Posted By Eric Gruber, Your Article Marketing Expert

For now on, every Wednesday I will be posting new article submission sites and leads for those who want to get published on targeted websites, ezines and blogs.

Here are today’s article submission leads:

For those in health and wellness:

1. www.livingthehealthyway.info is looking for exclusive 400 to 1200 word articles. Simply email your articles to kirsten@retroepic.com

2. PanicFreeMe.com is looking for articles on stress management. Email your articles to: jill@panicfreeme.com

For those experts in self-improvement, you want to check out:

1. www.embracingmyjourney.com as they are lookig for articles that motivate and inspire others to live a life of passion and purpose. Emal your articles to: cgfbooks@gmail.com

2. Personal-Success-Factors.com is looking for articles (500 words max) on personal growth, self-help, motivation, keys to success and career planning. Email your articles to: steveborgmanlcpc@gmail.com

For those in small business, check out these free article leads:

1. For in small business marketing, you may want to tweak your articles for the financial advisor community and have your articles published on www.advisorwebsites.com/blog. Simply email: loic@advisorwebsites.com

2. For those experts who target entrepreneurs and start up businesses, you may want to submit your articles to www.startupgrowthexpert.com by emailin emailvinil@gmail.com

3. Choicevendor.com/blog (a vendor review site) is looking for articles related to small business, selecting vendors, marketing, business, finance, management, hiring and operations. This would be a great opportunity to use the differentiation article template that you can get for free at http://www.TryMyFreeArticleTemplates.com. Simply email your articles to: sarah@choicevendor.com

For a complete customized database of websites, ezines and article directories (at a 50% discount) that includes complete contact information, traffic rankings, and editorial guidelines go to: http://www.articlesubmissionsitedatabase.com/special

By Eric Gruber, Your Article Marketing Expert www.articlemarketingexperts.com

Another great post by Donna Gunter

http://www.Onlinebizu.com

Recently I was asked in an interview to imagine  that I was starting all over again, and as a  newbie, how I would fill my business in 60  days. Things have changed tremendously since I  began my online business in 1999, mostly for  the better.  Most of the steps, however remain  the same.  Best of all, the strategies I  recommend to fill your business are the same  ones that can be applied to any business, and  then applied again and again to other online  ventures.  Here are 8 secrets to filling the  prospect funnel in your business in 60 days:

1.  Success mind set.  Don’t gloss over this  strategy — it may be the most important of  all. If you truly want to succeed in your  business and are passionate about what you do,  nothing will hold you back.  This often means  that you have to step out in faith that you’ll  succeed, and most importantly, believe in  yourself as a success.  Sure, you may stumble,  or even fall, but you must be willing to pick  yourself back up and persevere — even without  a safety net hanging under you.

2.  Target market.  The biggest mistake that  business owners make is wanting to sell to  everyone. If you’ve tried this, you have no  doubt discovered that casting your net around  everyone is a very difficult task.  Narrowing  that group to a more manageable number will  actually serve you much better, believe it or  not. If you can identify a smaller group of  hungry prospects who are willing to pay for the  solutions to the problems that keep them awake  at night (or those who are willing to pay for  more information about a hobby or interest that  occupies much of their free time) AND who are  reachable in groups (associations, membership  sites, magazines, newsletters, discussion  forums or lists, social networking groups,  etc.), then you have made a key discovery that  will catapult your business forward.

3.  Client Attraction Device.  You’ve heard it  said time and time again that “the money is in  the list.”  This still holds true today, as  well. Without a list of interested prospects  to whom you can market, you don’t have a  business.  The quickest way to begin to develop  a list is to give something away. Yes, you  heard me correctly.  If you have content you  have already created, dig through that to see  if you have something appropriate for your  chosen target market.

If not, identify a problem of your target  market, and create some content that answers  one of those problems.  Perhaps it’s a  checklist, a Top 10 list, an ebook or special  report, an audio interview, a pod cast, a video  — do whatever is easiest for you.  Just ensure  that it is in a plug and play format , i.e.  don’t make your prospect download some weird  software that’s not commonplace to read and  view this material.

