Comfortable Marketing

Saturday, December 27, 2008

SEO Copywriting: How To Choose Article Marketing Topics To Achieve Maximum Exposure

Articles written for article marketing purposes are meant to be informative and useful.Articles that are overly or blatantly self-promotional will almost always be rejected.People reading articles want to learn something useful, not a marketing pitch.

One concern I hear from clients regularly is "why should I publish articles that don't promote ME specifically?" That's a logical question.It may seem counterproductive to expend energy writing generalized articles that aren't outright selling your product.

How Article Marketing Benefits You And Your Business


There are many benefits of an article written solely for marketing purposes:


- Backlinks to your site in the "about the author" from every site that republishes the article
- Helps to establish you as an authority on the topic
- A well-written article on a general topic can "sell" the reader on need for the product.



Once a need for the product has been established, your is right in the footer to provide the solution


Choosing Topics For Article Marketing Articles


One of the most common mistakes I see companies make when writing articles for article marketing is their choice of topic.

Oftentimes, they choose to write articles about themselves rather than articles that are genuinely useful to the target audience.

In an age where search engines rule, the rules of marketing have changed.Search engines don't offer visibility in the natural search engine rankings to companies who are the most promotional.They provide greater visibility to those who are most useful to the population of search engine users.

Your article topic should be useful and informative to a general audience - and not outwardly promote your company or services.

Article topics can be:


- How To.

..
- 3 Ways To...
- Comparisons of 3 or more different products/solutions
- 3 Things to Consider Before.
..
- 4 Reasons Why...
- A Unique Solution for...
- A Guide to...
- X vs.Y: Which is Right for You?

Just because a topic is not outwardly promotional does not mean that is does not create a need for your product or service!A great article topic is one that builds up a need for the type of product or service that the client provides - without specifically mentioning the client in body of the article.

For example, I read a great article the other day about how to design an effective trade show display.Realizing that I did not have the skills nor the desire to learn the skills necessary to build a professional trade show display, I followed the link at the bottom to visit the author's website.

How to articles work great for this reason - especially for service businesses.Many web surfers think that they can do something themselves so search for a "how to" solution.However, after discovering how complicated or involved the process can be, they may decide just to hire a professional.And hey - there's a link to an expert right at the bottom of the article!

Writing The Title


Once you have chosen a topic for the article, it is important to write a title that is equally as effective.

The title should contain the keywords you are targeting in your overall marketing campaign whenever possible.Article titles often become the title tag or URL of the web page.This means that search engines are going to use them to determine the topic of the content and how to rank the page.

The title tag also often appears on a search engine's results page as the dark blue title of the page.This will essentially be what readers use to decide if they are going to click through and read your entire article or not.That is why it is important in article marketing to write titles that are compelling and attractive to readers as well as containing keywords.

Writing an article that is objective, informative and contains a captivating title will ensure that it's accepted by both distribution sites and readers alike.Article marketing as part of an overall link building campaign can be extremely effective -- when done correctly!


About the Author

Christine O'Kelly is co-owner of SEO Content Solutions, a leading SEO copywriting firm.

The company provides SEO press releases, articles, blog content and web content to resellers and end users alike.

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Friday, December 26, 2008

6 Tips on Using Social Media for Internet Marketing Newbies

With the kind of tough competition you'll have to face as an internet marketing business person, it's important that you are aware of all the techniques available to improve your business and increase your earnings.If you're an internet marketing newbie, optimizing social media can help you expand your audience and build your internet home business.Social media can be an effective and inexpensive means to establish yourself as long as you know how to use it.

How social media works


Social media helps you attain greater exposure to your audience, especially those you have already targeted.

Like search engines, social media can help you promote your content and gain better visibility in the internet.Furthermore, it's not a dead end.Promoting your content to your audience using social media lets your audience pass it on to others, particularly to people who belong to their social network.

Using social media in internet marketing


When you're using the internet for profit, it's important that you look at tools like social media as a means, not an end.

Meaning, these tools will only be as effective as your content is good.Before going ahead and using social media, there are things that should already be in place, including:


-your site (should be usable and easy to navigate)


-content (should be existing on your site and should offer quality)


-your site's management system (should let you manage content effectively)


Once you have the basics ready, you can begin expanding your reach.

Here are ways internet marketing newbies can use social media to their advantage:


Choose the right social media.

Determine the type of industry or topic you want to be involved in and design your internet marketing efforts around it.Once you know the type of topic you want to engage in, it will be a lot easier to use which social media to choose.Whether you use videos, images, audio, articles or collaborative write-ups, it will be a lot easier for you to find the right kind of platform from which to promote your work.

