Is Article Marketing for You? 4 Ways to Kill a Perfectly Good Article.

I have been article marketing for a long time. However, like a lot of people I would write an article post it on my blog or newsletter, and sometimes it would go to ezinearticles.com.

Even so, in reviewing my marketing plan at the beginning of the year – I realized I was not using the full potential of my resources. Article marketing is a phenomenal tool and everyone should be using it.

What made me refocus on article marketing?

I started getting monthly reports that showed my stats – how many people read my articles – the most popular articles and how many re-posted my articles (with my resource box).

Not only that but I could actually set up my twitter account on ezinearticles.com and when I published an article it would be sent out on Twitter, need I say more?

So – I went on my search for the most effective way to use article marketing – and I am going to pass some of those tips on to you…

However, before I do I know a lot of you are intimidated with the thought of writing articles – and why is that?

I have found the biggest sticking point with my clients is “fear” – what are they afraid of?

With a great majority of my clients, I have found they are worried about “not writing the perfect article”. Yes as suspected they are perfectionists! A fear of failure or not measuring up – what do I say to that? – Phooey!

The Nike’ saying “Just Do It” is exactly right!

Roughly write out your ideas and work from that point. The first article is the scariest from there, it gets easier and easier.

It is not as hard as you think.

Another biggie that is expressed to me is the confusion of what they should write about.

There are so many topics you can research on the internet but the best topic to write about is your expertise what is it, you are good at? What do you have knowledge of that your client needs to know?

The internet has so much information.

Research the topics you want to write about – talk about great articles you come across and link back to them – write points of interest on subject and expand on those.

Brain storm – enjoy the process!

4 Ways to Kill Your Article Marketing Goals

Mistake number one – writing a title that is ho-hum or just plain boring.

With all the competition out on the internet it is extremely important that you write a title to your article that has pizzazz. Make sure it has keywords in it and the more intriguing and interesting the title – the more traffic you will get.

Mistake number two – poor quality content.

OK, you have found an amazing title – you even researched keywords to use. But the content is not exactly stellar, in fact the writing is just a bunch of fluff and empty words – no real instructions or informative content.

Bad idea – people will stop reading your articles – and remember not to bother next time around.

Mistake number three – the copy of your text should not have typos – or be formatted poorly.

Have you ever started reading an article or email and the spelling embarrassed you and you didn’t even write it? I rest my case – make sure everything is spelled correctly!

Another thing to consider is breaking your text into paragraphs and highlighting individual lines. It makes your article easier to read – and will lead to many more readers – and miraculously – many more visitors to your blog or website.

Mistake number Four – under utilization of resource box

Resource boxes are why you do article marketing – it leads the reader to click on a link and takes them to your blog – website or affiliate page. It invites the reader to get more good information from you (or it should).

It also provides valuable back-links to your website or landing page that will help with your SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Instead of talking about yourself in the first few lines it is more effective to offer them something (of value) free. Then introduce yourself - in as short and succinct a way as possible, while still giving them the essence of whom you are.

Example: Less effective resource box.

The way I use to have my resource box – and I have seen others as well

Is your website an integral part of making money in your business? Then you need to "Create the image you need to attract the customers you want." Pamela Jacob, owner of Artista Design, can help you do just that. She specializes in all types of visual mediums and has been in the new media industry for over a decade. To gain more valuable insights from Pamela Jacob visit: http://www.artistadesign.com

Example: A more effective resource box

The way I have my resource box set up now.

As a (FREE) gift to you - download your copy of "The Ultimate Guide to FREE Traffic" just go to http://artistadesign.com

Getting your online business humming can be a daunting task. Having an expert who can guide you - one who has walked the walk and talks the talk is invaluable.

Pamela Jacob is just that - she is the owner of Artista Design and has been working with online businesses for over a decade.

Writing articles is such an important process, especially when marketing your own online business – once you get into the hang of it you are going to find, it is not only richly rewarding – monetarily – but a lot of fun as well!

Until next time – have an amazing day!

Check out my portfolio at: http://artistadesign.com/portfolio.html

Pamela Jacob – Artista Design

Providing Creative Solutions & Valuable Results

Are parasites sucking the blood out of your business??

