|
Author: Kem Thompson Article source: http://www.hotlib.com/. Used with author's permission.
Not doing what, you ask.
Writing and submitting articles.
Writing articles is a cost- effective way of promoting your business. It exposes you to potential customers in a way that few other marketing vehicles do.
Writing and submitting your work to online sites gives you fr*ee marketing opportunities. It also increases your credibility in the eyes of potential customers.
Have you taken advantage of this very effective marketing strategy?
If not, why not?
* What If I Can't Write?
Common question, common excuse with a simple answer: if you can talk, you can write.
You don't need to be a professional writer before you can write as a way of marketing your business.
All you do need to do is
- Want to write
- Decide to write
- Write
* What Should I Write?
A few ideas are:
- Articles
- Tips (eg top ten or top five ways to....)
- Letters to editors
- Reports (yes, reports!)
Think of some more and add them to this list.
* What Topics Should I Write About?
Here, your only limitation is in your imagination. So be creative and let these questions serve as guidelines in helping you decide what to write about:
- What information will potential customers find useful?
- What are you interested in? Find a way to make it relevant to your business and write about it.
- If you were in your potential customers' shoes, what topics (related to your business) would interest you?
- In what ways have you solved problems for people in the past? Write them down. Chances are, other people would benefit from the solution you provided.
- What are your experiences as a business owner? Write about them.
- Fill in the blanks :
- How To .......
- Top 5 Ways to......
- What Many People Don't Know About......
- My Favourite Pastime is....
What you've got now is a bunch of potential headings for your articles, tips, reports or whatever. If you think about it, there's a lot for you to write about.
All you have to do now is actually put pen to paper (hand to computer).
* What Should I Do With What I've Written?
Submit, submit, submit!
Newsletter editors and webmasters all over the 'net are looking for fr*ee content for their subscribers and visitors.
Imagine the exposure you get by submitting an article to an ezine with thousands of opt-in subscribers. Fr*ee of charge, too! It'd be more expensive (and not always as effective in pulling in prospects) to advertise in the same publication.
Here is a brief list of places that accept articles for publication or announcement:
To receive a list of 50 groups and sites that accept submissions send an email to submissionlist@daysofsuccess.com.
Here's how it works. The key is to have a system that you use. An example is below:
- Write at least one article each month.
- Include a resource box at the end of it.
- Include permission to fr*eely distribute it at the top.
- Submit it to at least 5 sites each day.
* To make your writing easily acceptable and profitable
- Provide useful information. No sales letters or pitches.
- Include some way to get readers to contact you: you could offer a fre*ebie or a link to your website. This info goes into your resource box.
- Make your resource box about 4 - 6 lines long. I've included mine at the end of this article to give you an idea.
- Write it using a text editor like Notepad - that's how many editors prefer to receive submissions.
- Format it to be 65 characters long per line. Press the 'enter' key each time you get to 65 characters (unless your text editor has word-wrap in which case you'd set it to wrap at 65 characters).
- Always obey submission guidelines to the letter.
- Follow the writing tips below.
* Writing Tips
- Write like you talk. Be conversational in your writing. If you can hold a conversation, you can write.
- After writing your first draft, leave it to 'fallow' then start on your next article.
- Never submit your first draft. Rewrite it after a day or two.
- Spell check thoroughly. Check for grammar errors too. Get someone else to read through it if you can - they may pick up something you've missed.
- Obey submission guidelines (it's so important, hence my repeating it here)
- Write something everyday. Even if it's just a personal journal entry, just write. It'll get you into the habit, and keep you creative.
Practice what this article says and write something today. About The Author
DR Kem Thompson is a Business Writer and Business Coach. Visit www.daysofsuccess.com/bizwriter.htm to find out how she can help you promote your business through writing articles and other business material. For a fr*ee list of 50 submission venues, send an email to submissionlist@daysofsuccess.com.
kem@daysofsuccess.com
PR: Lets Talk Fundamentals
How much more fundamental can you get than this? As a business, non-profit or association manager, if you don't get your most important outside audiences on you...
