Ten Top Tips for Effective Article Marketing

Article marketing is still one of the most effective free ways to advertise our business on the internet. Let's make sure we get the most out of our articles by using the quick and easy checklist below:

1. Use our own name and photo - this will reassure readers that we are real people. It'll also serve to brand us and will support any other internet presence we have. If we use the same photo everywhere we appear on the net, this'll make it more likely people will remember us.

2. Stick to our area of specialisation and make a niche for ourselves. If we're active in a lot of different areas it is more difficult for people to recognise us as experts in any given field which is what we want.

3. Avoid posting the same article on article directories that we have used for our own website. Our website may be penalised for duplication of content.

4. Remember we are writing for human beings - don't be tempted to compromise the quality and readability of the article by trying to optimise for search engines and trying to include too many key words which don't naturally fit.

5. Don't try to write a book - shorter articles, ideally 300-600 words with concise relevant content, do the best job.

6. Submit articles consistently. We need to decide our strategy at the outset. We can decide how many articles we want to submit at what intervals and then stick to it. Consistency is key - we get far better exposure submitting regular articles rather than a large batch every now and again.

7. Provide value for our readers - People usually read an article to answer a question or solve a problem and to keep their interest, we need to make sure we deliver.

8. Use a snappy title that's compelling or intriguing to grab initial interest - we need to stand out from similar articles.

9. Develop an informal, easily readable style which helps to keep the reader's interest.

10. Format your article with short paragraphs and numbered lists. Add emboldened text at the start of each paragraph to emphasise points and draw the reader down the article.