I recently read an article on small businesses and what stops them from being successful – half way through it hit me…

These problems could be described as parasites – things you don’t even realize are killing your business. Little by little they waste your time and keep you from doing the things that actually make you the success you deserve to be.

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Parasite # 1- Demanding Client(s)…

If you are a business that values your customer – you give great customer service – you bend over backwards to do everything possible to make them happy and give them an experience that will bring them back for more.

In fact 99% of my business, in the past 5 years, have been repeat customers and referrals.

I am proud of that.

Even so, that doesn’t mean along the way I have not run into what I call the demanding client.

When I was a young company, I was just happy to have anyone that needed my services. I didn’t care how difficult or time consuming they were. I would do the design project as we had discussed, but then suddenly, they were not happy with something we had been developing for weeks – thing that were great last week needed to be changed.

Now you may be thinking that is great – more hours more money - NOT!

I work on a per project basis, my clients are mainly small businesses or start up companies that could not afford me if I were to charge per hours, so we have an agreed upon project price.

Looking at this scenario you can see that I was working for less than minimum wage – the more time I would give the more they would demand.

I realized after having a few of these types of clients I had not communicated with them effectively. I didn’t have a written – contract that explained in detail what I would do for a given amount.

Lesson learned I started to set boundaries and write contracts that were much more detailed.

The communication got better and the clients knew what to expect and things ran along much smoother. Happy customers – even happier business owner

Parasite # 2 – Unreasonable Client(s)…

My motto,

Under promise – Over Deliver

How many of us have seen or heard the ads – make 20 billion dollars in 3 hours – solve all your problems in life with just 3 easy steps….

You get my point, if it sounds too good to be true – it is.

I always try and give my clients 110% - I will not nickel and dime them to death. I will help them with marketing advice if they need it etc.

However, ever once in a while I have a client that will not adhere to our contract.

They are just plain difficult – expect the impossible, and I found myself in the difficult position of having to say things like – we didn’t agree on that, or look at the proposal we outlined, or (fill in the blanks)…

What do you do when this happens to you?

Be up front, if you feel it is not worth your time – refund the money and move on – or refund a portion of their money (if it is for a service rendered) and quit doing business with them.

It is not worth the time when you have someone who does not respect you or your business – and if you cannot find a solution cut your losses. Do not continue to hit your head against the wall – you are losing business with people who want what you have to offer because you are trying to do the impossible.

Important point: First of all, I hope you have structured your business so you take a deposit for services rendered. I personally have my client's pay 50% up front and 50% upon completion.

If it is a huge project, I will take 50% up front, 25% once we have an agreed upon design – and 25% upon completion.

This protects my clients from worry because they know if I don’t live up to my promises, I will not get a full payment – it protects me because I know they are serious and have paid me a portion of the agreed upon fee.

Luckily, I don’t have clients like this anymore. I can tell by the initial consultation if it is a client I want to work with.

Don’t be afraid to turn down a client if you find they are not a fit – you will benefit in the long run and so will they.

Parasite #3 – Time Wasters…

You’re a business owner that is trying to be frugal. Times are a bit tight so you think you need to do everything yourself.

Even when you don’t have the slightest idea how to do it…

After all you are smart – why not learn how to do a website – design your own marketing material – and keep the books?

ARE YOU CRAZY?

Seriously, stick to what you do well – don’t waste your time trying to learn things that should be done by someone who knows how to do it right and in a fraction of the time. You don’t need to hire the most expensive person, just a professional who knows how.

The time it takes you to learn how to do these things – could be time you are spending finding clients, marketing, networking doing what you do well.

The old adage is true, time is money. So don’t waste your time learning to do something that should be left to professionals.

In fact you may even do more harm than good to your business. An example may be something like putting up a website that is less then professional and portraying a poor image.

Or not hiring a CPA to do your taxes when you know nothing about what exemptions you can take for a business – so you end up actually losing out on tax exemptions simply because you have no clue about financial matters.

In my case I am not a programmer – I can do some minor programming – and I know where to get java scripts I can use etc. But I hate the heavy duty stuff – and it would take me forever to learn something I am not talented at and I do not like.

If I have a client that needs something I cannot do I hire it done by a professional – and I outsource it.

I know it will cost me a lot less to have it done by a programmer because it will take them a fraction of the time – and they know more than I will ever care to know. On top of that, it will cost my client a lot less because I will not spend hours trying to figure it out.

