» Article Marketing Tips http://www.critiqueratings.com Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:18:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 5 Creative Ways to Re-Use Your Articles http://www.critiqueratings.com/article-marketing-tips/creative-ways-to-re-use-your-articles http://www.critiqueratings.com/article-marketing-tips/creative-ways-to-re-use-your-articles#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 07:36:39 +0000 admin http://www.critiqueratings.com/?p=77 The longer you work on article marketing, the more articles you’re going to have stored on your hard drive – and eventually you’ll wonder, “What on earth can I do with all these articles?”  Sadly, many marketers use the articles just once and then let them gather dust.  What a huge waste of resources!  Below are some easy ideas for putting your dusty old articles to great use:

Mass Distribute Your Articles

If you have submitted your articles to only one or two directories you aren’t using them to their fullest potential.  Why not invest in an article distribution service, or purchase software that will distribute them to hundreds of other directories on the internet?  You can even spin (or rewrite) the articles so you are distributing unique versions of every article.

Compile a Free Report

Have you ever considered that people who read one of your articles online may not have seen your other articles too?  You can collect your very best articles and put them all together into a PDF report that you can then give away to your subscribers, or include it as a free bonus for one of your products. 

Create a Free E-Course

If you have a series of articles on the same subject that could be used as installments for an e-course, you can set them up in an autoresponder and use the “e-course” to help promote your products or other affiliate offers.  This same e-course can be used as a free gift for people who subscribe to your list, or as a “hook” to mention in your author bio boxes for article marketing.

Convert Your Articles into Other Media

Articles don’t have to be used only as text documents; you can also turn them into audio and video.  Record your articles into audio “pod casts” and submit them to the top pod cast directories.  Create informative “videos” out of your best articles using software like Camtasia.  Then submit those articles to video sharing sites to help drive even more traffic to your website.

Create Niche Blogs

Just because your articles have been published in directories and used for other purposes doesn’t mean you can’t use them to create a high-quality niche blog.  Use WordPress or Blogger to create a blog based on a specific keyword phrase that is slightly different than the ones you used for your main website.  Add 10-20 of your good articles, and make sure they all link back to your main website.  You can also include some shorter, unique posts on the blog so it’s not just duplicate content.  Keep adding to the blog frequently to keep it active.

There are many more ways to use your articles, but these should keep you busy for some time to come – especially if you have a lot of articles.

 

]]> http://www.critiqueratings.com/article-marketing-tips/creative-ways-to-re-use-your-articles/feed 0 Article Marketing Strategies – How to write a Compelling Author Bio Box for Article Marketing http://www.critiqueratings.com/article-marketing-tips/bio-box-for-article-marketing http://www.critiqueratings.com/article-marketing-tips/bio-box-for-article-marketing#comments Sun, 06 Dec 2009 09:37:24 +0000 admin http://www.critiqueratings.com/?p=39 One of the most important parts of your article is the author bio box.  Yes, having a strong title to grab attention is important.  Yes, having good, well-written information in the article body is also important.  But your author bio box needs to provide the “hook” that compels the reader to click through to your website and buy your products, sign up for your list, or whatever else you’re hoping they do once they get there. The next time you have a few spare minutes, visit some popular article directories like Ezinearticles or Articlebase and view some articles in your niche topic.  Scroll down to look at the author bio boxes people are using.  You’ll see some really terrible ones, and also some great ones.  Can you tell which are which? A great way to determine this is to consider how you feel when you read them.  Do they inspire you to want to visit the website being linked to?  Or do you get a “ho-hum” feeling and click the back button?  Pay close attention to the bio boxes that make you want to click through.  Copy and paste some of these great bios into a text document, and then study them until you understand what makes them most effective.  Eventually it will “click” and you’ll know how to write your own compelling bio boxes – but in the meantime, keep the following tips in mind:

Tip #1 – It’s Not All about You

Probably some of the most boring bio boxes say something like, “George Smith has been a commercial real estate agent since 1977.  He graduated with honors from Blankety Blank University, and has been devoted to helping his clients find the best properties ever since . . .”  Ugh!  The reader does not care.  In the back of their mind they are focused on only one thing – what George can do for THEM. Consider the difference between that snooze-fest and this alternative:  “George Smith is ready to help you choose the best location for your business while also saving you time and money.  Click here to download a free 15-page report on how to buy prime business real estate for rock-bottom prices.”  Okay, that may not be the most dazzling bio box either – but it is certainly compelling and stirs curiosity, right?  Did you notice the “hook”?  The promise of a free, valuable gift like a downloadable report in your bio box is a great way to compel your readers to action!

Tip #2 – Make Your Bio Box an Extension of Your Article

Here is a tip you don’t hear mentioned often; make sure your bio box flows naturally as an extension of your article.  In other words, try not to make the last paragraph of your article a definite “ending”.  Instead, lead into your bio box from there so the bio box seems more like the ending. Example:  Last article sentence reads, “For sure there are many pitfalls in buying commercial real estate, some of which you may not be aware of yet, and having an expert to advise you is a good idea.”  Then your bio box tells them that YOU are that expert, and just how you are able to help them!

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