If you scour the web looking for low-cost or no-cost ways to promote any product or service online, you surely will see the suggestion of article marketing. Well-written original articles have proven to be one of the most powerful forms of advertising on the internet for the small business owner.

Article marketing can take several forms. One of the most obvious is writing articles to post on your own website or blog. This is a great idea. Search engines love unique content and are always trolling for something new. Adding keyword-rich unique articles to your website or blog on a regular and consistent basis will keep the search engine bots coming back frequently to update their indexing of your website.

The next most commonly used article marketing strategy is for a marketer, like you, to write an article and submit it to an article directory. Since the idea is to have original, fresh content, you should not submit the same article to different directories. Each article should be unique. You can use the same theme, but the words and ideas need to be different.

Article directories are where webmasters or ezine editors go to find new content to publish on their sites, blogs, or distribute to their readership in the form of ezines. They are also visited by people researching online for information. When you submit an article to an article directory, attached to it is what is known as an author’s “resource box” or “bio”. This is a piece of text that you write to promote your personal website or a particular product. This is where you include a link to your website, your blog, or other articles you have written so that interested parties can click through to learn more about your products.

Once you get the hang of writing articles, you may want to consider submitting some of your articles to sites that actually pay you for well-written articles, like Associated Content, or Constant Content. These sites have high editorial standards, and many writers find they can earn additional money by submitting articles to these sites.  It may not be much, just $2.00 to $8.00 per article, but you can also earn lifetime residual income from the amount of views a particular article receives, so it can add up over time.  Obviously, you will want to promote your articles on the pay-per-view sites as much as you can.

Having your articles posted at article directories has a twofold benefit. The first benefit is that it gives you a one-way link from your author’s resource box back to your website. This improves your website’s ranking in the search engine placement. This is what Google calls “PR” (short for Page Rank).  A link back is like a “vote” for your website. The more votes you get, the more important your website will appear to the search engines. The more backlinks you build linking to your website or blog, the higher position your website or blog will appear in search results.

The second benefit is that real people read these articles.  If people choose to read your article, it is logical those people may be interested in your subject matter and, therefore, are potentially customers for the items you are offering on your website. This makes them “qualified traffic”, i.e. people who are more likely to be converted into actual customers.

Free advertising, in every form, is worth the effort. Getting links and real live visitors from article directories is just the start of the benefits of article marketing, though. The real power of article marketing is in its viral effects. Have you heard the phrase, “Do the work once, get paid forever?” That’s the idea behind viral marketing.

To benefit the most from the viral effect, articles need to appeal to human readers and have:o Interesting content
o Good grammar, spelling and punctuation
o Material that will not get dated too quickly
o Desirable keywords

An article with all of the above will potentially spread throughout the Internet for literally years to come, at no additional cost. It is for that reason that spending time on article marketing is one of the best uses of your time for any online marketer.

Here at Success Point Consulting, we love to help small business owners get started with Article Marketing.  We will write a package of 10 articles on topics and keywords you select for only $85. You are then free to do whatever you wish with the articles.  You can use them as blog posts, submit to article directories or ezine publishers, or use them however you see fit.  For  more information, contact Trina@SuccessPointConsulting.com.

Here’s to your success,

Trina

P.S.  Remember to check out our new ebook: Money in the Bank: A Step by Step Guide to Establishing Business Credit.

Here’s the Answer to “How Do I Get Business Credit?”

I’m excited to announce the release of my new ebook, Money in the Bank: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Business Credit. Many small business owners have wondered, “How do I get business credit?” but have not found many answers.  It’s not taught in high school or college.  Most business start-up books don’t mention it.  They often have no idea how to obtain business credit the right way.  Many have tried on their own, applying the rules of the personal credit game, only to be denied over and over again.

Establishing business credit can be tricky if you don’t know the process and what creditors and financial institutions are looking for.   But banks and other business creditors lend more money to businesses every year than all home mortgages, car loans, and personal credit combined.  Yet the SBA reports that almost 97% of all small business loan applications are denied.  Why?  Because the business owners have not taken the proper steps, nor dealt with the “right” creditors, to establish business credit in the name of their business.

