My Ultimate Article Marketing Strategy
Article marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to market yourself on the Internet. It’s a great way to build your credibility, attract prospects, generate leads, and drive traffic to your blog or website.
Leverage is what makes article marketing such an effective marketing tool. Using this technique–and the strategy I’ve outlined here–you’ll be able to leverage your content in a number of different ways. And you’ll be able to leverage your time and/or your money to achieve massive results.
This strategy will help you reap all the benefits of article marketing.
The Power of One Forum Post
If you ever hesitated about asking a question in a forum post or about posting a helpful response in a forum, don’t. Your question or someone’s answer could change a life — yours.
Network Marketing Tip: Master Copywriting and Maximize Your Results
The top earners in network marketing are masters of copywriting.
That may surprise some. So consider this: In other industries copywriters are very highly paid. Their work determines how goods and services are seen, how and what people think about them, and, ultimately, whether people buy them.
Same with network marketing. Your copywriting capabilities will go a long way to attracting prospects to you and determining your level of success.
This isn’t to suggest that you need to be the best copywriter in the world to produce great results, just that your time spent mastering copywriting skills is time very well spent.
6 Ways to Generate Leads for Free
Yesterday, I asked the question "what is a lead?" And I came up with a broad definition that went like this: A lead is someone who has taken some form of action toward you or what you’re offering.
Further, the goal of an Attraction Marketer in each and every interaction is to move that person one step closer to what they’re offering.
That, of course, begs the question: Where does one go in search of leads? Answer: Go where the people are.
Here are 6 ways you can generate leads by meeting people where they already are– for free and without even having your own website:
Article Marketing
Writing articles on your subject area is a smart way to attract leads to you. It establishes your credentials in a particular area and it extends your reach to a range of ezines and publications around the Net. I use both EzineArticles and Article Marketer in my article marketing efforts.
Content Communities
Both HubPages and Squidoo offer online tools that enable you to post content — articles, photos, video — and interact with a community of lensers (Squidoo) or hubbers (HubPages). A great way to blend content creation and community.
Click here for a two-part video tutorial by Mike Klingler on Generating Leads from Squidoo Lenses.
Forum Posting
A very popular method of establishing your "street cred" in a particular subject area is to post useful information in forums. It’s not without it’s drawbacks. Some communities can be unforgiving, so if you make a fool of yourself once (say, by shamelessly promoting your business or affiliate links), you may not be taken seriously again. Who can blame them? On the other hand, I can attest that it does work. A fellow marketer once gave me some game-changing advice. And, now I remain a big fan.
Video Marketing
Yes, you can be just like the people you see on TV. In fact, on YouTube, you can have your very own channel all to yourself. Seriously, video is a powerful way to establish yourself, your brand, your message. People can get to know you and respond to your personality, beyond just a picture.
The increasingly popular microblogging service is as immediate and intimate as it is overwhelming and addictive. Twitter is perfect for the short-and-sweet communication. And for adding value to people with common interests. New to Twitter or have yet to send your first tweet? This article — Newbie’s guide to Twitter — gives you what you need to get started.
Yes, believe it or not, amid the high school friends you haven’t thought of in years and the goofy friends who keep sending you those wacky gifts, there’s a huge opportunity to develop meaningful relationships and, yes, leads for your business. Groups, Fan Pages, and other Facebook applications offer a wide range of ways to meet and stay connected to people who share your interests.
Wishing You the Best,
Ben Mapp
<<– Back to "What You Need to Know About Generating Leads"
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Keep It Real: Your Credibility & Ways to Improve It
The first key to Attraction Marketing is establishing yourself as a believable source of information. Whether your intention is to sell your own products, refer people to affiliate products, or sign up in your MLM downline, your credibility is critical. It’s your calling card.
As an Attraction Marketer, you want people to see you as a leader, someone who can solve their problems. If people don’t think you’re believable, they won’t become or stay attracted to you. If they’re not attracted to you, they won’t trust you. And if they don’t trust you, they won’t do business with you.
Just how believable are you? And how do you improve what Ann Sieg calls in "The Attraction Marketer’s Manifesto," your "Credibility Ranking"?
Where to Start
Start by asking yourself "What do I bring to the table that is new and unique?" There are lots of marketers on the Web competing for prospects and leads, why should they go to you? Or, in business terms, What’s your value proposition?
Once you’ve figured that out, let people know, tell your story in the profiles you post on the web. And always keep in mind: be yourself. If you’re a single mom who’s balancing a job, family, and a part-time business, tell people that. If you’re a business person who’s leveraging your offline skills to develop an online business, tell people that.
The point is to keep it real. Your authenticity is what will initially attract people to you — either because they are just like you or because they can relate to you.
Your "Credibility Ranking" basically refers to how believable you are in the eyes of potential prospects. I’m not sure it can be measured objectively. It’s more like a quality that’s very obvious when it’s there and very apparent when it’s not.
Ways to Build Credibility
To build your Credibility Ranking, you’ll need to put yourself in places on the web that people can easily find you, be attracted to who you are, and view you as someone who knows what they’re talking about. Visibility builds credibility.
Here are a few free ways you can use to improve your credibility and attract potential prospects to you. You don’t even need to have your own website.
- Article Marketing: Write articles on subjects you’re passionate and knowledgeable about, include your author’s bio with your own link, and post them on a high-traffic article distributor like EzineArticles. Ezine publishers can pick up your articles and publish them in their ezines. Great exposure.
- Forum Posting: Contribute comments or questions to online forums. Be helpful or insightful. Focus on adding value to the conversation rather than selling yourself. People will be attracted to you (or not) based on how you conduct yourself. Remember: keep it real.
- Squidoo Lenses: Create lenses on Squidoo.com focusing on topics in your area of interest. This popular site offers very easy-to-follow online tools that anyone — non-technical or otherwise — can use to make their own webpages. Increases your visibility.
What It Takes
Building your Credibility Ranking will take more than just a compelling story and some well-placed web profiles. More than anything, it’ll take time. Cultivating the trust of your readers and prospects is an ongoing process and crucial to your success. Truth is, you’re never really done creating it. There will always be more to go
Find out more on establishing and improving your "Credibility Ranking," check out Ann Sieg’s free ebook "The Attraction Marketer’s Manifesto."
Wishing You the Best,
Ben Mapp
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