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The bottom line is – it is important to recognize time wasters when you run your own business.

A lot of things (you may not even realize) can waste your time and pull you under making your business less than successful – and in time drain you of the enthusiasm and excitement you had when you first started the dream of developing your own financial security.

The thrill of developing a business from scratch and seeing it come to fruition is amazingly satisfying and to be able to learn from others will put you on the fast track to success…

Just remember that nothing good comes easy – but everything good will come when enjoying the fruits of your labor!

Don’t Fall Victim to Dishonest Web Developers

A Disturbing Trend

Yesterday I had a phone call from a person who was quite frustrated about a website he had a web professional do for him (that is what they called themselves – I beg to differ).

He had a basic website built and now could not get that person to send him any information on how to update it (no password, login or ftp) – nor was he informed on the very basics of the site its self.

That in its self is disturbing –, but as I looked into it for him, I came to find out that the domain name was not registered in his name but that of the business who built it for him. He did not even own his domain name –, and it is his family name.

This website was not a website at all but a Word Press blog. That isn’t a big deal except, he was led to believe that this was a website, on top of that it was built with a Word Press Theme template.

Consequently, no custom banner was ever involved, he was being led to believe it was custom, and this web business was being territorial about what??

This enrages me, it gives all web designers/developers a bad name – and I for one hope that none of you go through anything like this. As a result, I am writing this article to warn you.

Please be sure that whoever you choose to do a custom website for you – actually will do a website – if they want to do a blog as a website you need to know.

If you want a blog set up that is great but just be aware of what you are paying for.

What are you paying for? A template is a template is a template right! WRONG… When talking about a template with a potential web designer make sure that you differentiate what you are talking about.

Some templates that are sold –are not actually custom. You may be buying a template that a 1000 other people have with some custom features like – different website copy etc.

Some templates are semi- custom – these will be furnished with a different banner – your original copy and possibly some other graphics that are bought by you or the developers.

The templates that are truly custom, – are not always called templates you own the whole website - the design, concept, and copy. The whole website is yours and only yours.

No one will have a website like yours because it is one of a kind. You own the copyrights to it – you own the original graphics that are developed.

This can be true for blogs as well as website. As I have talked about in a few of my previous articles – make sure you do not – let me repeat – do not – put all you eggs in one basket.

How to Protect Your Business

I suggest you register your own domain name – I like godaddy.com – they are easy to register with, and you can transfer your domain name to any host. They are also inexpensive, but beware of the pop up screens that ask you to buy everything under the sun most of the time you only need the domain name – by pass the rest.

Host with a different provider – I like “Hands On Web Hosting” – they are prompt to answer my questions, I can set up my own emails, I love the staff – knowledgeable and customer service friendly.

If you want a cheap template that is customizable - hire a web designer/developer to help you customize it and upload it to your host – when you buy it from a host it is tied to the host… If you can afford it have a custom website – it is well worth it in the long run, and it is YOURS…

You do not want to be in the situation where you have everything done by one company.

Picture Yourself in this Situation

Scenario: You found a company that does everything – registers the domain, builds your website, sets up your emails and even hosts the website for you – WOW. How convenient is that!

Everything goes along smoothly and you are happy happy happy… Then something goes wrong – your email is not coming to you like before. You try to get a hold of them, and they do not answer. Your emails are you life blood, your income …

What do you do? You decide to take the bull by the horns and move to a different host – What happens when they own your domain name, or the custom template you bought isn’t custom at all and owned by the company, or what happens if they refuse to cooperate… Unfortunately, this happens a lot.

My Story

I had a host that I had used with for 5 years – they were great, you could contact them on the spot, and then with out my knowledge they sold the company – change of owners.

Everything changed, they would accept only email communications – that were not answered in a timely manner - I became really unhappy with the host, and I moved.

However, I had set up my business the right way and transfer everything without a hitch or hiccup.

Heed My Warning

Educate yourself before you jump in and decide what you want for your business – make sure you can trust the people you work with – that they are interested in your business success not just the bottom line – money in their pockets.

Find a professional that can answer your questions – remember, there are no dumb questions, especially when you are building a business.

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design Check out my sites at: http://linkbun.ch/6ymj