Article Marketing is rewarding but it requires preparation and commitment to stay on track.

Prepare your article marketing roadmap as you would plan a business trip. With a solid framework, you’ll get a clear sense of direction and purpose. Your time will be productive, reaching your target market and achieving your business goals.

Your article marketing roadmap is not set in concrete. As with any other maps, you have flexibility. At any time, you can venture in other directions and take advantage of opportunities too good to miss but refer regularly to your roadmap and come be back to the main road.

Here’s what to include in your article marketing roadmap:
 

Planning Ahead

Objectives

Identify the reasons why you want to write articles to promote your business e.g. drive traffic to your website, build your credibility, sell your products, etc…

Goal setting

Write down your timeframe and desired outcome e.g. “By (date)….I’ll have written (x number of) articles”.

Target market

Know your market:

• Who are they?
• What do they read?
• What are their needs, wants and desires?
• Where do they read information on the internet?
• What’s their preferred reading style? (academic or conversational style)
• What type of articles do they prefer? (format, check our templates)

Preparation

• Start your swipe file: collect snippets of headlines, phrases or whole articles.
• Keep an ideas log.
• Gather sources of information to keep up with trends.

On the Road: Production & Promotion

 Article Submission

• Where will you promote your articles? (e.g. article directories, blogs, professional associations’ websites, social networks, etc.)
• Article Submission aids: How will you promote your article? Will you use submission software or an online article submission service?
   

 Looking Back: Evaluation

Statistics

 Statistics from your site and from article directories provides objective feedback to improve your article marketing results. Study them.

• What are your most read articles?
• Are people clicking on the links in your Resource Box?

As you become an expert article marketer, remember to keep an eye on your article marketing roadmap. And yes, you can revise your plans from time to time because you found a shorter route to reach your destination. Bon voyage!

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Would you like to reproduce a colour that you like on another website?

Simply point to the colour and Pixie, a colour spy, will tell you the RGB, hex, HTML, CMYK and HSV values of the colour.

You can then use these values to reproduce the colour in your favourite programs (however, be careful not to infringe copyrights).

A dream tool for creating your colour scheme.

Pixie is free to download.

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Have you been looking forward to open a new or a bookmarked web page just to find out that “The Page cannot be found”? How frustrating this is!

The good news is that 150 billion web pages have been archived since 1996 and you can access those archives with the WayBack Machine.

And it’s easy to use.

Just enter the web address of a site or a page and the search results will display archived pages, if available.

Not all web pages are archived. But you may be lucky and find the one you’re looking for!

WayBack Machine is free to use.

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Articles can be likened to people. Some articles…

• Don’t pass the 10-second test. You’re simply not interested to read them.

• Give a first good impression but after a few lines, you have enough of them.

• Resonate with you. The connection is instant and you want to read more and more.

Articles mirror your personality and professionalism. What impression do you make on people?

Fortunately, you can improve your articles easily. Here’s how:

1.  Engage the reader with ‘YOU’.

Use sparingly ‘I’ and ‘Us’. Only refer to you when it makes a difference to the understanding of the article.

2.  Be concise.

Cut redundant expressions. Demonstrate that you respect your reader’s time by going straight to the point.

3.  Liven up your articles.

Add stories or quotes that carry authority. Chances are, readers will remember your message because of your analogies and quotes.

4.  Demonstrate with examples, facts and figures.

For example, how big is big? Big as an elephant or a bear? Does it weight 100 kg or 1,000 kg? Is the ratio 90% or 10%? Adding examples will help the reader visualise and retain information.

5.  Be personal.

Connect with your readers by sharing something about yourself. Admit your flaws; people relate to the not-so-perfect writer e.g. “I’m a procrastinator in remission”.

6.  Create a friendly rapport.

Use a conversational writing style with short sentences and short paragraphs with no more than 5 lines. Chat with your reader as you would with a friend sitting across from you.

7.  Cover topics relevant to your target market’s needs, not yours.

It can be tempting to write about what you’re passionate about but article marketing is about business, not indulgence.

