A Cup of Coffee to Personal Article Marketing

Today is the day to begin showcasing your expertise online so searchers will find your name attached to some well-written, helpful, and informative content. When done right, personal article marketing is a sure fire way to solidify your personal brand, increase your credibility, and prove yourself a thought leader in your industry.

Focus on the where

Let’s dive right in, because there’s no time to waste today – we only have the time it takes to finish a cup of coffee, and there’s a lot to do.

Here’s what I hear most often:   “What if I’m not a good writer?” and “Where do I publish articles online?”

Let’s tackle the “where” first:  When you publish your article on a Google-friendly article directory site, you’ll give yourself a great chance of ranking high in organic search results.  EzineArticles.com is one of the few sites that have actual humans reviewing and publishing content – and Google likes that – so it’s a good place to start.  After you register yourself and upload your article, EzineArticles will review it.  As long as you follow the site guidelines, you’ll receive notification that your article is approved and published in about three days.

Not a writer?

“What if I’m not a good writer?”  Writing articles can initially seem overwhelming, but if you break down the most important elements necessary to make it successful, you can complete a great first article in no time.  Shoot for about 400 words, or 1 ½ pages in Word.

Okay – here is today’s before-you-finish-your-cup-of-coffee activity:

1. Choose a topic.  What topic do you know the most about that your audience cares the most about?
2. Choose the type of article you want to write.  People have little time and searchers’ attention spans are short.    “How To’s,” “Top 10’s,” and “What They Don’t Want You to Know’s” peak interest and tell readers they will get some useful information in a flash.
3. Great headlines are critical.  See Jay Abraham’s “The 100 greatest Headlines Ever Written” and “How to Write Magnetic Headlines.”
4. Create the outline of your article.  It might sound rudimentary, but organizing your document in outline format first will help you get your fundamental points down quickly, making it that much easier to fill in the content to completion.  More importantly, it will ensure a good, helpful flow for your readers.
5. Fill in content.  Divorce yourself from the idea of composing lengthy sentences with fanciful words.  Readers will appreciate straightforward, easy-to-read material.   With each section, ask this question: What am I really trying to say?  Say exactly that.
6. Proofread and edit.  Remember – relevancy is key to success.  Grab your list of key words and phrases from last week (check out last Sunday’s post) and include some in your headline and body to optimize your article for search.
7. Read your article in full and ask yourself this question:  Will this article teach something I did not know before?  If the answer is “yes,” pass go and collect $200. If not, go back to #1.
8. Upload your article to EzineArticles.com.
9. If you have one, add the article to your blog.
10. Add the article link to your email signature.
11. Add the article link to your LinkedIn status update.

Phew – you have completed the first of many published online articles.  How did it go?