Make sure that your Client Attraction Device  has some valuable content in it.  Nothing is  more frustrating to me than to read a free  giveway that only serves to remind me that I  have a problem and offers no solution unless I  pay for it.  Don’t be afraid to demonstrate  your expertise by giving “how to” information  away.  Trust me, if you are truly good at what  you do, there’s no way that you can share  everything you know on a topic in one short  information product. Your Client Attraction  Device starts your prospects on the like, know,  and trust road that is imperative for them to  travel before they will decide to buy something  from you.

4.  Email marketing system.  You must have some  way to collect your prospect’s information and  a system by which you can stay in contact with  them. The best way to do this is by purchasing  email marketing services.  I use  GetMoreClientsAutoresponder.com (link to  http://www.getmoreclientsautoresponder.com).   Do not use a free service for this, nor try to  send emails out of your Outlook program.  If  you want to be a serous online business owner,  invest in the most important asset in your  business — your email marketing system.

5.  Blogsite.  A blogsite, which is a  web site/blog hybrid, is the quickest way to  build an online presence. The two most popular  blogging platforms, the fee-based Typepad  (link  to http://www.Typepad.com) and open source  software WordPress (link to  http://www.wordpress.org), can be used to  create a blogsite very quickly.  If you want  either of them customized with a particular  look or feel, that may take a bit longer and  require a greater investment.  However, either  will work well to get you started, and both  will permit you to enter your email marketing  system’s sign up code onto a page so that you  can immediately begin to collect contact  information from prospects who have requested  your Client Attraction Device.

6. Stay in touch. Whether you do this by  submitting regular blog posts or publishing an  email newsletter (or both), you need to reach  out and touch your prospects at least weekly (or  several times a week if you are blogging). Give them some insights about what’s happening  with you personally as well as sharing some  aspect of your expertise with them by creating  a content-rich article or answering their  questions.  And, don’t forget to sell — offer  some product or service in each email  newsletter, or submit regular blog posts that  remind your readers about what you are selling.

7.  Social networking.  Never before have we  had the opportunity to connect with others  online easily and inexpensively as we do now  with social networking. Create profiles on the  social networks) used by your target market,  do research to add friends/followers in your  target market, and use the status updates to be  useful to your followers, i.e. by sharing  resources, asking questions, and updating them  about how you help clients/customers.

8.  Drive traffic to your site.  There are a  number of ways to accomplish this, but my  favorite starts with writing an article. Once  it’s written, I publish it in my ezine, my  blog, and to my web site and syndicate it on  article directories all over the Web through  GetMoreClientsArticles.com (link to  http://www.getmoreclientsarticles.com).  Then I  have the option of making a pod cast with the  content; creating a screencast video or  “talking head” video from it; writing and  submitting a press release; creating a  teleclass; create a Q&A radio show interview  opportunity; breaking up the points as separate  Twitter posts, or Tweets, and tweeting them to  my followers; or sharing it on my Squidoo lens  or other information-sharing portals.  The  point here is to work once and profit, profit,  profit.  Repurpose one article as many ways as  you can to drive traffic back to your blogsite  and thus get more and more prospects to sign up  on your list and ultimately convert them to  customers.

The advent of the Internet makes it easier than  every to create and promote a business online  with very little startup capital.  And, if done  correctly, the strategies will results in you  filling your business in 60 days with eager and  willing prospects ready to buy what you are  offering.

Internet Marketing Automation Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals create prosperous online businesses that make more profit in less time by teaching them how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise, and get found online.  Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at ==> http://www.TurbochargeYourOnlineMarketing.com

by Donna Gunter,  OnlineBizU.com

Distributing your articles to various article banks and directories online (what I refer to as article marketing) won’t work for you unless you have a well-developed resource box.  A resource box is the bio information about the author that appears at the end of the article. Why is a great resource box important to the success of your article marketing efforts? Because it is the key element that will drive traffic back to your site, which should be your primary purpose when you engage in article marketing as an Internet marketing strategy.