8.  Proofread to avoid typos and obvious grammar mistakes.

Bear in mind that spelling checks do not pick words out of context e.g. ‘write track’ or ‘right track’. Some mistakes can confuse and slow down the reading flow.

9.  Be consistent.

Avoid calling a product by different names. For example, you’re writing about a ‘course’ and then introduce words such as ‘workshop’, ‘training’ or ‘e-course’. The reader now questions if you’re always referring to the same ‘course’ or these are all different products.

10. Give always your best.

Don’t hold back and save your best ideas. First impressions count. You might never have a second chance.

What type of articles do you write? Will you pass the 10-second test and develop a long-term relationship with your reader?

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Writer’s Block is crippling. All your best writing intentions can disappear when facing a blank page. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, here are sources of inspiration.

As you research, jot down notes so you’ll never need to start from scratch and face the dreaded blank page again.

1. Repurpose your existing material. Convert your promotional brochures, workbooks, audios, DVD into interesting articles to promote your business. Give it a new lease of life with a different twist, approach or angle e.g. local versus global.
    
2. Dig in your knowledge and experience. You can explain a step-by-step technique or write about a solution to a common problem your clients have experienced.
    
3. Keep a log of all the questions that pop to your mind and remain unanswered. Chances are, other people would like those answers too. Share your information in an article when you find the answer. For example, “How can I write articles faster?” could produce an article ‘Three Strategies to Write Articles Faster’?
    
4. Browse shelves of libraries and bookstores. They are a source of topics that publishers have researched for you. They publish only books they believe will sell. Don’t they?
    
5. View TV and videos to get your creative juices flowing.
    
6. Check your inbox for feedback and queries from potential or existing clients. Their unsolicited input will guide you on your choice of articles to write. Give them what they want.
    
7. Survey clients, colleagues or social media group members to gather information about their areas of interest and concerns.
    
8. Observe people. Real life examples will liven up your articles with material that resonate with readers. What a good excuse to justify ‘people watching’ next time you’re sipping a cup of coffee at Gloria Jean’s or Starbucks.
    
9. Search blogs, forums, discussion boards, LinkedIn Q&A, Google groups to identify issues, problems and solutions that people in your target market are discussing.
    
10. Review books and products. You can also review the reviews.
     
11. Interview top people in your field. Readers will welcome valuable professional insights.
     
12. Check Amazon’s best sellers list. Study readers’ reviews to find their likes and dislikes. Armed with this knowledge, you can create popular articles.
     
13. Check eBay Pulse http://pulse.ebay.com for a daily snapshot of current trends and hot picks. It also shows popular eBay searches, stores and products.
     
14. Look at the affiliate marketplaces such as Clickbank.com http://www.clickbank.com and CommissionJunction.com http://www.cj.com for products to review and earn an affiliate commission with any sale generated from your review.
     
15. Read Yahoo answers and ‘Ask the Expert’ columns. Great material for ‘how to’ articles.
     
16. Read actuality e.g. popular magazines, newspapers and media releases for topical information that will prompt new ideas.
     
17. Follow conversations on social network sites e.g. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for trendy topics.

Read, read, read… online and offline, from junk publication to more serious books to trigger new ideas and get your creative juices flowing.

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I flirted with the idea of hiring a ghostwriter to write articles. As many internet marketers employ writers to boost their productivity, I couldn’t resist trying their prolific source of cheap articles. What if I could save time and effort?

Hiring a Ghostwriter Process

So, I went to Elance.com, a marketplace for ghostwriters, and posted my project:

“I’m looking for a ghostwriter to write 5 articles of around 500 words or more + short version of the same article of 100 words or less (short version needs to stand alone).”

The full project description contained specifications about the target market, the purpose of the articles, terms and conditions and samples of my writing style to match.

I received 5 proposals ranging from $60 to $600. I chose a $60 proposal not just because of price but because of the ghostwriter’s highest number of repeat clients and feedback score, 4.6 out 5, based on 24 reviews.

The Ghostwriter’s Proposal

Four days after granting the contract, I received the five articles as per the agreement.

