Many successful online business owners use what has been called “article marketing” as a traffic and sales-building strategy. This is a process by which you write short, informative articles and submit them to either niche-specific Web sites, or generic “article directories.” Content-seekers then pick up your articles and republish them on their own niche-similar Web sites. This works because, once the articles begin circulating, it puts you “out there” and gets people clicking on your Web site. Eventually they come to know your name.

Here are some tips for getting a results-driven campaign together and then rapid-firing those articles out there to ensure you more business exposure.

Partner up.
Are you fairly intelligent? Enterprising? An out-of-the-box thinker with a make-it-happen attitude? Grab a buddy who shares these qualities and get serious about taking your article marketing to the next level - together. It’s amazing how much more you can get accomplished with a partner to keep the momentum going.

Too many copywriters spoil the article.
On the one hand, having a fresh pair of eyes can be a big help. But there does come a time when back-and-forth editing becomes counterproductive. So, let go of the ego battles and instead give one person ultimate article writing control while the other serves as a checks-and-balances guy/girl.

Work out the rate/fees up front.
If you plan to work with a copywriting and marketing expert, find one who charges an hourly article marketing rate that you can work with. A couple of my clients buy ten hours from me per month at a rate we work out privately. I write as many articles as I can for them in that amount of time - say, 4 or 5 depending on how complicated or lengthy the article gets.

Match the topic to the writer.
If they know nothing about the subject, then you’re not going to get the high rate of productivity that you need - so find someone who does.

This is not magazine writing.
Many newbie article marketers take the whole process a bit too seriously. This is not your “big break” or trade publication feature you’ve been dreaming of. Almost anyone can write articles on the Web. You want to strive for volume - so, instead of putting all of your energy into the one perfect article, divide the effort up into say, SIX articles at a time.

One draft revision per article.
Get a draft out, obtain feedback, move on, write another article. Keep up the pace and you will get more accomplished in less time than you ever thought possible.

Designate one writer, and one submitter.
You want your articles to reflect the same care and quality you put into your business. Ensure that sloppy errors and rushed submission goofs don’t find their way into your efforts. Have one person focus on the writing, while the other takes care of the little details such as making keyword links live and including the correct submission information for each site.

Stick to your article production goal.
If you find that ten hours results in say, five articles per month, make that your production goal. If you don’t want to pay for more than ten hours but you’d like to publish eight articles per month, then have your copywriter write five articles. Then, write three more yourself and ask her to proofread them for you. Remember, there are always a few different ways of looking at a problem and then solving it.

Keep a running list of article titles for future development.

Web article titles serve one purpose: explain what the article will be about. As you get a rhythm going, you’ll find that more article topics will come to you. Keep a pad and pen or an open computer file so that you can quickly add new topics to the list and work on developing them into articles later.

Your article marketing campaign will be the secret weapon that drives traffic to your Web site and builds credibility with your future customers. Seize the moment - get started marketing with Web articles today.

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[tags]article marketing, article production, Web articles, article writing[/tags]