Create relevant content.

Quality is of course, a very important consideration but so is relevance.Your content could be well-researched and well-written but if your visitors don't find it useful, it will only be ignored.
Create content that's highly prized by your target audience to encourage them to return to your site, recommend it and link up to it.More importantly, create content that your visitors will find worth distributing to the members of their social network.Keep your content updated.

Content can only be relevant as long as people find it so.Otherwise, it will outlive its usefulness.Do research to find out about changes in your industry or topic.Offer fresh information to keep your visitors interested and encourage them to spread your content.

Use more than one social medium if necessary.

You don't have to limit yourself to just one social medium; there are several you can use at one time blogging, podcasting, discussion forums, networking, bookmarking, wikis, etc.Determine which type works best for your internet business and which one you do best.

If you're uncomfortable with a certain social medium but find that it will be beneficial for your brand of internet marketing, hire someone to do it for you.Don't miss out on a great opportunity just because you haven't the time or the talent for it.

Direct the traffic to your site.

Yes, you still need traffic.How else will you be able to let them know you exist?Use all the tricks of the trade search engine optimization, quality content, link baiting, etc.
Build your network.

The social media thrives on strong networks.The larger it is and the more quality members it has, the better chances you'll get.A strong network is extremely beneficial as an internet marketing tool not only because it promotes your internet marketing business to more people, but also because it allows you to gain foothold and influence in a very dynamic market.

Build a quality network.Find out which members produce better contacts or mean more business for you.For an internet marketing newbie, this may sound a little overwhelming but once you're used to it, you'll realize how advantageous it can be.Besides, all internet marketers have to start somewhere.Meet people and build friendships through social media.You not only get important information and updates about your business, you also get valuable feedback, which you can use later to improve your site, product and services.


About the Author

Internet Marketing Co-founder of The World Internet Summit

www.


brett.com.au


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Ways To Have A Successful Online Business

Some people say online business is very difficult, I think that is a load of non sense because I believe anyone can do it.See the thing is most people do not know how to do to it and just think that once they read one book the will be able to make a six figure income.Well this is far from the truth my friends because if you are not a master at marketing online then you will not be successful.You have to increase your working hours at home and make them more efficient.Finding the right coach and the right books to read and get your knowledge is one 75% of the battle.This is how the majority of the gurus succeed in working an online business.

If you already have computer and internet knowledge this will help out a lot.If you do not then it is not the end of the world you are just going to have to pay a little more money to get work done for you.This is really very simple once you know the ins and outs of the business and the rewards are most powerful then any job you can get.The most common problem most people will have when starting is focus.Making money online and working from home is a great adventure when you learn how.It is a lot of fun and you get to work for yourself.

Okay now you know a little bit about the online world but this is probably the best way and the way a lot of people are getting rich through EBAY.Become a master affiliate.Now to get good at being an affiliate you are going to have to do a lot of reading.Check out all the affiliate and Google adwords informational products.

Determine the types of skills that you have that will translate well to an online position.Because there is so much competition, you really need to know what your strengths are when you want to work from home online.This requires a lot of discipline because there are many distractions when you work from home online.Make sure you treat your online job with the same respect and dedication that you would any other job.

Knowing how to become self employed can be as easy as knowing where the work at home jobs are found.Some of the best work at home jobs are being done by people who looked and looked until they finally found their own dream job.One huge benefit of work from home online is the global marketplace you will have access to.

It's important to understand that ANY business online can be successful as long as you learn it, practice it, and master it.A big and maybe the most important benefit you'll gain by working from home online is the lifestyle.No matter how you choose to spend your time and money, working from home online will give you all you need to experience your dream of freedom.The first step you are taking today in creating an online income is going to sound very simple to you.

You will read a lot of articles and blogs saying that it is easy to make money online.This is the biggest line of bs I have every heard in my life.It is not easy it is actually pretty freaking hard.I think a lot of people want to make the big bucks online but are not willing to spend the money to learn the business.They just jump in the water with out testing it.See the gurus on the other hand have read 10-50 books about affiliate marketing or starting your own informational product, books on pay per click, etc.
People love to blame it on the one book they bought or the one membership site that join.It is not that at all.

People do not treat it like a brick and mortar business.Normally you would have to go to school to be good which cost anywhere from $15,000-30,000 a year for 4 years.You have to buy a business which cost another $100,000 to 500,000.So right now we are looking at a minimum of $160,000 but people do not want to spend $5,000 or less to learn about the business.