Rather than trying to sell readers with your article resource box, promote your call to action and give your reader a reason to click on your call to action to go to your web site and learn more.  It’s on your web site where you do the selling, not in your article resource box.

Here are the 7 essential elements that you need to include in your resource box for maximum clickability:
1.  Your name.  Article marketing is all about branding and identity, so don’t forget to identify yourself in your resource box.

2.  Brief bio. Don’t try to convince your reader that you’re the expert here.  If your reader hasn’t figured that out through reading the content of your article, a lengthy bio won’t change things. A short yet effective bio is written in the following style:  (Your name) helps __________ (fill in the blank) to do ___________ (fill in the blank) even though ___________. (fill in the blank)

3.  Call to action. Don’t simply invite the reader to visit your web site in your call to action or just subscribe to your email newsletter or to join your mailing list.  Give the reader a reason to visit by offering your client attraction device, which is a a free resource that the reader receives when he opts into your list.

This free resource might be an ecourse, audio, video, ebook, or special report, all of which serve to continue to educate your reader, thus raising your level of expertise in the eyes of your reader. Furthermore, asking your reader to opt-in to receive your client attraction device permits you to keep in touch with your article readers long after they have read your article.  Your  ultimate goal in capturing their contact info is to convert them to customers.

4. Compelling domain name.  Article marketing and resource boxes work best if you let your domain name do the talking for you.  So, rather than sending someone to JohnSmith.com, for example, send someone to a domain name that portrays an exciting benefit or feature in which the reader might be interested.  You can use your domain registrar’s domain forwarding and and masking features to help you channel your reader to the desired location on your web site.

5.  Keep it short.  Many article directories limit the article resource box to 450 characters (yes, that’s CHARACTERS, not WORDS).  Use your limited real estate wisely to ensure maximum clicks back to your web site.

6.  Accentuate your offer.  To drive home the point that I want someone to click on my call to action, I include  ==> just before the domain name of my offer.

7.  Anchor text.  If you have the option of including HTML coding in your resource box, create a hyperlink to one of your primary keywords/keyword phrases for which you want to create valuable backlinks.  So, for example, if I wanted to increase my findablity on search engines for the term “Internet Marketing Coach,” I’d link that phrase in my resource box to my web site URL

If you use this last tip, keep in mind that most article banks permit no more than 3 hyperlinks in any article.  If you use one on the anchor text and one in your call to action, that leaves you with only one to use in the body of your article.
Remember, it’s the body of your article where you provide valuable info to your reader without any promotions, and it’s your resource box where all the promotion occurs.  A well-crafted resource box can entice readers to click on your offering and drive droves of traffic to your web site.
Note:  For a great example of a resource box, see the end of this article.

Internet Marketing Automation Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals create prosperous online businesses that make more profit in less time by teaching them how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise, and get found online.  Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at ==> http://www.TurbochargeYourOnlineMarketing.com

Post by  Penny C. Sansevieri, penny@amarketingexpert.com
THE BOOK MARKETING EXPERT NEWSLETTER.

Embarking on an Internet marketing campaign doesn’t have to be difficult, tricky, or complicated. Here are a few simple ways (twenty in fact) that you can easily implement to get tons of traffic to your site right now!

1) Write articles: believe it or not this is an incredible tool for driving traffic. Well-written, relevant articles can net you quite a bit of activity to your website. Don’t forget to add your URL in your byline. Articles should be 500 to 2,000 words in length. You can send articles to sites like: articlecity.com, goarticles.com, submityourarticles.com and ezinearticles.com.

2) Social bookmark *everything* – and I do mean everything, you can bookmark each page of your site and each blog entry you post. While this might seem tedious it’s worth it. You’ll see a strong increase in traffic if you social bookmark each page on your site and each of your blog entries.

