Article Marketing Do's and Don'ts

One big mistake beginning online marketers make is spending too much money on promotion and advertising. It's been proven that if you continue to spend more than you're making, sooner or later you're going to crash.

The old saying that it takes money to make money is true. But only to a certain extent. Even though you have to invest a certain amount of money in any business to keep it viable, there are many things you can do to generate targeted traffic to your website that won't cost you a dime.

Enter article marketing.

Article marketing is among the most efficient, effective and least expensive ways to drive targeted traffic to your blog or website. And the best benefit of article marketing is that it doesn't cost you anything. The only thing you have to spend is some time and effort.

But not only is it free -- article marketing is also very effective. Now the question: How does article marketing differ from traditional marketing? In traditional marketing the message is, "Here's my product. Here's the price. Please buy it now." In article marketing you're saying, "Here's my product, and if you would like information, you can learn a little more about it on my website. You can visit me at…."

Do you see the difference?

In traditional advertising you're pushing your product. In article marketing you're presenting a solution to a problem and letting your prospect decide whether or not to buy it. Remember, people like to buy -- they just hate being sold to.

But although it's a simple strategy, there are some do's and don'ts you need to consider in your article marketing campaign.

Here's what you should do.

1. DO keep your article short. The shorter it is, the easier it is to understand and digest. But make sure it's not too short, or you won't be able to get your point across. I recommend keeping your article length at 400 to 600 words.

2. DO write article that is informative as well as entertaining. For every problem you present you should also present the solution to that problem. Try to anticipate your readers' questions and provide answers to these questions.

3. DO include some tips on your articles. People like to be informed, warned and taught. Tips add a personal touch to your article.

Now here are some DONT'S.

1. DON'T make spelling and grammatical mistakes. This makes you look unprofessional and can severely damage your reputation as an online marketer.

2. DON'T over-promote yourself. People need to know who you are and what you do, but more than that, they want helpful information. There is absolutely no room for bragging and hype in your writing. What most people care about is what you can do for them-- not what you've done for yourself.

3. DON'T write long, boring articles. Boring articles turn readers off, and turned-off readers turn away from your product or service, not matter what you're selling. Keep your article informative and interesting.

4. DON'T write a bad headline. Readers usually assess the quality of your article based on your headline. If your headline stinks, most readers won't hang around long enough to read the rest of your article.

Article marketing is not difficult. And following the article marketing do's and don'ts outlined above should help you with your lead generation efforts and help you get more targeted leads and profits to your website or blog.

More articles by Mike Griffith

Copyright 2011 Mike Griffith