A growing number of companies are clueing into the importance of content marketing. Many of them already have company blogs that they use to share their expertise and build customer loyalty.
And that’s a great start. But there’s a lot more you can do to get your hard work in front of more eyes.
Article marketing can help in several ways. The more articles you post under your name that are shared in social networks and reposted with a link back to you in other blogs, the more it serves your SEO purposes. By positively influencing your position in search results, it also attracts even more visitors.
The most effective content marketing is content that goes viral. In other words, it’s spread as far and wide as possible. Going viral is easier said than done, but there are several methods you can try to see what gets you there (or as close as you can get).
1. Write really outstanding posts
This the first step in any decent article marketing. Before posting, make sure your articles are informative, well-written and easy to read. It goes without saying that they should be free of spelling errors and typos. If you cannot create great content on your own, hire a professional copywriter to do it for you.
2. Create articles on a wide variety of topics related to your business
If you are an online store selling clothes and jewelry for women, write about the latest fashion trends, offer tips on how to find your own personal style, or how to choose the appropriate outfit for the situation.
3. Post your articles on forums
Find related forums and post excerpts of your article, or just the name of the article. Of course, you will need to mention your name and the website address where the full article can be found. If the forum allows it, include a direct link to the post, too.
4. Finish your article with a disclosure statement
Such as: “This article can be distributed in any e-zine, blog or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.”
5. Submit your posts to article directories
Directories are archives of articles that may be published on any kind of website or blog. Such directories often offer Dofollow linksspecial HTML code that tells search engines to follow the link. The most commonly used article directories are GoArticles, Digital Divide Network and PromotionWorld.
6. Focus on current trends while creating your content
If a specific topic is popular, discussing this topic in your article will increase its chances of getting noticed. Google News and Google Trends can be great sources of ideas. Following Twitter for news can also help.
7. Record a short video on a related topic
Videos have become an increasingly valuable web tool, and have been proven to get more likes and social shares than written content. If you succeed in making a really fun video, it will be a huge step toward going viral (Think: What Does the Fox Say?).
8. Use keywords and hashtags
If you want your content to be discovered, you should use every tool at your disposal, and put them to work for you. Use Google keywords to determine the optimal words for searching your content. Use hashtags on YouTube and Twitter to help people using hashtags find your content.
9. Dare to be controversial
If you’re not afraid of eliciting negative reactions, you can surprise your audience with a provocative claim or comment. If you do it right, people will share it with friends just to get a reaction. And this, of course, will bring you more visibility!
Melisa Marzett
Latest posts by Melisa Marzett
- 9 Tips for Making Content go Viral - 26 May 2014