Here’s the first paragraph of the article titled ‘Testing: It’s Importance’.

“It is very important to test the new ideas you have for your business, especially when it comes to assessing the market for the new ideas and appropriating price points for the same. There are suitable online testing tools for the effectiveness of your business website, which help to ascertain how successful your service delivery methods over the internet are, as well as help you test new approaches to your market.“

The rest of the article was very much repeating this introduction.
 

Was the article worth $12?

Yes, if the sole purpose of the article is to be published on article directories?

No, if the purpose of the article is to draw potential clients to your website and get reputable web publishers reproduce your article on their website, blog or email newsletters.

Definitely No, if you want to build an online profile as THE expert in your field.
 

But, what’s wrong about the quality of this article?

1. Wishy washy: The Ghostwriter is jumping from an idea to another. Is this article about market research, website or internet marketing? This usually happen when people submit their first draft without editing their thoughts. The article reflects an unclear mind who hastily string words together.
    
2. Nothing new: The Ghostwriter rambles about the obvious. There’s no reason or incentive to read further than this weak introduction.
    
3. Lack of editing:

• Wordy: Less is best e.g. ’ideas you have for your business’ can be replaced by ‘business ideas’.

• Jargon: What does ‘appropriating price points for the same’ means?

• Redundancy: Why use ‘suitable’ in ‘suitable online testing tools’? Would anyone want to use an unsuitable tool?

Overall, this article would waste busy internet readers’ time and to associate your name with it could only damage your reputation.

Needless to say, I couldn’t put my name to those gibberish articles.

Conclusion

Ghostwriters’ pay is based on word count and many unscrupulous internet ghostwriters are taking advantage of the article marketing frenzy to offer wordy articles.

Nonetheless, there are highly paid professional ghostwriters writing for well-regarded community members and speakers.

Hiring a ghostwriter is pot luck. Will you save time and money? I didn’t but I enjoyed the process that I can share with you.

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As soon as you promote yourself or your products, you’re labelled a ‘Spammer’ and people run away from you as if you had a contagious disease. So, what can you do?

Here’s a simple process that will draw self-qualified leads and eliminate the useless chase of people who don’t need or want your products and services.

I’ve learned this method of winning people without being pushy from my Mother.

As a child, whenever I was introduced to female family friends or relatives, I was greeted with a forceful hug and kisses that would leave a sticky red lipstick imprint on my cheeks. Yuk! I hated those unwelcome cuddles from those tall strangers.

On the other hand, my Mother when meeting with young children would start a friendly chat and would give a helping hand when possible. In no time, children would develop a real bond with her, ready to follow her and volunteering genuine cuddles.

Here’s how the same process works on the web:

Step 1: Give and build a sought-after reputation.

• Contribute to the online community: To demonstrate your expertise, answer questions on Yahoo! Answers and actively participate in discussions of relevant forums and social media groups e.g. LinkedIn.  

• Blog: Cover issues relevant to your target market’s needs, adding your view and insightful comments.

• Write content-rich articles: Share your information with your niche market. If you run out of new ideas, simply become a reporter; aggregate and sieve information, capture the essential and share your results.

 At this stage, don’t try to sell. Give away your knowledge to gain credibility and trustworthiness.

Step 2: Stand back and let your audience take action.

As you build your reputation and develop relationships, people become inquisitive. At their own pace, they’ll click on your signature to uncover the Expert and on your promo links to discover how they could benefit from your knowledge and experience.

Step 3: Offer paid information to self-qualified leads.

By now, you’ve earned the rights to promote your products and services. The readers have initiated all the moves, reading your information and clicking on your links. They’ve become followers and self-qualified leads, receptive to your offerings.

Offer products and services as an advanced continuation of your free information sharing. Supporters will welcome the opportunity to step up their learning with ‘Insider Secrets’, ‘Exclusive Report’ and ‘Proven Fast-track Programs’. 

Suggestions to save time and make your efforts long lasting:

• Write ‘evergreen’ content: Avoid jargon that will restrict the size of your audience and trendy or seasonal topics that will shorten the life expectancy of your content. 

