Does Article Marketing still work?
In today’s traffic tactics Thursday, I examine an old school method for generating free traffic. Does it actually work to create traffic and is it worth the time? Does article marketing for affiliates still work?
A few years back when Google clamped down on article directories, everyone panicked because their own posted affiliate marketing articles were suddenly falling in the search engine rankings. However, some of those repository sites have continued to recoup.
There are still a few effective ways to employ article marketing in your affiliate strategy, but the obsolete method of believing you can just whip up a short 300-word message with a link back to your site and then rank well is long over.
Using Article Directories or Ezines
Instead, you can create quality share-worthy articles. Articles should no longer be just lame teasers. They should contain substance that satisfies the reader enough where they will want to share the content with someone else, or bookmark it to read again because it’s that good.
Increase the amount of articles you submit. You may not effectively change the rankings with 5 articles, but by increasing the amount of content you place online will help boost traffic to your affiliate website.
There are loads of ezine directories you can use and can submit to the ones that include your niche. Make sure to follow their rules and guidelines for what they want and then polish up your article submission before submitting it for possible publication.
Using Press Release Promotion
Consider doing a press release in addition to typical articles. A press release is an article that’s designed like a story for a print newspaper. It is usually fact-based and includes one or two quotes from trusted sources or known experts (one of which could be you as an expert).
The idea behind a press release is to generate publicity for you website, online business, current promotion, or whatever. You can launch a press release all over the web for free or can use a paid PR service (like PRWeb) who will distribute your release to major news sites, search engines, and social media.
When writing a release, start by answering who – what – when – where – why – how and then add to the information you’re sharing by quoting yourself. Make sure you include a link to your website or blog.
Publish Article Posts on Your Own Blog
Some affiliates prefer to put their articles on their own sites or blogs (you can publish them either as posts or static pages). Having your own content certainly helps search engines consider your domain as an authority figure. If you decide to publish articles on your own site, be sure to do it consistently and regularly.
Be a Guest Author for Other Related Blogs
Write articles for other marketers’ blogs or for their newsletters. There are many blog owners who accept and cultivate articles for their niche. They’re happy to provide you with a link to your domain in exchange for the content you provide.
Offer to Write for Offline Newsletters and Magazine Media
Consider the traditional offline article route with trade magazines or newsletters. Pick up a Writer’s Market for the current year and look toward the back of the book. In it, they have thousands of trade magazines with the editorial contact information and submission guidelines are included.
You can submit an article and reach a highly targeted audience who appreciates your expertise. Some of the magazines will pay for the article, while others won’t pay, or pay in giving you extra copies instead of cash.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are still a few effective ways to use article marketing in your affiliate strategy. Whether you choose article directories, press releases, blog posts, guest blogging, newsletters, even traditional magazines, or a combination of these methods, they still work effectively when done right.
One thing about article marketing that is misunderstood is that even though it doesn’t immediately drive tons of traffic to your site with each article posted, once it is published on a reputable directory, magazine or repository – that article can continue to trickle traffic to your site for years to come.
As always, I like to know your thoughts, ideas, experiences, questions, or observations by leaving a comment below. And if you find this article to be helpful, I encourage you to share it with your favorite social network. Thank you! 🙂