So we are going to go on and I am going to state that most online business fail not because they do not have enough money it is because they knowledge of the subject is poor.So for this reason people should not be mad at the book they bought and return it to get there money back.They should just buy more books and get as much information as possible.

Okay, if you spend at minimum $60,000 for college and the national average for people that graduated college is $47,000 then what would make you think you can only spend $47-$197 and make $1,000,000.This is the best ROI you are going to get because if you do get a couple of books and read them inside and out there is no reason you will not be successful at online business.


About the Author

Melissa is an established online marketer who has learned many tips and techniques about online marketing and she wants to teach you what she knows.

For more information please visit http://www.thesecret2onlinemoney.com


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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Leaflet Distribution As A Force For Good

The recent case of twelve men being arrested for distributing leaflets that contained inflammatory and offensive material was not the first time that leaflet distribution has hit the headlines for controversial reasons.Leaflet distribution has a long history of coming under scrutiny because of the way it can communicate a message quickly and effectively to a large group of people.

However these run-ins with the establishment have not always been for reasons like the recent case.More often than not leaflet distribution has been at the forefront of important crusades and has helped to break down barriers, bring people together and, in many cases, has led to laws being changed or attitudes being revised.

These changes have always fallen into two groups, artistic and social.Leaflet distribution has help artists and designers question issues of taste and decency and has helped politicians and reformers raise awareness of important issues like poverty and homelessness.

The Civil Rights movement in the United States benefitted greatly from leaflet distribution.The very fact that the medium is so democratic and open to all means that it can be used to give voice to opinions that otherwise wouldn't have one.It can spread a message even if that message is not necessarily what the establishment or authorities want to hear.

It can, of course, be abused, as in the case of the men who used it to propagate offensive material, but in the case of the civil rights movement it was an ideal way to get the message of equality across.

People like Martin Luther King Jnr.were not granted the same access to mainstream media like other political groups at the time.Television and many newspapers were governed by people who wanted to maintain the status quo even if that was at the expense of a large part of the community.

Segregation and race were volatile subjects in 1960's America and few people in positions of power were willing to put their necks on the line.Leaflet distribution became an important weapon in the civil rights movement as a result.

Leaflets that were handed out during the time quoted from the American constitution and exposed the hypocrisy that segregation represented.Without leaflet distribution the message wouldn't have travelled as far and as fast as it did.It was also used for the same purpose in Ireland, Spain and South Africa.

Another political movement that worked towards social change and used leaflet distribution as a means to achieve its goals was the Suffragette movement.The Suffragettes were led by Emmeline Pankhurst and their main aim was to win the right to vote for women.Among their tactics were the lobbying of politicians, marching and demonstrations and leaflet distribution.

Pankhurst was a well educated woman and saw no reason why the fact she was a woman should exclude her from areas of society, commerce and politics.She campaigned vigorously and joined several groups that worked towards women's suffrage including the Independent Labour Party.

It was while she was involved with them that she met socialist reformer Keir Hardy and became aware of the state of poverty in many of Britain's cities.Although she did work to improve working and living positions for the poor it did not distract her from her main aim which was to win the right to vote for women throughout the country.

Pankhurst's tactics grew more extreme but she called a complete halt to her campaign during the period of World War 1 to support the war effort.The war had a great influence on the campaign as it gave women the opportunity to demonstrate skills that would normally have been the preserve of men.When the war ended Pankhurst formed the Women's Party and the right to vote followed soon after.


About the Author

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the leaflet distribution industry.


Find out more about leaflet distribution and the history of marketing.

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Monday, December 22, 2008

Use Public Speaking to Convert Your Non-Fiction Book Into a Best-Seller

Word of mouth is still one of the best forms of advertising irregardless of what you're selling and it certainly works in the case of books.Just think of the number of times that you've read a book simply because someone recommended it to you.

And one of the best ways to generate powerful word of mouth advertising and convert your book into a best-seller is through public speaking.As book marketing expert, John Kremer, said:


"Almost every best-selling self-help and spiritual author over the past 20 years has become a best-selling author because they spoke.

They spoke at learning annexes.They spoke at churches.They spoke at different places where they could reach a large audience and start to create word of mouth [marketing]."


When you speak in public you don't always have to give a long presentation.

Your public speech can be as short as 3-5 minutes.So think about all the places where you can give presentations on topics relevant to your book and then engineer how you will speak in these places and promote your book.

