By Donovan Baldwin
Okay, you have a new Internet business, some big dreams, little money, and no traffic. What next?
Many Internet business owners large and small have found that article marketing is one of the most effective, and cheapest, ways to not only bring traffic to their website but to create an online presence which is respected and often followed.
It's not quite like being a rock star, but anyone who can regularly turn out short, interesting, and informative articles on almost any subject can create a huge network of multiple backlinks to their website, and even grow a broad network of followers who regularly cite his or her work on their websites.
Unfortunately, many consider article marketing to be outside the range of their personal capabilities. Most of them are wrong.
Go into any library, read any newspaper, or even watch an evening of network TV, and you will see that not only are people interested in the news, but they want to laugh, be entertained, and, these days, peer into others' lives. Ever hear of a reality show?
While it is great to be able to enlighten and entertain, even if all you can do, if you are selling a product related to fishing, for example, is to relate tales about "the one that got away", your articles will eventually be seen by many, and posted by some on their websites. People online are looking for information and solution to problems, and it is probably best to respond to this need, but, if you are simply not an "expert" on something, there will still be many who simply enjoy hearing about the experiences of others as they relate to the subject they are interested in.
What happens with many who are new to article marketing is an interesting metamorphosis...they find more things to write about and get better at it as well!
Even as I write this article, I am reminded of several other related topics which will make interesting and informative articles in their own right.
Knowledge breeds interest, creativity breeds more creativity, and creativity and interest combined help form an "expert".
Once you get your feet wet, even a small list of articles can build a vast list of backlinks to your website. It can even establish you as an expert on the subject, and can stimulate your own increased interest in the topic.
In many cases, this is how someone new to Internet marketing, with little marketing knowledge or skill, manages to create a broad footprint across the vast plain of the Internet.
One important trick to remember, is to never sell in the article itself. Your job as the author of the article is to provide something of value, entertainment value included, to the reader. They will be grateful for having received valuable information without having to endure a sales pitch or having to slog through huge masses of technical data.
Their is plenty of room in your byline, or "about the author" information, to let people know what your business is. You will also be able to include a link to your website, and, even if the reader does not want to visit your website at that time, search engines will make note of the link to your site, and this can eventually be worth a thousand times the effort you have put into creating the articles which link to your site.
Donovan Baldwin is a 65-year-old amateur bodybuilder, freelance writer, certified optician, and Internet marketer currently living in the Atlanta, Georgia area. A University Of West Florida alumnus (1973) with a BA in accounting, he has been a member of Mensa and has been a Program Accountant for the Florida State Department of Education, the Business Manager of a community mental health center, and a multi-county Fiscal Consultant for an educational field office. He has also been a trainer for a major international corporation, and has managed various small businesses, including his own. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, with 21 years of service, he became interested in Internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes original articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. He offers a line of do-it-yourself legal software at http://legalhelp.xtramoney4me.net.
Article Source: Using Article Marketing to Sell Almost Anything
Have a great day!
Don