, hire a copywriter, or get a ghostwriter. Be careful with outsourcing article writing on the cheap, very often you'll get back exactly what you invested.
If you are going to hire and you are limited by your budget, hire a researcher who can round out draft materials you provide, then YOU do the rewrite. After all, you are the expert and it's your voice the customers want to hear.
Because this content is usually the first impression a prospective customer has of your business, it's best to provide top quality. That's why I put so much pressure on my contributors, because a badly written article makes you look bad.
What do you do with this additional content? These 10 articles will be spread over several sites you know drive you quality traffic, or scheduled over several months on a blog you own, or pitched to managing editors of magazines. The byline offers the report, or drives to the blog were they can get the report while you capture an email address.
Article marketing done right improves lead generation, increases quality traffic, and extends credibility. But heed these rules: Never broadcast, Always unique, Value to reader, and Look for quality outlets.
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Justin Hitt provides done-for-you Internet marketing to business-to-business professional, industrial, and technical services firms. For details visit https://www.jwhco.com/