Sunday, October 5, 2008

Online Advertising Secrets: What Is Article Marketing?

By Don Bethune

What is article marketing? Article marketing is one of the most brilliant forms of advertising. It is used by businesses and entrepreneurs to promote their products and establish themselves as experts in their respective fields. aArticles,a whether used as marketing tools or for journalistic endeavors, bear a greater level of legitimacy than your average late-night infomercial or an in-your-face print ad splashed across a page in the local circular.

Article marketing is not a new concept. It has been around for about as long as mass-printing (i.e. offline publishing) has and found its way to the world of online marketing. In the past, a sort of symbiotic relationship existed between businesses providing free information and expertise in the form of written articles to publishers who would print the articles, which were essentially advertisements, at no charge. The articles would be written with certain target populations in mind, usually readers of the publication in which the article was to appear.

So now you know how to identify article marketing when you see it, but you might still be wondering, aWhat is article marketing? How do I even begin to write such an article?a The articles are usually short pieces, and of course contain information and content pertinent to the type of business conducted by the establishment or entity providing the written advertisement.

Informative articles can really boost a businessas client list and foster a reputation of credibility. When writing an article for mass marketing publication, it is essential to include your name and title (if you have one), contact information and biographical information. If the article is to be circulated online, then a valid web address or URL should also be included. The idea is to establish oneself as a trustworthy source of expertise in your field or industry. This means that the biographical information should include items such as credentials, educational background and achievements in your field of expertise.

As stated above, the explosion of online commerce and marketing for businesses, web-based or not, has broadened the use and need for article marketing. The original concept of publisher-business symbiosis is still the core relationship which drives article marketing, even in cyberspace. If anything, the relationship is stronger, and the possibilities for reaching target markets and populations are even greater.

The greater scope of online article marketing can be identified through closer examination of search engines: who uses them, what searches are being conducted and which sites are appearing in the search results. Having an online article which addresses a particular topic or industry and which contains certain akeywordsa is extremely useful for search engine optimization (SEO).

When an article is published online, itas important to use effective search engine optimization because it attracts search engine users to your site, therefore driving business to your door. The more visitors you have, the more sales and profits you make. This validates the concept of effective article marketing as a traffic generator, and including business owneras website address brings more \"hits\" and a higher rank in search engine results.

One problem with the success of online article advertising is that it has fostered an explosion of topical articles on the web. Not all articles contain correct information or good writing. This may lower the usefulness of article advertising online, and hapless internet users may unwittingly take away bad information, which can lower the credibility of the articles themselves and their authors. A solution to the article content quality problem has been found in the use of article marketing services. These services can help businesses with the generation of well-written, accurate and well-distributed pieces.

The information provided here about article marketing and search engine optimization is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to business markets. Not all business owners are great communicators when it comes to the written word. For them, knowing how to use article marketing services for their business allows them to exercise the potential of online marketing.

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