There are millions of dollars available to businesses with a high Paydex score and a proven track record of on-time payments to companies who report to D&B.  But that’s the key.  Not all business credit will help you establish a Paydex score.   You need to know which companies to use, and the sequence in which to establish the relationships.  Apply to a four tier company with no history from several one or two tier companies and you’ll be denied every time.

This step-by-step guide gives you the information you need to obtain business credit.  You’ll learn about the prerequisites that must be completed before you apply.  You’ll be introduced to creditors who are most likely to grant your company credit, even if you are a brand-new start-up.  You’ll learn about the Paydex score and Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) and why having a good relationship with D&B is crucial to your success.

Click here for more information and to purchase Money in the Bank: A Step-by-Step Guide to Establishing Business Credit.

And as always, if I can help your business reach it’s Success Point, whether it’s help with online, offline or mobile marketing, taxes, business credit, organization management or communications, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Trina

Enjoy!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

I now have a Mobile Marketing Channel:

Just text

To:  90210

Message:  successpoint

to subscribe to Trina’s Monday Morning Marketing Tips

Every Moday morning, right to your cellphone, you’ll get a short marketing tip that you can use right away to market your business.  How fun is that?  Subscribe today!

One of the ways you get noticed by the search engines is to develop backlinks. Backlinks are exactly what they sound like — they are links which directs others towards your site; they are also often referred to as inbound links (IBL’s). In the world of search engine optimization, the number of backlinks your site has is an indication of how popular or important it is according to your peers (other site owners). These are especially important because search engines such as Google will give more credit to those sites with a good number of quality backlinks. So they will then consider these sites more relevant than others in the results pages of a search query and will show your site higher on in the rankings.

Most search engines will want websites to have a level playing field, and so will more often than not look for natural links that have been built slowly over time. Although it can be fairly easy to manipulate the links on a web page in order to achieve a higher ranking in the short term, it is a lot harder to influence a search engine with external backlinks from another site. This is why these count so highly in a search engine’s algorithm.

One of the best ways to achieve quality backlinks to your site in a fairly short time is Directory Submissions.  Why don’t more small business owners do this?  I know it may have been some years ago, but you actually had to buy an ad to be listed in the  yellow pages, or at least buy a telephone line.  It’s no different online.  You actually have to DO something to be listed in a directory.

 It takes time, it takes effort, but it gets results. Believe it or not, you actually have to submit the link for your site to directories in order to be listed. Many directories allow free submissions. There are dozens more that want you to pay for the privilege of being listed. If you can afford it, DO IT. There are many sites around which offer a service where you can submit your site details to numerous sites. Do a search, you’ll find them. In some industries (like legal, for instance) there are well over 2,000 potential directories your business can be listed in. Every one of those listings then becomes a backlink.

But another benefit of submitting to directories, in addition to creating backlinks, is getting a boost in traffic. Imagine, some people actually use directories that they know to search for businesses instead of just Google search. The key to getting a traffic boost from directories is to actually write out a good description of your product or service and use your targeted keywords. I know, it begins to sound like a broken record, but if you use the same targeted keywords on your site, in your LinkedIn, Twitter & Facebook posts and profiles, in articles that link back to your site, and also in business directories, you will start to become associated with those keywords in the eyes of the search engines. You will start to rank higher and be seen as more relevant. Isn’t that what you want?

I almost feel like the directories I tell clients to submit their site to are a closely guarded secret, but they really aren’t. This isn’t my complete list, but here are some ideas to get you started. You should make sure your business is listed in: Local.Yahoo.com, Google.com/maps, MerchantCircle.com, Brownbook.net, Cityslick.net and if you can afford it, PR.com.

There, now don’t tell me I’m not helping to make you successful online. I don’t get paid to advertise these directories (though occasionally clients pay me to help them listed on all of them ). But because you are friends of mine, I feel like I need to at least give you a hint.