Ever Wondered What Challenges Other People With Their Web Site?
Ever wondered what challenges are faced by other webmasters and owners in the design and promotion of their websites, well I certainly have, so I decided to try...
Desperate Housewife No More- 8 Ways to Take Back Your Life
Do you feel that you are living someone else's life? Do you want to feel good and positive about yourself and your life? These 8 simple steps will help you to b...
Calculate Food Quantities for Camping and Outdoor Recreation
Food For Five: How much food using the 8-10 rule. Easy formula for calculating how much food and drink to take camping along with your other outdoor supply item...
8 Common Family Tree Research Challenges and Their Solutions
Every amateur genealogist is bound to hit a dead end every once in a while. Don't lose hope. The information you're looking for IS out there…it just might take ...
Marina Coatings to Protect from Environmental Spills of Fuel and Oil
Boats in Marinas often leak a little and whatever leaks ends up in the water. When walking on the docks at the Marina you will notice the shiny stuff on the wat...
100 Best Poker Freerolls and How to Make Money From Them – Part 1
Poker freerolls are what's really hot right now in online poker with everyone wanting to get in on the act.
Auditing Improves Effective Planning
The audit process is a valuable step for improvement. Auditor training will teach managers and executives how to improve the effectiveness of their management s...
Learn Piano the Easy Way!
Illustrates the difference between note reading and creating music using chords.
Why Should I Go To A Life Insurance Broker?
It pays to consult a life insurance broker, provided they are expert and experienced.
Flower Meanings
Certain types or colors of flowers mean different things, and you don't want to send the wrong message if you give them as a gift!
10 Easy Ways to Cut Calories
Eat more calories than you need and you'll pile on the pounds. Eat just 100 less than you need each day and you'll lose 10lbs a year without really noticing tha...
The Importance of Diet in Lowering Blood Pressure
Diet is extremely important for people with high blood pressure, because eating unrecommended food can lead to kidney failure or heart-attacks.People who have h...
Create a 10 Second Introduction From Your USP
You only get one chance at a first impression - especially in a business meeting. Make sure you're making a good one by having a great 10 second introduction re...
How to Order the Right Credit Reports to Repair Your Own Credit
Believe it or not, a majority of the credit reports offered on the internet don't have the required information (File Number, Confirmation number, or Report num...
How to Get Rid of New Sobig.F Virus?
As you know, this time the virus under the name Sobig.F has
wreaked quite havoc! No doubt, many of us have suffered from
this recent virus outbreak.
How To Keep Your Cat Healthy - Your Guide to Cat Diseases and Conditions, and How to Cure Them
Even with the best care, cats can become ill. Sometimes this means a simple "kitty cold," at other times the disease might have a more lasting or even fatal res...
Sense of Place
What is Sense of Place? It's the image of a scene's environment evoked by the writing. The author becomes an artist; the book page is the canvas, sentences and ...
Promoting Your Website
6 Proven Strategies to Promoting Your Website
Motorcycle Loans For Military With Bad Credit
Motorcycle loans for military with bad credit aren't hard to come by. In fact when you start your search for the lender you will find more then an ample supply ...
Las Vegas Theme Weddings
Las Vegas theme weddings are the envy of the world. Nowhere else on planet earth can you find such a dazzling array of choices for a theme wedding. If you can't...
Oh, My Aching Back!
Do wake you up with a stiff back in the morining? Are you afriad to let your drivr rip because your lower back might go out? If so read on and find out how you ...
Inspiration From Other People - Is It Worth Listening To A Film Star?
Other human beings have great and inspiring ideas to teach us but too often we don't bother to listen to them especially if we decide in advance that there is n...
What Does Faith Have To Do With Marketing?
No, this isn't going to be a sermon or anything … don't worry about that! I'm no preacher, so I wouldn't even think of trying; but what I do have is faith in my...
|
Print this page