• Systemize with Viral Marketing: Let word-of-mouse propagate your information through existing networks e.g. friends and colleagues. When possible, add ‘Email to your Friend’ and ‘Tweet’ buttons.

• Use Article Marketing: Let web publishers reproduce your articles in their article directories, blogs and websites. This way, you can gain exposure to markets normally too difficult or expensive to reach.

Forget proactive strategies such as spamming, bragging and cold calling and let people come to you. Walk the red carpet instead of being rejected as a pestering hawker promoting its products and services. 

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In this highly competitive online marketplace, it can be difficult to persuade customers to buy from you when you offer a similar product to your opposition but with a higher price tag.

And trying to beat competitors on price alone is a cut-throat business, very risky and not recommended. It attracts bargain hunters ready to defect to competitors for a better deal.

Using a value-pricing strategy is a better proposition because it attracts loyal customers.

• Why do customers buy designer-labelled clothes and luxury cars?
• Why are those items more expensive when they don’t cost so much more to make?

The answer lies in the perceived value. Value is not an inherent attribute of the product but it commands a higher price.

Customers do not buy features and benefits, they buy VALUE.

Value is subjective.

Value is a benefit but a benefit is not necessarily of value to all customers.

For example, a vendor offers free installation and free updates for his software.

Customer-A considers “free installation” as “value”’ because he has no technical knowledge and this will save him time and effort.

Customer-B rates the free installation as “nice to have” but the drawcard or “value” is the free updates that will save him money in the long run.

Customers do not assign value to the same benefits.
 

Value-pricing Concepts

Behind value-pricing strategies there are a few important concepts:

• Customers are value conscious rather than price conscious e.g. some customers will pay extra for prompt delivery.

• Customers assign a personal value to a product or service e.g. a teenager is willing to pay a premium price for a concert performed by his idol.

• The selling price is based on customers’ perceived value rather than on the vendor’s costs e.g. an ebook costs less to produce than a paperback but readers will pay more for it because of the value placed on format and instant delivery.When customers evaluate competing products, they are usually comparing value.

To increase the value of your products, you can either add benefits or reduce the perceived risk factors rather than resorting to reducing your price.

Adding benefits

Value-added benefits do not replace comprehensive product information but are complimentary strategies to help converting website visitors into customers and giving you the competitive edge.

Try these value-pricing strategies:

• Special packaging e.g. recyclable containers, gift wrapping with card
   
• Package deals (for convenience) e.g. bundles, “all inclusive” value pack
   
• Fulfilment options e.g. “white glove” delivery service, instant download
   
• Payment options e.g. monthly and yearly plans
   
• Free training material e.g. online manual, video, audio
   
• Personalised service e.g. “I oversee each account”
   
• Free product updates or refreshers (for courses)
   
• Bonus offers
   
• Certification e.g. licence, training certificate
   

Reducing perceived risks

For new customers, there is always an element of risk in purchasing from a new vendor, especially over the internet.

These are examples of value-pricing strategies to boost confidence and credibility:

• A professionally designed website
   
• Free trials or samples
   
• Extended warranty option
   
• Free after-sales service
   
• Your credentials, length of time in business, list of important clients
   
• Guarantees of satisfaction “100% satisfaction guarantee”
   
• User-friendly privacy, security and refund policies
   
• Testimonials, endorsements, reviews
   
• Easy access with contact options e.g. toll free number, chat live

Naturally, everyone loves value for money but does not necessarily want the cheapest option.

What value do customers perceive in your product and how much are they willing to pay?

Value comes at a price!

Next time you consider reducing your selling price, think value.

“We’re not the cheapest but…we offer value.”

For any business, pricing is a critical element of the marketing mix not only for survival but for growth. For further reading, I highly recommend the Pricing Psychology Report by Marlene Jensen. Read the ebook review

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The Personality Compass Type Instrument (PCTI), developed by Diane Turner and Thelma Greco, is one of the new generation profiling tools based on scientific evidence.

PCTI uses the analogy of the Compass and the four universally accepted North, South, East and West world cultures to illustrate the fundamental personality types.

