Thursday, August 7, 2008

Article Marketing Plan - 7 Steps For Creating an Effective Plan That Will Increase Web Traffic

Article marketing requires a consistent effort to be successful. It's not enough to send out one article a month then expect an increase in visitors to your web site. You need to create an effective marketing plan that fits within your timetable.
Steps for creating an effective article marketing plan
1. Set a goal to write 25 articles within a certain time frame.
If you can write 5 articles a week you will finish 25 articles in 5 weeks. If you write 3 articles a week you can get them finished within 2 months. It's important to set a deadline so you won't end up procrastinating.
2. Write short articles
250 words is the minimum amount to submit to EzineArticles. This makes it quick and easy to stitch a few paragraphs together that provides a solid benefit to your readers. Don't focus on the 250 words but just start writing. Ideas will begin to flow once you begin. Often you'll surpass 250 words by the time you've completed the article.
If you can't convey your thoughts inside 250 words and need to write more, split the content into into 2 or more articles. Other article directories (besides EzineArticles) require longer articles of 500 or 750 words. In this case you can combine several of your short articles.
3. Focus on one tip then expand upon it
Create an attention-grabbing headline then expand upon it in the article body so that it keeps your reader's attention. Create a smooth transition to your resource box where you provide the call to action and a link to your web site. Use your main keywords in the title, body and anchor text.
4. Submit your article to specialized publications
After submitting to EzineArticles send your article to ezine publishers that cater to your subject. You can find them by entering your main keyword + ezines in the Google search box.
5. Repurpose your content
If you have the time, repurpose your content by creating a video or audio and submitting it to video and audio sharing sites. This gets your content seen by more people and ultimately drives more traffic to your web site.
6. Consistent effort pays big dividends
Don't stop once you've reached your goal of 25 articles. Set up a new goal...perhaps 250 articles. Set another deadline when you will achieve this. Remember consistency is the key to article marketing success. Every time you submit an article it will work for you by sending visitors to your site for many years. Increasing your article volume means attracting more visitors.
7. Monitor your visitors
Make a note of when you started your article marketing plan by observing your web site statistics. Observe how many visitors you were getting in the beginning then how many you are receiving at the end of your deadline.
Tip
You will become more proficient as you write more articles because "practice makes perfect". Some web site owners pay big bucks to have copy written for them that converts visitors into buyers. Writing lots of articles gives you the added benefit of becoming a great copy writer.

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