Here’s to your success,

Trina

P.S.  We’re only 10 days away from the How to WOW! Now Seminar.  Have you registered yet?  HowtoWOWnow.eventbrite.com

There’s now a discount for friends of mywebWOW!com, which I would be glad to share.  Just let me know that you are going to attend and I’ll get you a discount code for 50% off the ticket price.  What are friends for?

I spent WAY too much time last night browsing. Any photo that made me laugh out loud, I downloaded. Any photo that I thought could be used in other contexts, I downloaded. I now have a catalog of about 85 photos and images, like the one to the right here, ready to be uploaded whenever I need them.  And since they are submitted to the site by users who agree to share, I don’t have to worry about copyright infringement when I use them.  Nice.

I surf forums all the time.  I think I belong to something like 34 of them at last count, in several different industries.  I still look at some of the legal discussions from time to time, but I spend a lot more of my time these days on the work-at-home, working mothers, small office/home office forums.  I find they are great places to find out information about what’s new and happening.  You also get a sense of what the issues are and can craft a stronger marketing message to those particular audiences.  The tips and techniques that get shared are incredible.  Who needs to buy an ebook?  Someone out there will tell you what they’ve learned, and if you don’t see it readily available, just ask and someone will answer.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

WAIT!  I have to interrupt this blog for an

SPEED NETWORKING is scheduled for May 18, 2010, at The Meeting Place.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Anymore, I never buy a new piece of software or advise a client to use any online service without first browsing a couple forums to see what the positive and negative reports are.  The Warrior Forum is a great place for all things internet-marketing related.  If it doesn’t work, if the provider promises a money-back guarantee and they don’t honor it, if their upsells are too aggressive, you’ll find it discussed.  Or, if the product exceeds everyone’s expectations and they get 20 ideas on how to grow their business, you’ll see that discussion, too.

I’m using the forums mostly for information gathering, not to sell my services per se, which is good because most forums frown on blatant selling.  But I do get business.  It’s just a more subtle approach.  I answer a lot of questions and try to give people honest answers.  I refer them to my blog, or to other resources I know about.  In return, I get inquiries from people who want to know more about me.  Those inquiries often lead to connections on LinkedIn or Facebook, and new followers on Twitter.  Sometimes, those inquiries lead to sales of my content-writing packages or consulting services.

And don’t forget that other nugget that comes from being involved in forums, especially the more active ones — that precious backlink to your site that Google loves for search engine optimization purposes.  If you write your forum profile using your targeted keywords, and your “about you” box has the link to your website or blog, Google will find you and give you credit in the page rankings and search results.  Win-win for everyone.

Depending on the target audience, I encourage clients to get involved in one or two forums, in addition to LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.  If you are active on the forum, you will develop a following and start to be recognized as a expert.  That’s not a bad thing.  But sometimes, you don’t need to be active.  Just sign up, go out and observe.  Read the discussions.  See what resources people like.  See what they don’t care for.  There is a wealth of informatioon about your potential customers out there just waiting to be discovered.

For my list of favorite forums, email me at SuccessPointConsulting@hotmail.com.  Please put “Favorite forums” in the subject line.

Here’s to your success,

Trina

P.S.  We’re only 3 weeks away from the How to WOW! Now seminar.  Seating is limited, so reserve your spot NOW.  RSVP to http://howtowownow.eventbrite.com.

P.S.S.  My good friend, Heather Tapia, is running a series of classes entitled “Why2How2 Abundance Marketing” starting Monday, April 26.  Get more information and sign up at http://abundancemarketingpro.eventbrite.com

Google Alerts are great for finding out when you are mentioned on someone else’s blog, or in an article, or in an Answer in LinkedIn.  If you are submitting press releases to dozens of press release services, Google Alerts can give you exactly which services are distributing your releases, and which aren’t.  You’ll know what sites are promoting you.  It’s the easiest way to create a file of your online press clippings I’ve found.  It’s also a great tool for monitoring who is talking about your competitors, what blogs are actively talking about your areas of interest, and catching any negative reviews or bad-mouthing before it goes viral.

But what I have found with many small business owners that I consult with is that they set up Google Alerts, they get the email from Google every day or every week, they open it up, say, “Oh goody, my press release was published,” and go on with their day.