For example the ‘North’ personality type is associated with people living in the North who are collectively recognised for their skills required to survive in a cold and harsh climate e.g. strength and ability to overcome adversity with confidence and speed.

PCTI rejects stereotyping personalities and emphasizes that each personality is a full compass with different degrees of dominance. The metaphor with the compass highlights the concept of direction instead of a static representation of personality types.

No doubt, there are many excellent personality profiling instruments available but here’s where PCTI differs:

1. The terminology is universally understood. 

People understand language and concepts such as:

- compass
- directions: north, south, east and west
- characteristics associated with the four cultural poles. 

No misinterpretation: Unlike terminologies used in other profiling instruments, it is not subject to misinterpretation. Ask people ‘Where is North?” and they’ll all point to the same direction on a map.

Speed: There’s no wasted time explaining terminology and concepts already understood. So participants can quickly grasp the model and start implementing changes to their personal or business lives. 

2.   The imagery makes it memorable. 

It’s easier to imagine and remember a compass with four poles than an acronym or unfamiliar word descriptors. The spinning of the compass also illustrates the concepts of directions and change and rejects typecasting, which is inappropriate for complex human beings.

 3. The classification is non-judgmental. 

To be “North-West” is non-confrontational compared to labels such as ‘dominance’ or ‘compliance’ as used by other profiling tools. For example, in a meeting, you can easily say to a colleague “you need to go North” or “you need to go East” to move a discussion towards another direction without offending that person. It can become a code word to align people in a meeting or remind them to consider other options or directions.

 4. The results are easy to explain and remember. 

The analogy with the compass makes it easy for a Professional to explain profiling test results to a client. On the receiving end, the client is not overwhelmed with jargon and the imagery makes it easy to visualize and remember results.

PCTI can be used in conjunction with other profiling instruments or as a stand alone. It is especially useful if you’re looking for a user-friendly scientifically based assessment tool that is quick and easy to learn and use.

Simplicity and ease of use could best describe the Personality Compass Type Instrument.

For more information:
Australian PCTI Certification Program

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SatelliteDirect is the trademark name of a software that enables you to view live TV on your computer.

 At times, I miss my French culture living in Australia. So when I saw the SatelliteDirect advertisement, I felt a mixture of excitement, disbelief and skepticism.

I was excited at the prospect of viewing TV programs, films and music videos from so many French-speaking countries from all over the world.

I was also skeptical. Could I really view 3,500 channels? Could it really replace Foxtel at that price?

Usually when it looks too good to be true, it’s usually is!

But curiosity took over…I paid my $49.95. For the price of an imported DVD, I couldn’t resist this lifetime Satellite Live TV offer.

After testing SatelliteDirect on my PC, here’s what I think…

Pro’s

• Low-cost : One single payment of $49.95 with no monthly fees, no updates charges or hidden costs.
• Easy instant download: No waiting time and no technician skills required to install.
• User-friendly layout: Easy no-brainer design.
• Portable: No extra hardware required e.g. satellite dish or cable. You can view SatelliteDirect channels from anywhere so long you have a computer with internet connection e.g. sitting in the garden, airport or coffee shop.

Con’s

SatelliteDirect boasts 3,500 channels but the reality is not all channels are worth viewing for these reasons:

• Slow streaming of some channels.
• Local information of limited interest.
• Foreign language - how many languages do you understand?

My Conclusion

Don’t expect SatelliteDirect to replace Foxtel like the advert claims, it doesn’t. Consider it a complementary service not an alternative.

You’ll definitely have your money’s worth if you want to:

• Discover new music, TV programs and films. Not all channels have slow streaming. Here are Strategies to stop slow streaming videos.
• Familiarise yourself with the culture and events of a country you’re about to visit.
• Learn a new language…get the local intonation.
• Tap into an endless source of writing and speech material: include anecdotes, case studies and facts to liven up an article or speech and give it a global village twist.

Best part…it only takes five minutes to become an arm-chaired traveler and instantly connect to the rest of the world.

More information

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