3) List yourself in the best directories - you’ll have to pay for this but since most people don’t do this (since everyone’s looking for a freebie) you could really enhance your traffic by getting a listing: http://dir.yahoo.com,  botw.org.

4) Get yourself listed at: DMOZ.org – it’s not easy to get listed there but worth the effort.

5) Review: if you can review hot new products or books within your market, head on over to Amazon.com and start positioning yourself as an expert. In order to do this effectively you’ll want to create an Amazon profile and make sure and sign each review with a reference to your URL (your website). You can also go to epinions.com and revoo.com to review products as well.

6) Offer a freebie on craigslist: you’ll be amazed at how much traffic you get from a single craigslist ad. They key here is to send people to a page on your site and make sure they have to sign up for something (like your email newsletter) before they can grab their freebie. That way you’re not just getting traffic, you’re also building your list.

7) Create a “recommended by” list on your del.icio.us page – you can do this by logging on and creating an account at del.icio.us and then tagging articles, blogs and other content you think is important to your readership. Then offer this page as a resource site. You can add a link to this page in your email signature line or on your website.

And speaking of your email signature line – do you have one? If you don’t, create one. Believe it or not, people do follow these links. You’ll be amazed how many folks read email signature lines. I have one and change it several times a year, depending on what we’re doing or promoting or what books I have coming out.

9) Lend a helping hand: you can be an answer person at Yahoo Answers http://answers.yahoo.com/ – you don’t have to spend hours on there but maybe a few minutes a week. Make sure and include a link back to your site by your answers.

10) Set up a social networking site using Facebook.com, Linkedin.com, or Squidoo. It’s free and easy to do, just don’t forget the all-important link back to your site!

11) Make sure your blog has an RSS feed so if you capture a reader you don’t lose them if they forget to bookmark your site or blog.

12) Join relevant groups at Yahoo groups http://groups.yahoo.com/. You’ll find everything from groups on growing your small business, writing books, finding your passion, even underwater basket weaving. I dare you to find one that isn’t right for what you’re promoting. When you do find the right group, join and participate as you can!

13) Podcasting is another great way to drive traffic. Start a podcast by going to AudioAcrobat http://bookmkr.audioacrobat.com/ – yes, this is our affiliate link. There are other programs you can use, but I love AudioAcrobat. You can record the podcast over the phone quickly and easily and then hit the “send” button on your computer once it’s recorded and the system will syndicate it to 27 podcast directories including iTunes. It’s a great way to let people know about you and your website!

14) Start a blog and then once you do, start commenting on other people’s blogs, linking to them from your site or adding them to your blogroll.

15) Inbound links: don’t squander your time (or a perfectly good link) on smaller low-traffic sites. Instead spend your time going after high traffic, high quality sites. Good sites should have a PR (page ranking) of 4-6 depending on the market. You can find out what a site’s page ranking is by downloading the Google toolbar, which comes with a PR feature built in.

16) Start an email newsletter: while it may not seem like a newsletter that you email can drive traffic to your site, you’d be surprised at the effectiveness of this type of promotion. If your newsletter (like your articles) is interesting and relevant to your audience you’ll find that it has a huge pass-through factor. Meaning that it is passed from one email subscriber to another. Also, if you have an email newsletter you should never, ever go to a single event without your handy sign-up sheet. Yes, you can even use offline events to drive traffic to your website.

17) And speaking of offline efforts: if you’re ever quoted in a magazine or other publication, make sure and mention your URL as it’s appropriate to the topic. Don’t be too pushy about this, but do not forget to tell folks you have a website that may be a great resource for the topic of your interview.

18) If you have products to sell why not get a store on eBay? This site gets a tremendous amount of traffic, and on your sales page you’re allowed to list your URL. Another great way to get an inbound link and a way for people to find you.