Wrong.

You got the information, now DO SOMETHING with it.  For instance, if a press release about your small business’ upcoming event was published by one of the online news agencies, go to the site, capture the URL, and send a tweet announcing you’ve been mentioned.  Don’t stop there.  Submit the URL to Digg, Redd It, StumbleUpon, and every other social bookmarking site you participate in.  Go to a couple forums and say, “Hey, PRNews just published our press release.”  Update your wall on Facebook, submit a little news items to each of your LinkedIn groups.   

I suggested this plan of action to a client and she responded with “Why should I promote their blog?  Aren’t I just sending traffic to them instead of to me?”  I had to pause for a second.  But really, why wouldn’t I want to promote a blog that is talking about my business?  Sure, I’m making an effort to make that blog successful, but I think that’s OK.  If that site publishes a mention about your small business, and their site viewership increases, what are the chances they will be interested in publishing the next release you send, or mentioning your small business again?  Pretty good, I’d say.

But Google Alerts can be used for so much more.  For instance, if you are a graphic designer looking for a new project, you can set up a Google Alert to look for “graphic designer wanted.”  You’ll get an Alert that has combed through Monster, Careerbuilder, Elance, GoBig, and other sites and condensed it down to a daily digest of potential projects.  so much easier and more convenient that going through each site separately.  It can work for just about any job or project search.  I’ve used it to identify companies who are actively looking for an online marketing consultant. 

Think about the topics you want to know about on a regular basis and create an Alert.  You’ll be amazed at how much information you get so easily.  I have found in my small business consulting practice that my topic research for certain clients has been cut to almost nothing because Google is doing it for me and delivering it right to my inbox.  It’s like having an intern doing your research and just presenting you with a summary of the latest news.  How cool is that?

I’m curious about how you use Google Alerts.  Please leave your comments below.

And as always, if I can help you create an online or offline marketing plan or help you get your business growing and moving toward your success point, please call me at (614) 753-5979 or email me at SuccessPointConsulting@hotmail.com.  I would be honored to help.

Here’s to your success,

Trina

And I’m here to tell you — Facebook advertising is the real deal.  You can target demographically and geographically, it’s cheaper than Google, there’s less competition, and small business owners are seeing results.  I just ran a little ad myself — I had a simple landing page offering a FREE Report and asked the respondents to fill out a short survey about their current online marketing activities – and got 6 very high-quality business leads in about 36 hours, for less than $100 ($82 to be exact).  I’m excited.

Facebook Ads provide two ways to advertise on the pages of Facebook. You can create an ad campaign that links to a landing page within your Web site, or you can advertise something on Facebook, such as your new Business Page or an application you have developed. You can also employ a Social ad. This shows your image and text alongside the social action you take on Facebook pages.

The targeting available for Facebook Ads is awesome.  You can choose  the location, gender, interests, relationship status and other demographics of your target audience.  For my test, I chose to target women, in Ohio, who were business owners and involved with service professions, like attorneys, accountants, insurance sales, etc.  And sure enough, every response I got was from a woman, from Ohio, and all but one is in an industry I was targeting.  And my guess once I dig a little deeper into her background, I bet I find she is or was connected somehow to a law firm.

In creating a Facebook Ad campaign you will need to decide which type of ad you want to run and provide the link the ad will lead visitors to.  The link does not appear in the ad — it’s behind the scenes.  The entire ad is a hotlink to the URL you select.  The ad title is restricted to 25 characters while the  text (body) must fit in 135 characters. If you choose to include a photo (which I recommend), it needs to be 110 by 80 pixels.  And like any good ad test, you should run at least 2 versions, if not 3 or 4 versions, to make sure you are getting the absolutely best response rate you can.

Very similar to the Google model, Facebook Ads can be run on a Pay for Clicks (CPC) or Pay for Views (CPM) model. During the ad creation process, you set your daily ad budget and the maximum bid, which is the most you are willing to pay per click. CPC ads are displayed in Facebook’s Ad Space, Home Page (or both), while CPM ads are shown only in the Ad Space. Facebook selects the best ad to run based on the cost per click or impression and ad performance.

