Article writing can prove to be a powerful marketing tool if done correctly. It’s a great way to build your online presence and attract potential customers.
The first golden rule is that your article must have good content and though the saying ‘content is king’ may sound clinched, it is highly relevant. The article should bring value to your readers and deliver information that allows them to visualize what they will achieve by taking the call to action. Here are some tips to help you achieve your goal.
Subject of the article
You need to select a topic that will interest your readers and provide a unique angle that can help to develop a conversation with them.
So how to go about this? Marketing professionals use web surveys to plan projects, do research, develop new products and services, create public relations, get feedback and for other marketing opportunities. You too can use surveys to find new ideas. Indeed surveys are a great hidden source for finding story ideas, providing rich, timely, interesting and intriguing information that you can use in your own articles.
The other alternative is to read other people’s blogs to see what the readers are interested in the moment or what particular topics are being blogged about.
You can also use your own blog to find out what your readers are interested in. Review your blog achieves to find out which postings received the greatest number of reader comments, both positive and negative as also the most views. You will know exactly what the audience wants to know.
You can also consult article directories to see what people related to your area of expertise are writing about.
If you really do understand your niche or product, writing an article about it should not be difficult. However, if you need assistance, consider contacting a professional SEO copywriter to help you put your article together. Articles are an effective marketing tool to attract visitors to your website so you really need to get it right.
Tone of the article
Adopt a friendly, conversational tone in your article writing. This will allow you to establish a relationship with your readers and help them gain trust in your expertise. One way to do this is to imagine they are your friends with whom you are having a discussion over a cup of coffee. You shouldn’t be afraid of airing your personal opinion in your articles. As a note of caution, the tone should be informal but not too casual for this could damage your credibility. If the people who read your article feel like you know what you are talking about, they will travel through your link to your website to learn more information about you and your services.
Format of the article
You may write unique, interesting articles, but if they are not formatted properly, you risk losing readers’ interest. Online readers can easily become fatigued reading off a screen, so ensure your articles are easy to read. Here are some tips for formatting:
- Use short and simple sentences: Keep your sentences short and simple so as to focus on the message. Then again, most readers will not necessarily have a high reading level so avoid technical jargon.
- Keep the paragraphs short: Long paragraphs can be intimidating and readers may just decide to skip them. Break the articles into easy to read sizes.
- Use headings and subheadings: Online readers will first scan your articles to see if they are worth reading. Use plenty of headlines and subheadings to help your readers find the information they are looking for.
- Proofread your work: Always check your writing for spelling and grammatical errors for they can spoil the effect of a well written article.
Write for both humans and search engines
Write for the humans first and then the search engines. First and foremost, your article should be informative to engage human audience because ultimately it is the people who have to perform the call to action. If you stuff your article with too many keywords and it does get indexed by the search engines, the readers will move to some other site if it can not keep their interest. It goes without saying the entire purpose of the SEO exercise would be wasted. With that said, it is very important that the article is sprinkled with keywords/phrases for indexing. The trick is to weave in relevant keywords such that they unobtrusively blend with the content and don’t intrude on the rhythm of the text.
Include a byline at the bottom of your article
A byline is a bit of biographical information about yourself and your business. Keep it brief, but remember to showcase what you do and also provide back links to your website. When your article is submitted to article directories, it will attract readers who are looking for information you are providing. If they are impressed with your level of expertise, they will follow your link back to your website for more information.
Submitting articles to article directories is an excellent way to build traffic to your website. By providing valuable links to your website, you can build page rank in search engines and also your reputation as an authority on the subject at hand.
A well-written and optimized article submitted to article directories is vital for attracting traffic to your website and if you are not participating in this form of marketing, you could be missing out on traffic that simply does not know how or where to find you.