19) Load a video on YouTube and 57 other video sites – if you don’t have a video or don’t know how to create one, contact us and we’ll refer you to our fabulous book video people!

20) While this isn’t a tip per se it’s still important. If you’re going to go through all the trouble of getting traffic to your site, make sure your site is converting this traffic into something. Get folks to sign up for something, your newsletter, the RSS feed on your blog. Whatever it is, getting their email address will help you re-market to them when the time is right. Studies show that visitors landing on a site often don’t buy the first time. That’s ok! You want to get them into your marketing funnel so you can market to them again and again – not in a way that’s obtrusive, offensive or downright annoying but in a way that is helping them with their own mission. An example of this might be an email newsletter. A helpful, informative newsletter is a fantastic funnel.

A blog is another great way to keep people in your marketing loop without bombarding them with “please buy my stuff” email messages. Also, make sure you know what your traffic numbers are before you launch into any Internet marketing campaign. By traffic numbers, I mean how many people are visitingyour site. You want to know this so you can gauge a before and after view of your marketing efforts.

Reprinted from “The Book Marketing Expert newsletter,” a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com

Another great post from Penny Sansevieri

After years of working with authors on Internet tours, talking about blogging, podcasting, social networking, and all other assorted online promotional tools, the basic questions still remain: How the heck do I promote myself on the Internet? Broken down in simple steps, this article is designed to give you a good starting point to kick your Internet promotion into high gear. It’s not difficult but you have to start somewhere. Let’s start with your web site.

Web site: Why would someone visit it? Why would anyone care? Before you start marketing yourself online, ask these basic questions. You can get anyone to a web site once, but getting them back a second, or third time is where authors often lose momentum. Studies have shown that less than 14% of web site visitors will buy the first time they visit. It’s only on the second or third visit that they decide to make a purchase. Anyone can drive traffic to your site, it’s getting them back that counts.

The point of your tour: getting incoming links

Here’s the thing: anyone can get incoming links, the point is, you want GOOD and quality incoming links from sites that can actually send you traffic and readers that will buy your book. We get numerous calls from authors who have bought into inexpensive programs that do nothing more than drive unqualified, “tire kicking” traffic to their web site. This kind of traffic is not going to do you any good; in fact, if you’re not careful, getting a bunch of errant links from sites that Google doesn’t feel are right for your topic or market can get you downgraded online instead of a better ranking. So how do you beat this?

First, you’ll want to download the Google toolbar. This toolbar comes with a Page Ranking piece (in some cases you may have to download this separately). This Page Rank is important because it’s an indicator of how important Google thinks a particular site is. Ideally sites you target will have a Page Rank of 4 or above. We like to target sites that have a ranking between 4-6. Then look at the nature of the sites you’re pitching. Are they related to your topic? Do the sites have lots of great content? Would they consider reviewing your book, maybe interviewing you or excerpting your book? Regardless of what they’re willing to do, the idea is to use these sites to help spread the message about your book and give them great content. All sites are looking for great content and if you can offer it to them, it’s a win-win. Here’s what not to do: don’t just link swap with your friends. I know writers who belong to writer’s groups and just swap links with other writers. This isn’t good for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that the site you might be linking to (or getting a link from) has nothing to do with your topic.

Slow and steady wins the race: The idea of ‘touring’ or promoting yourself online is about building traffic, links, and authority status within search engines. I tend to reference Google a lot since most of us default search there. People ask me how long they should promote themselves online, I tell them for as long as they need to. As long as there are sites you can pitch yourself to you can continue promoting. Our web site, Author Marketing Experts, has never been promoting in an aggressive fashion. Yes, we use new promotional techniques and cutting-edge Web 2.0 trends but it’s never been about a fast push; it’s always been about slow and steady growth. Because of this we have great ranking, linking, and placement on Google. I’ve never paid for a single ad-word placement or fancy traffic program that leverages links only.