After creating the ads you want to run, Facebook will approve your ads for use and suggest a max bid if you have bid too low.  This seems to take anywhere from 4 hours to 24 hours, which is very comparable to Google.  Through your Ad Management Page, Facebook provides ad data so you can track your progress, change the audience, or adjust other metrics as the campaign progresses.

And here’s a little tip for the day (you’ll never be able to say I didn’t help you out after this) — do a search for FREE Facebook Ad Credits and you’ll find several companies out there willing to give you $50 to $100 in Facebook advertising credits.  I did it — I took a $50 credit to test with — so my $82 campaign only cost $32 — and it would have only cost me $0 if I had shut it down a little earlier.

So go ahead, try it.  You just might find a new PPC platform that really performs for your small business.  If you need help coming up with a strong headline or ad copy, just ask me.  I’ll give you three or four versions for you to test for a very reasonable $80.00 — I’ll even do the set-up for you, if you want.  Call me at (614) 753-5979 or email me at SuccessPointConsulting@hotmail.com and I’ll do what I can to help you succeed.

Here’s to your success,

Trina

P.S.  Plans for Speed Networking at being finalized.  May 18 is the target.  Stay tuned!

P.P.S.  If you’re in the Columbus Ohio area, make plans to attend the How to WOW! Now seminar on April 29, 2010.  Local celebs like Gabe Speigel, Ryan Bauer, Bruce Heinemann, Shelley Moore, and Andrew Catapano are going to talk through the process of going from having a dream about owning a business to starting a business and then promoting your business online.  A portion of the proceeds from the night is going directly to Junior Achievement.  Make your plans now — it WILL sell out.

To our surprise, we were interrupted by two young women, complete strangers. “Excuse me, but can anyone tell us how to get to the convention center?”  For those of you who are not from Columbus, you may not know that this past weekend was The Arnold Classic, an international body-building and health & wellness convention started by none other than Arnold Schwartzenegger himself a dozen or more years ago.  These two ladies were from out of town and had gotten lost.  They had zigged when they should have zagged.

We gave them directions, pointed out where the restrooms were in the building, and scratched our head as to how or why they would have chosen this building to come in and ask directions.  We marveled a bit at the gumption of these two travelers, pulling into the parking lot of an office building on a Saturday, going in the door, climbing the stairs to the second floor until they found an office with the lights on and door unlocked.  Finally, one of the ladies in my group said, “Well, I guess they were thinking outside the box.”

Exactly.  They were thinking outside the box.   On that street there are no fast food restaurants nor gas stations.  There are a couple small retail stores, office buildings, industrial warehouses, and apartments.  These two ladies had a need for directions and the usual suspects were nowhere to be seen.  So they thought a little differently and came up with a solution.

If you run a small business, you need to occasionally think outside the box. Determine what outcome you want first (directions) then open you mind up to all the possible ways you can achieve your outcome .   If they had been closed to all possibilities but getting directions from a gas station (which we speculated would have been the case if a man had been driving, but that’s another topic lol), they could have been driving around lost for quite a while because there aren’t many stations in Grandview and they are hard to find.    But they were focused on their outcome, not the method of getting there.  When they saw a group of cars parked outside of this office building, they took the calculated risk that someone inside would be able to help them.

Turns out, it was a successful endeavor because we did indeed know how to get to the convention center, they got to use a clean, uncrowded restroom, and we got them in the right direction quickly.

You will find that there are so many more paths to small business success if you will just be willing to think outside the box and try a different approach on occasion. Sure, tried and true methods still work, but so can new ways.  You just have to be open.

If you ever need someone to facilitate a marketing brainstorming session, or need help coming up with creative and innovative new ways to promote your product or service, especially utilizing the internet and social media, give me a call at 614-753-5979 or email me at SuccessPointConsulting@hotmail.com and I’d be glad to help.

Here’s to your success,

Trina

P.S. Mark Your Calendars.  SPEED NETWORKING Coming MAY 18, 2010.  MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.