Article marketing has been around in the real world for as long as marketing and mass media has existed. You may not even realize it but think about when you read an article in the newspaper or in a magazine that is about a certain topic. You may be blown away by its usefulness and may not even realize that in what is called a bio box, usually at the end of an article, that the author is an owner of XYZ Company that carries the product or service which has just been talked about in the article. It’s genius because if you liked the article you may actually visit that author’s business and buy their stuff.
The way old school article writing worked was the author would write an informative piece for a publication and not charge in exchange for having a bio box or byline that mentions the author’s business. It is advertising but it’s more subtle than a flat out ad and certainly more cost effective. Businesses have enjoyed great results from article marketing in the real business world and have made a lot of money through it.
Of course just like every marketing technique, article marketing has been brought into cyber space and works on the same principle as old school article marketing. The author writes content for online publications with the proviso that a link to their website appears in the article somewhere or as a bio box or byline. The only difference from print publications is that it’s online and as such even easier and cheaper to do. And, unlike in the real world there are more article marketing opportunities. Article marketing in cyber space can include blogs, e-zines, newsletters, just about anything that uses articles to inform their readers. Even other people’s websites can be a form of article marketing. There are no real limits to article marketing on the internet.
One thing to remember about article marketing is to keep the content informative. Lose the salesmanship for a bit and just give information that is interesting and well written. A quality article will attract attention and once you have their interest they will most certainly follow the given link to your website. You may even consider having a professional writer write your content because even though you may be a brilliant advertising genius, writing for ads is different than writing to inform.