Using blogs, podcasts, and article syndication: the Internet is full of tools to use. Blogs are a great way to promote to but consider this: why not comment on blogs in your market that are getting a lot of traffic? You may not be able to get a review but you can always comment and, you’ll get a link back to your site in the process.

Podcasting is another great tool, there are a ton of podcasts out there that you can promote yourself to. Check out iTunes and Podcast Alley to find some that might suit your topic and market.

Article syndication: another powerful but often overlooked market. Write a piece between 500 and 2,000 words and send it out into cyberspace via sites like Isnare, Ezine Articles and Article City and watch the links start building to your site.

If the idea of social networking, social bookmarking, video and the like are overwhelming then I recommend that you start simple: begin by pitching yourself online and see what you can grow from there. Most of the time the main reason an author abandons any thought of an online campaign is because they are overwhelmed by their choices. Start small and build from there, this is how we did it and how we grew our market. You can too. Then, when you’ve gotten your ‘sea legs’ when it comes to Internet promotion, you can branch out into other areas.

Good luck, here’s to your Red Hot success!

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com

Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a book marketing and media relations expert whose company has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. Visit AME.

Interview with Paulette Ensign

1) Why would someone want to turn their book into a booklet?

This gives readers a bite-sized palatable introduction to a new topic in their life rather than first delving into a 200-page book as their first experience with new information. The booklet can be an overview of the most important concepts in the book, taking something from each chapter. Once the reader digests those basic ideas, they will be eager and ready for more, which becomes the full-length book. It also gives the reader a choice of which publication is their starting point, rather than a yes/no about whether to buy the book or not. This all gives the author greater sales opportunities.

2) I already wrote a book or I’m thinking of writing a book. How can a booklet help me?

Instead of creating only one booklet from a book, an author may decide to divide the book into as many booklets as there are chapters. Having a series of booklets provides much more revenue than a single book is likely to do. It also lets the reader buy segments of the book that would be most appealing. For the author who has yet to write the book and intends to, doing a series of booklets can be a painless way to write an entire book, and have something to sell before the entire book is completed.

3) How would you use a booklet to market your book?

It’s typical for a booklet author to specifically invite the reader to seek out the book, by adding on the last page “For more in-depth information on this topic, you’ll want to add our book… to your library today.” This is only one of many ways the booklet markets the book. The booklet can also be an inexpensive value-added item that is physically bundled with the book to enhance and increase the value of the purchase.

4) Are there particular types of books that work better for this?

Non-fiction books are often the easiest starting point for tips booklets. However, it is completely possible to create a tips booklet for a fiction book, focusing on some theme in the story or travel to the location in which the story is set or any number of other elements within a fiction book.

5) Is there a formula for writing an effective tip?

Create a tip by writing one sentence starting with a positive verb, telling the reader what to do. Follow that with one or two sentences explaining “why” or “how.”

6) What is a good way to choose a topic for a booklet?

The best topic is the one you are most enthused about and, ideally, is also the focal point of your business or cause.

7) Won’t a booklet keep people from buying my book(s) and services?

The booklet actually encourages more sales of your products and/or services by establishing your credibility and introducing you as a valued resource for more relevant information and/or service.

Can I write one booklet or do I have to write a whole series for this to work well?

Your personality and your business requirements will best dictate whether one booklet is all you need and want to do, or if it makes better sense to develop an entire series. Either way can and has been effective.

9) How does a booklet actually market and promote a business I have?

A booklet defines you as a trusted adviser, expert, and resource. Each time a copy of your booklet lands in anyone’s hands, you are educating them on your expertise and informing them of where  they can get more from you that will benefit their life.

10) Can this booklet be leveraged in some ways, maybe even into other products?

Entire information product lines, both hard copy and digital online, can be developed from a single 3,000-5,000 word tips booklet document. It is highly effective as a business owner to create your booklet in other formats that appeal to different learning styles, life circumstances, convenience, price considerations, and “wow” factor.  It is fairly common for people to want multiple formats of the same information so, at any point, they can choose to read or listen, store on their computer or read at the beach, or share with others in some way. Some formats have no development cost at all. Others can be nominal. The return on your investment can be huge. This is especially true when you become aware of the many opportunities to sell your products in very, very large quantities to corporations for them to use to promote their own product, service, or cause.

