Article Marketing

“Article Marketing” is a type of subtle promotion that allows you to share your expertise in a particular area with the greater online community by posting your short (usually 300-700 words) articles to directories that have become well known for providing helpful information. You are allowed to include a short bio paragraph with one or two links to specific pages on your site (or elsewhere) that will provide additional resources – often your free giveaway.

But as powerful as article marketing can be, the thought of all that writing can be overwhelming. Here are three “templates” that should help you whip out some great articles in relatively short order.

Templates

Words of Wisdom

As coaches, we love quotes. This template should help you write a lot of articles! Here’s how to build the article:

• Start with a quote you find particularly meaningful.
• Tell a short personal story to illustrate the quote.
• Explain the lesson
• Ask a question and link back to a post on your site where they can answer it.

 Top 10 List

Top 10 Lists are very popular. Just look at the magazine covers while you are checking out at the grocery store for ideas. You can choose a different number, but if you aren’t going to use ten, then try to choose an odd number. You can quickly compile your list of ideas on just about anything. Here are some ideas: Top 10 Resources for Parents; Top 10 Goal Setting Mistakes; Top 10 Reasons to _______; Top 10 Ways to Avoid ______. Really, the list is endless!

• Choose your topic.
• Write a short intro paragraph about why it is important.
• Brainstorm your list.
• Write a couple of sentences to flesh out each point.
• Add a quick summary and invite them to find more information on your website.

Beginner’s Guide

Sometimes we are so immersed in the coaching process that we forget that there are basic concepts related to every area of struggle, and that a great majority of the population isn’t aware of them. A “Beginner’s Guide” is a great way to help them make some forward movement in a difficult area.

• Pick a pain point or roadblock common to your niche. Could be something like anger or over commitment.
• Give it a title like, “Beginner’s Guide to Overcoming __________,” or a “Beginner’s Guide to Managing ___________.”
• Outline 3-7 steps and write a short, encouraging paragraph about each one.
• If possible, pick a word that goes with the issue and create an acronym – use each letter as the first letter of the word that represents a step. So, for example, the acronym FAT might represent Faithful, Available, and Teachable.
• End on an encouraging note and point them back to a resource on your website.

You might start your brainstorming session by jotting down several options for each of the three templates. Then, schedule the dates you will submit them on your calendar. Now… go write them!

What is the first article you are going to write?
Kim Avery