How to Get Your Business Noticed

by Thousands

 

All the experts kept saying it was a great way to give value,

gain free publicity, and position yourself as an expert.  It

was something I had planned to do for years and I finally did

it for the first time in May, 2005 and I’ve been doing it ever

since.  What is it?  Writing articles.  Don’t be like me and

wait, get started today!

 

OK, I can hear the moans of protest from here, so let me

explain what writing articles can mean for your business and

perhaps you will be willing to give it a shot?  For those of

you who love to write this is your big chance to get started or

to write even more.

 

You don’t need to have a weekly or monthly newsletter in order

to consistently write articles although this is a good way to

make sure that you produce at least one article per month (it

sure keeps me on schedule).

 

Pick a topic you are passionate about, one that allows you to

provide insightful information that will help your clients, and

start writing.  An average length for an article is 500-800

words.  Once you have completed your article ask a friend or

colleague to review it for you and give you feedback.  If

you’re going to take the time to writing something, make sure

it’s the best it can be!

 

There isn’t room in this article to go into all of the details

of how to write, there are plenty of resources out there if you

need help in this area.  The point is that you, as the owner of

your business, know a lot about the problems your clients face

and how you can help solve them.  You have valuable information

that people want and need, so why not give it to them?  Writing

is like any other skill, it takes practice and over time you

will improve and find your own unique voice.

 

So what’s the big deal, what can you do with an article?  I’ll

mention a few here, be creative and don’t limit yourself!

 

1. When you meet people who fit your ideal client profile offer

to send them an article.  No sale, no pitch, just sharing

something that will support them.

 

2. Offer your articles to strategic alliance partners for them

to give to their clients.

 

3. Place your articles on your own website so visitors can see

the value you offer. 

 

4. Once you have several articles you can package them together

and voila, an instant e-book you can give away or sell.

 

5. Finally, a highly leveraged action to take is to place your

articles on the internet where publishers go to find content

for their publications.  This is really simple and it will cost

you nothing.

 

There are different places to submit your articles on the

internet depending on your focus and content.  Here are just

some of the websites where I place my articles:

ezinearticles.com, goarticles.com, articlecity.com,

amazines.com, marketing-seek.com, ideamarketers.com,

articlefinders.com, and businessknowhow.com.

 

To find places where can publish your articles, go to

google.com and type in the keywords ‘article submission.’  You

can also go to http://www.ezau.com/latest/articles/0253.shtml

for a list of article submission websites. 

 

Be sure to include a brief ‘author bio’ with each article you

write and publish (see mine at the end of this article).  This

way, when people read your article they know how to connect

with you in case they want to know more.  Include a “call to

action” in your author bio that invites the reader to take an

action like: sign up for your newsletter, get a free report, or

receive a sample of your product or service.  

 

Because you can allow your article to be re-published without

permission you may not actually know how much exposure you have

received.  To find out where you have been published simply

type the name of your article into Google.com or Kartoo.com.

In some cases you will be contacted for permission even though

it isn’t necessary.  You may also hear from people who want to

thank you for allowing your article to be reprinted.

 

What will sharing your articles do for you?

- Giving people valuable information they can use makes you a

resource and increases the possibility that people will think

of you, and your business, when they have a need.  This is a

way to let people get to know you and start building a

relationship with you.

- You will increase your exposure by publishing your articles

in many places.  Increasing your exposure increases your reach

to potential clients.  Think leverage!

- You position yourself as an expert in your field by writing

about the kinds of problems you solve for your clients.

Everyone wants to work with an expert.

 

These things will all contribute toward the growth of your

business.  Don’t look for results overnight and stay focused on

serving your clients by producing articles that will help them

be successful.

 

Writing is just one of many marketing strategies you can use to

grow your business.  Remember, the most important aspect of any

successful marketing strategy is consistent implementation.  So

please don’t write one article and then decide it doesn’t work

and give up.  If you choose writing as one of your strategies,

stick with it and leverage everything you create!

 

(c) 2005 Stephanie Ward

 

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