Most of us have some hobby or narrow interest shared by only a small segment of the population. Whether it is Chinese kite flying or crewel embroidery, this hobby offers you a good entry point into marketing an article. There is a publication catering to almost every hobby. Find the right one and you will also find a truly interested audience for your work.
The focus of your article is always going to be the product or service that your business is prepared to provide for the reader. Once you have covered that element, your next move should be a convincing call to action that will entice the reader to pursue more information based upon what he or she has already read.
Even when you are stuck, there's always something you can write about. If you are searching for content, consider the various activities you do in the course of the day--the problems you face, the solutions you use, the decisions you take. There's bound to be some information of value there.
Writing
When writing articles, create a target keyword for your article. Make it a long tail keyword instead of a short one. The target keyword will give your article a better chance of being found by searches. Be sure to use a keyword tool to find keywords that have a good enough amount of searches without much competition.
To write compelling articles, you have to know compelling writing techniques. A successful copywriter uses interesting or amusing stories to engage his readers. He writes vibrant descriptions that stimulate all of the senses. He tells his prospective buyers exactly how his product is going to benefit them, and he does so using powerful words that deliver an impact, a conversational tone and, above all, honesty.
You do not have to be an amazing writer in order to be a great article marketer. A lot of marketers are scared of writing and will not even attempt to get their foot through the door. Never be worried too much about your writing talent. This is something you can easily work on and improve over time. You can also spin or buy articles.
Make sure you understand the terms of service for the article marketing directories you plan on using, before you start writing articles. Some of the larger directories are quite strict in terms of minimum word count and quality. Some will only take articles that have not been published anywhere else, although certain ones will let you post your articles elsewhere, as long as they get first crack at them.
Article Directories
Don't make your articles too long. On most article directories, the link to your website will appear at the bottom of your article. Therefore, if your articles are very long and readers don't manage to make it to the end, they will not see the link to your website. Seven hundred words is the industry's advised maximum.
Once you have found the right article directory for you, you must create an account with them in order to use their services. You might want to use an email account that is dedicated to the article directories, as you are likely to get regular mail from them. Many article directories are free, but some require you to pay a small fee.
Be sure your article is both useful and accurate. Check your information before you submit your article. You do not want to post outdated or incorrect information or else you risk losing your reliability and credibility. Invalid information is a key issue that is found mostly in articles posted on disreputable article directories.
Once your EzineArticle has been approved, submit that article to other major article directories, like Buzzle, ArticleAlley, and ArticlesFactory. Most major article directories do not have the follow tag. It is still important to submit them to these directories, because articles from these directories still do rank well, overall.
Affiliate Links
To make income on your written articles, you need to make sure that you have your own website. It's okay to have a 1000 word article, as long as you keep the articles that you submit to article directories around 500 or 700 words. You can also have offers and affiliate links on your own site to grab your reader's attention so as to make your site more valuable to your customers.
Knowing that the level of shared interest is the key, you are now ready to share your expertise with others. You have identified two or three publications that most closely match your hobby. You have immersed yourself in these publications. Now you are ready to write a successful article.