When you give a powerful presentation people will want to learn more about you and will want to know more about your subject matter.A book is a low-cost option for people to extend their relationship with you.However, it can also lead people into buying other products and services from you.

Your avenues for public speaking should include online radio shows and TV.Now everyone wants to get on Oprah and certainly if you achieve this you will gain unparalleled exposure but being on Oprah is not a pre-requisite to success.There are numerous other lucrative avenues that you can tap into.

Nowadays, it's easier than ever to create your own TV program using resources such UStreamTV.And hosting a regular program can give you massive exposure.

You can also create your own radio show on BlogTalkRadio.The great thing about creating your own online TV and radio shows is that people can listen to and or watch your shows live or they can check out a recording of your show.In other words, you can create content for your show once and have it available online 24/7 promoting you and your book.

If you do radio or TV interviews with traditional broadcasters you can generally get a copy of your interview that you can then add to your website and use it to create other promotional material.In fact, every time you speak in public you should record your presentation.You may not be happy with every presentation but, over time, you will have a large library of recordings of your presentation which you can use on your website, create videos for sites such as YouTube and Google with links back to the site where you're promoting your book.

When speaking in public remember to research your audience.Now, although you'll probably be presenting essentially the same material each time, you can tailor your presentation to suit the audience.For example your presentation to a group of bankers would be different from that to real estate agents.

This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to write a radically different presentation.You can easily adapt it to suit your target audience by perhaps using different industry-specific examples.By doing this you'll build greater rapport with your audience.They will more readily see how what you're presenting pertains to them and they'll be more eager to buy your book.

And every sale you make will take you one step closer to converting your book into a best-seller.


About the Author

To discover how you can turn your book specifically into an Amazon best-seller visit Becoming An Amazon Best-Seller.

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Sunday, December 21, 2008

The Importance of Patience In Marketing Services

It's been said that sales quotas (whether they be weekly, monthly or quarterly) are one of the biggest obstacles to effective sales performance.The rational is that the pressure to meet the deadline causes sales people to attempt to "hurry up " the sales process.They typically do this by presenting their solutions way too early in the process.

As all of us know who have attended any sort of comprehensive sales training program in the last 10 years, presenting your solution before you have uncovered the key problems and made the prospective client lust after your solution (ok perhaps a bit of hyperbole, but you get my point) is one of the biggest obstacles to success in selling.

This issue has implications and lessons for the world of marketing.This is what I mean.When I review marketing materials, sales letters, websites and so forth, I ask the logical question "What do you want the reader to do once they've finished reading this?" The answer is invariably that they would like the reader to call to learn more about their services.

When you think about it, that is a huge request.Consider this, someone you don't know, who you've never spoken with, receives your letter or visits your website.What are the odds that based on what they read they'd want to actually talk with you?

OK, perhaps if they're desperate they might.But really, come on, how many of your prospects are truly desperate?The reality is that it's extremely unlikely anyone is going to pick up the phone based on a sales letter or some copy on a website.Why?They're afraid of being sold something.

As it's often been said, "We love to buy stuff; we just don't like being sold." So why do we persist in having a marketing strategy that revolves around the hope that people will "call us up" after they read our sales letter or visit our website?Because it seems like it's quicker.We don't have any patience for anything that has more than one step to it.But what we perceive as the quickest way to make sales is really an illusion.The reality is that we're making life harder (not easier) for ourselves.

Much the same way as the sales rep thinks he can expedite the selling process by cutting to the chase and just telling the prospect about how wonderful his services are, consultants and small business owners think that they can likewise speed up the process by having the call to action be call me now!And they're invariably disappointed.

So what's the alternative?When it comes to marketing your services it's crucial that you think of it as a two-step process.Step one is How Can I Get People To Express interest in what I do?Step two is: How can I convert large percentages of those who have expressed interest to buy my services?

Thus the "selling" is done in step two, not step one.(Except that you naturally have to "sell" prospects on expressing that initial interest.) So if this makes sense, why are so many people reluctant to do it?

Simple.It adds another step to the process.It adds a bit more time.And we're just not very patient.As I've said countless times before, marketing isn't complicated.(Although some of us seem compelled to make it so.) It's simply a matter of thinking about marketing your services using two steps.

Not one.And that requires patience.Hope this give you some good food for thought.
About the Author

Mark Satterfield is the founder of Gentle Rain Marketing.

The firm specializes in helping clients get more business Quickly, Easily, with No Cold Calling.Get the FREE report that describes the system you can implement in less than 30 days at http://www.gentlerainmarketing.com


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