Write Articles That Get Results

It's no secret that writing and publishing helpful articles is one of the best ways to promote your business. Writing articles can:

• Establish you as an expert in your field.


• Get your name and your company name in front of potential clients who you may never have been able to contact otherwise.


• Create valuable content for you to share with potential clients or convert into speeches and other marketing strategies.

Writing articles for local business publications, trade magazines, newsletters, and Web sites that reach your target audience can be a powerful piece of your marketing plan. But following through can be more difficult than it sounds, as many people hate writing or have a hard time just figuring out where to begin. Plenty of business owners and marketers hire outside firms or freelance writers (like The WriteShop, www.writeshoponline.com) to write articles for them, which can be a time-saving solution. But if you want to write your own articles, it can be tough to know where to begin. These five tips may help you stay focused and get the job done.

1. Narrow your topic. In each article, be sure to address only one main idea -maybe you focus on one problem your readers have, or one solution that may work for them. Trying to cover too many topics in one article just causes confusion. Whenever you find yourself going off on an unrelated tangent, turn that tangent into another, separate article for future use.

2. Write in conversational style. Keep your audience in mind and try to write for them the way you'd speak to them. For most business writing, an informal, conversational style is preferable, especially if your article will be published on the Web. Remember that you want your article to be accessible and understandable for your target audience. Shorter sentences and language that is easy to grasp quickly will have better results than long diatribes full of words that require a dictionary.

3. Offer genuine, helpful information. While your articles are tools to help market your business, they are not advertisements. Don't fill your articles with promotional material about your company, or your readers will quickly lose interest. Instead, offer them real insight, tips, or advice that shows them you know what you're talking about. Their interest in your company and what you can do for them will come; but for the sake of your article, focus on providing information they can use.

4. Be brief. Especially when writing for the Web, brevity is crucial. Before sending any article for publication, read through it several times and cut out any unnecessary words. For instance, the word "that" can be eliminated in most cases. Make sure every word counts, and every sentence is meaningful and helpful for communicating your main idea.

5. Distribute, distribute, distribute. Finally, writing an article doesn't do any good unless you get it in front of your target audience. In addition to publishing your articles on your own Web site or in your newsletter, consider sending them to publishers of print and electronic newsletters, and submit them to Web sites that publish articles on your topic. See the Resource Box below for ideas of specific Web sites where you may want to submit your articles. And remember to always include your contact information so that readers will know how to reach you.

Hopefully, these tips will get you on your way to publishing plenty of articles that will get noticed and yield results. But if you'd like even more direction to get you started, contact The WriteShop for information about our inexpensive special report, "Article Starter: A Resource Guide to Writing Business Articles That Get Results." E-mail us today at info@writeshoponline.com.

Nancy Jackson, owner of The WriteShop, helps companies better market their products and services with powerful written communications including Web content, newsletters, brochures and publications. Subscribe to her free monthly newsletter at www.writeshoponline.com.

---

Article Writing: 5 Tips on How to Pull and Hold the Reader

Okay, so you're getting a feel for this article marketing... Read More

What to Write About

This is a perennial question among writers and wannabe's. Many... Read More

What Makes a Freelance Article Writer Successful?

Knowing exactly what an editor wants.Unfortunately, many new writers struggle... Read More

Website Promotion: Alternatives to Article Banks

Writing and submitting articles to article banks is a well-known... Read More

SureFire Ways To Get Free Publicity Using Articles

Free publicity can help to spread the word about your... Read More

Do I Really Need To Write Articles For E-zines?

When I was first advised to start writing articles, this... Read More

Handling Rejection

Rejection is part of a writer's life. You must cope... Read More

1 Powerful Strategy To Craft Your Article For Maximum Readership

Do you know one of the most powerful marketing techniques... Read More

7 Invaluable Tips: Getting Your Articles Published Online

When you have to share what you've created, where do... Read More

How To Submit Your Articles To Article Announcement Lists

Get the Facts you need to start promoting you free... Read More

Web Design Information And Resources

People who have an idea for a website sometimes require... Read More

Finding Experts, Sources and Contacts

I was asked to write an article on a short... Read More

8 Sources To Research Awesome Article Topics

Writing articles is by far the most effective online promotion... Read More

Reward Those Who Publish Your Articles!

It is pretty obvious that content is king online. It... Read More

Should You Hire a Famous Writer or Write Your Own Articles?

Proven and Exceptional Click-Through ResultsTesting has proven again and again... Read More

How to Use Articles to Increase Web Site Traffic!

A simple technique to increase web site traffic is using... Read More

Article Writing: SEO, Expert Authors and the Dumbification of the Internet

Article authors who use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keywords to... Read More

Do You Know the 7 Essential Parts that Make Up a Resource Box

The Whole reason you write those articles is so you... Read More

Giving Yourself the Right to Write

"But I've only been on the Internet 3 months! How... Read More

Smart Writing and Layout Styles for the Web

If you write web content, it may be a mystery... Read More

Success Starts with Articles

No one can logically argue against the fact that content... Read More

Writing Articles that Get Read

Writing articles is one of the best and most effective... Read More

Top Seven Tips for Writing Articles on the Internet

Online readers love information, but be sure your information is... Read More

50,000 Articles Indeed

How is it possible to turn an idea into the... Read More

Writers Block - Find an Article Topic in Minutes Anytime Anywhere with These 7 Tips Guaranteed!

One question I get asked all the time is how... Read More

Article Writing: Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from My English Teacher

By now you probably understand how important writing for trade... Read More

Writers Block Begone

Back when I was in college, I belonged to one... Read More

What is a Ghostwriter and How Can I Find One to Hire?

A ghostwriter, as one may think is not a writer... Read More

Article Marketing: What Is It and How Can I Use it to Grow My Business?

Ever read one of those web articles written by an... Read More

How to Write an Effective Article

Writing a great deal of articles myself, I see a... Read More

Writing Ezine Articles - 4 Reasons Why You Should Do It

Anyone who's been in the business for 2 or 3... Read More

Write Articles That Get Results

It's no secret that writing and publishing helpful articles is... Read More

Visibility, Credibility and Position Through Articles and Celebrity Testimonials

A huge problem for many people who are working on... Read More