(c) 2009, Paulette Ensign

Paulette Ensign is Founder and Chief Visionary of San Diego-based Tips Products International. She has personally sold well over a million copies of her tips booklet in several languages and formats without spending a penny on advertising. She will teach you how to surpass her results. You’re next, no matter where you are on your publishing journey.  Learn more about Paulette’s services.

The following post if from my colleague  Donna Gunter, The Boomer Biz Queen™

Increasing online visibility is the goal of most online business owners.  After all, without visibility, you have no traffic and thus no business. However, when you start to research how to increase your online visibility, you discover so many options, yet have so little time for research and implementation.  Where does an online entrepreneur turn first to get the visibility (and traffic) you seek to help you promote your online venture?

New tricks and gimmicks come out every day, but unfortunately, most of them are like so many recording artists and become one-hit wonders.  In my business, I’ve discovered that there are a handful that are able to stand the test of time.  Some have been around for as long as websites have been around, while others are newer kids on the block.  Here are my 10 most effective strategies to massively increase your visibility online:

1.  Press releases.  Press releases are a well-known marketing strategy that has worked for years with print and broadcast media.  In recent years they have found new life as an online visibility tool. Just like in the old days, your release should carry some newsworthy angle that has been optimized with a select few keywords by which you want your business to be found.  Don’t waste your time submitting your release to the free press release sites — the release simply sits on the site and goes no where else.  Instead, invest in a fee-based service (I prefer PRWeb.com), which will ensure your release gets the recognition it deserves.

2.  Social Networking.  A “johnny come lately” to the online visibility scene, social networking now ranks near the top in terms of attracting much visibility to your business for a very low cost. If you don’t yet have accounts on the two most popular social networking platforms, Facebook and Twitter, today is the day to hop on board and begin to network. Choose 1-2 social networking platforms where your target market hangs out, and then begin to work it by making connections, joining groups or networks, sharing resources, and asking questions.  Dedicate 15-30 minutes each day to your effort to begin to see results.

3.  Article Marketing.  Writing and submitting articles to major article directories has definitely stood the test of time for online visibility.  Article marketing will drive traffic to your site, establish you as an expert in your target market’s eyes, and give you valuable content to repurpose into information products. For maximum effectiveness, your article needs to contain a strong resource box (author’s bio) that drives traffic back to your site, needs to contain useful content that solves a problem of your target market, and is written in a tips-based fashion, like this one, as they are the easiest for a website visitor to read and digest.

4.  Blogging.  Business blogs (a web log or journal), have gained popularity over the last few years as an online visibility tool. Blogs use RSS feed technology to immediately get new posts and updates out to your blog subscribers through a feed reader. Unlike ezines or traditional websites, search engines index blog posts almost immediately, which help you generate traffic to your website. To use effectively as an online visibility tool, you need to post 2-3 times per week to keep your readers interested and coming back.

5.  Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  Optimizing your site or your blog for organic (naturally-occurring) searches has been around from the beginning of Internet marketing.  Use a keyword research tool and create a list of keywords applicable to your business.  Don’t forget to add things like “how to”, “tips”, or short descriptions of your target market’s problems to your research. Then, take a look at your page titles, page descriptions, page headlines, and formatted text on a page (bolding, italicizing, underlining) and include your keywords in those areas, as well as sprinkling 1-2 keywords throughout the content of your page.  Make the SEO appear to be natural, not forced, and the search engines as well as your visitors will love you.

