How to Market with Ezine Articles
© 2004 Charlie Page
------------------------------------------------------------
Of all the ways that people have invented to sell things
over the Internet, writing free articles to run in ezines is
perhaps the most effective. One great thing about this
method of marketing is that you can do it with NO money. So
if you are just starting your Internet marketing career, put
away the Visa and warm up that keyboard!
Article marketing may be the perfect way to market. It's
free to do. It educates prospects. It gets your message in
front of thousands of interested prospects you would NEVER
reach otherwise. It's viral. Best of all ... it works!
So what is "article marketing" and how can it impact your
world? Glad you asked. ;)
What we call "article marketing" is simply writing
informative articles and having those articles run in
ezines. If that sounds hard, it's not. Let's run the numbers
for a moment.
There are over 300,000 ezines out there. Estimates say that
over 90% of them use free articles in their ezines. That
means there is a HUGE market for your articles, no matter
what you want to write about.
We like to say it this way. From cat food to Katmandu,
there's an ezine out there for everyone. You included.
=====> The Big Picture
The first step is to understand the goal of article
marketing. The goal is to write an informative article and
have it run in as many TARGETED ezines as possible. When
people read the article they see your resource box at the
end of the article, click to your website and buy your
stuff. They learn something, you make money. Simple.
Notice the emphasis on targeted? Please, please, whatever
you do, do not waste an editors time with articles that they
don't need. One of the greatest things about the Directory
of Ezines is that you can use it to find the perfect ezines
for your articles ... fast. Use the DOE, but never spam
editors with articles they can't use.
=====> How to Write the Article
You want to write an informative article about something you
know. Once you chose your subject, here's the magic formula
for writing the article. Five easy steps.
1. Be yourself. Don't try to write like anyone else. Let
your personality shine through.
2. Tell a story. People love to hear an interesting story.
3. Limit yourself to 600 words. This is an ideal length for
most ezines. Format your article to 65 characters per
line with a hard return at the end of each line.
4. Have a clear opening, make three or five points it the
middle, and have a brief conclusion.
5. THIS IS THE BIG ONE. Give the reader a few steps he
or she can take to make your idea work for them. Tell
them what to do first, second, third to accomplish the
task you are writing about.
If the reader can take ACTION based on what you wrote (just
like you can now apply this formula to your writing) you
will have delivered valuable information to them. Do that
and, hopefully, they will keep reading your stuff! ;)
=====> How to Find the Right Ezines
The absolute, 100% effective, surefire way to do this is to
use the Directory of Ezines. Sorry, couldn't resist. ;)
Look for ezines that have these three things. First, the
ezine content matches your article content. Second, the
ezine accepts articles. Third, the reader is someone who
would be a good customer for you. Once you nail down those
basics you have found the perfect market for your articles.
=====> How to Approach the Editor
The BEST way to approach an editor is this.
1. Subscribe to the ezine.
2. Read a few issues.
3. Write a personal note commenting on what you enjoyed
about the issues you read.
4. Offer your article as one that might fit in.
5. Ask to be informed if your article is run.
6. Thank them for their time.
7. Be available if they have questions.
If an editor chooses your article, the odds are they will
run your articles in the future as well. Stay in touch and
you can develop close relationships with literally hundreds
of editors. Remember that each editor represents thousands
of readers that you may never reach any other way. Also
remember that the editor is a busy person. Keep your email
brief.
=====> How to Maximize Your Return on Time Invested
Include a "resource box" at the end of the article. A
resource box is where you sell the reader on going to your
website, subscribing to your ezine, or taking any other
action you want them to take.
Marketing with ezine articles is truly a win-win-win
proposition. The publisher wins because he or she gets
great free articles. The reader wins because your article is
informative and tells them how to accomplish an important
task as easy as 1,2,3. You win because hundreds of thousands
of readers see your selling message at the end of your
article.
All of this with no out-of-pocket costs. Now THAT'S a
beautiful thing!
************************************************************
Charlie Page owns the Directory of Ezines. Visit him on the
web today at http://www.directoryofezines.com