Just What The Heck Is Article Marketing, Anyway?
Article marketing is a valuable method of getting traffic to your website. In case you’re not familiar with it, article marketing is basically the process of writing articles and submitting them, along with links back to your website, to article reprint directories on the internet.
You’re probably quite aware of the value of having fresh content on your website and blog. Many people who own websites visit article reprint directories on a regular basis to get new content for their sites.
When you submit your article to these directories, you’re giving permission for other people to use your article on their site - for free. The catch is, they have to include an “about the author” section at the end of each article they use. This can include information about your website and links back to it.
When your article gets used on someone’s website, everyone who reads the article sees your author bio and the links back to your website. A good article can wind up on hundreds of websites, where many people can read it. And how many of those people could click your link and visit your website?
These article directories are easy to find. Just do a Google search for free article directories and you’ll find a bunch. Some of them are specific to certain topics, while others will accept articles on almost any subject. You can submit your article to multiple directories and you can even get software that will automate the process for you.
You have virtually unlimited topics to write about. What is your website about? Get creative in thinking up topics. If someone would want to visit your website to learn something, write an article about that.
For example, if you sell Tupperware you could write an article about food related topics or even about the fact that you can use those plastic containers for organizing toys, bathroom items or even screws and bolts in the garage.
If you don’t like writing, it’s not the end of the world. You can hire ghostwriters to write the articles for you, for anywhere from $5 to $20 for a 500 word article. Once you give the ghostwriter the topic and any keywords you want to target, they’ll do all the writing for you. And some will even do the submission to the article directories so you can spend your time on other tasks.
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Craigslist Marketing Gone Wild And How to Tame It
Craigslist marketing has become increasingly popular in recent years and is an sure-fire way to drive traffic and gain exposure for your business. Many people are making significant full-time incomes from Craigslist alone. You must really know the strategies it takes to join the crowd of top earners though.
Slinging a few ad posts up and striking gold is a thing of the past. Most people give up after a couple ineffective, non responsive posts and call it quits. Hard work with nothing to show for it is tough for even the most seasoned marketer let alone a newcomer.
The best and brightest marketers stay on top of their game by altering and testing their campaigns until it becomes a science. If you think they have information you don’t, you’re right. Let me share a few things that separate the big dogs from the newbies.
1. Make sue you aren’t priced out of the market. Too many times I see new marketers come in and try to sell a product for more than market value. Present your product at a competitive price and give incentives or specials to make your visitors take immediate action.
2. Add an image to your ad post. Not adding and image to your ad will diminish the perceived value of your product or service. People are visual and want to see something before they purchase. If you are using a website, make your image clickable so your reader can go right to your sales page.
3. Give a compelling description of your product. The more creative and compelling the description the better chance you have of making a sale. You only have a few seconds to grab their attention and make your case so make every word count.
Although the competition is fierce, the rewards of Craigslist marketing are undeniable. Ask anyone that has had success on Craigslist and they will tell you undoubtedly. M personal experience has been favorable due to the additional knowledge I picked up along the way.
If you have not had success on Craigslist I encourage you to get educated. With the proper research, training and repetition you can become a seasoned marketer and start making consistent sales.
Finally, never, ever give up! Once you have obtained the knowledge and necessary skills to master Craigslist, the sky is the limit and you can literally use this marketing method to print money at will.
How to Choose the Optimal Platform for your Blog
I can’t think of a more common concern or question among both novice and veteran bloggers alike: which blogging platform should I pick? Aside from learning how to blog, it’s an almost universal concern.
And there is no stock answer. All bloggers NEED to own their URLs, but platform choice is mainly dependent on the individual blogger’s requirements. With that stated, I’ve compiled a list of pros and cons of the two primary platform choices below.
Hosted Platforms
Hosted platforms refer to services whereby a service provider gives you access to their network connection, hardware, and software, and you register a blogging account to use on their service. With a hosted blog, you have access to a control panel for your blog, and nothing else.
Typical hosted platforms include solutions like Blogger, TypePad, and LiveJournal.
Advantages of Hosted Platforms
1. Economical: many are free; others (like TypePad) are offered with multiple price points
2. Easy to get started: just signup for an account and then quickly learn how to create blog posts
3. Automatic updates: you don’t have to worry about keeping hosted software up-to-date and patched.
Disadvantages of Hosted Platforms
1. Rigid: there are fewer configuration choices with hosted platforms.
2. Fewer design options: you usually only get to select from a limited number of mediocre designs, and you often can’t make improvements to them
3. Generic URL: some hosted platforms don’t offer the option to use your own URL
4. Less control: you are at the mercy of the platform
5. Migration issues: migrating from some free hosted platforms results in a lot of effort and often the temporary loss of search engine rankings
Self-hosted Platforms
Self-hosted platforms consist of a web hosting account you establish with a host, and the blogging software you install on the host’s server. With a self-hosted blog, you have access to a management panel for your blog, but you also have access to a server account and the blog software where you can do nigh anything.
Commonly-used self-hosted software includes Movable Type, Joomla, and WordPress.
Advantages of Self-hosted Platforms
1. Design flexibility: you have full control over layout and design
2. Great software: the best software exists on self-hosted platforms
3. Custom URL: custom URL’s are common on self-hosted platforms
4. Adaptability: your blog can change as your needs change
5. Easy migration: if you ever want to migrate to a different platform or another server, migrating is a snap
Disadvantages of Self-hosted Platforms
1. Difficult setup: setup can sometimes be difficult, but this can be overcome with a good blogs how to
2. Cost: while the blogging software is free, the hosting platform will cost you money
3. Hosting issues: unless you choose a good host, you might have to suffer from down-time or poor support
4. Upgrades: you will need to keep your software patched
Most of of my blogs are self-hosted, and it’s what I generally advise anyone looking to create a professional blog. There are too many benefits to pass up, and you usually have the ability to host many domains and blogs on just one account, lowering the cost per blog down to a small amount.