6.  Email Newsletter (Ezine). Regular publication of an email newsletter (weekly is most effective) will enable your prospects to get to know, like and trust you and have you be top of mind when they are ready to solve the pressing problems that fall within your line of expertise.  If you make opting into your ezine list the primary call to action on your website, you continually build your list with prospective customers.  Best of all, if they like what you write, they are more likely to pass along the issue to their contacts, thus increasing your visibility yet again.

7.  Signature Teleseminar/Speech.  Have you created your signature speech or teleseminar that you can present whenever you’re asked to speak to any type of group (face-to-face or virtual)? If not, design a signature speech or teleseminar that demonstrates your knowledge and expertise without giving away the store (focus on the what and the why but not the how) that compels your listeners to visit your website or request your client attraction device and get on your list.

Then, begin to research groups that contain your target market both in your geographic area and online. Once you’ve landed a speaking gig, strategize your best call to action for the group — do you want participants to sign up for your email list, purchase a product, or book a consultation?  Add that call to action to your presentation.

8.  Videos.  With the popularity of broadband Internet connections, it’s much easier for almost anyone to view online video these days.  And, with high-quality yet low-cost web cams, video cameras, and screen capture software readily available, anyone can make a video today.  You might record a live Q&A session on UStream.com and post it on your site.  Or, perhaps you want to record a “how to” tutorial using screenshots from your computer and upload that to yourYouTube.com channel. Remember to include your call to action in your video so that you drive traffic back to your site.  Just think — your video may cause you to become the next YouTube star!

9.  Expert question sites.  Most people conduct online searches to find free information that answers their questions.  Many online entrepreneurs are registering as experts on an expert or answers site, likeYahoo Answers orAllExperts.com, in an effort to get visibility online. To be an effective expert on these sites, you need to seek out questions that you can knowledgeably answer as an expert. Your answer needs to be very detailed and as specific as possible. The more thorough your answer, the better chance you’ll have of getting chosen as the “favorite” answer, which is the one rated highest on the site and in the search engines.

10.  Viral marketing.  Viral marketing involves creating a marketing piece (ebook, video, software) that gets passed along fr*ee of charge from person to person. Publicity Hound Joan Stewart does this quite effectively each year when she compiles the best tips she’s written about in the previous year in a “best of” ebook compilation that she gives away free of charge on her site.  She also encourages her list and website visitors to “regift” it.

You’ve got two options when you try to get online visibility:  the “steady and effective over time” method or the “quick and short and probably get banned” method. I prefer to use methods that have stood the test of time and won’t result in my site being removed from the search engines.  Use one or more of these time-honored strategies to get you the visibility you deserve online.

Internet Marketing Strategist and Boomer Biz Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses that they love by demystifying and simplifying the tools and strategies needed to market and grow their businesses online. To claim your FR*EE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at  AskDonnaGunter.com

Post by Judy Cullins

You want your business to be noticed by hundreds and more of unique visitors at your web site every day. You already know that online article directories, ezine publishers, webmasters, and blogs want free content in all kinds of categories. They want and need health, marketing, financial, and spiritual information. To check out where your article fits into the hundreds of categories, go to www.ezinearticles.com.

Article marketing and the audience you serve to make a difference in their lives is a promotion marriage made in heaven. But, you will have a much better chance of attracting your target audience, creating ongoing relationships, and accomplishing top product sales if you write an article that solves a problem for your audience.

Let’s assume your audience is business people like yourself who needs a problem solved–to stop procrastinating, write a book, market a book, create wealth, market a business, create wealth, or develop a loving relationship.

How To Article Writing Formats That Bring your Audience Flocking to your Site.

1. Write a How To Article

Information hungry business people want this one! First, open with a hook–something that will entice your reader to keep reading. That may be a shocking fact, a ponder question.

Then, establish rapport by including the background of the problem and where your audience is now with the challenge.

Follow with solutions and benefits in the article body to make a difference in their lives. You can number these for clarity.

Don’t worry about your article giving away the store. Readers will judge you by your easy to read, organized, concise style and content, and will be come to your web site to see what else you offer.

To get started, make a list of topics you know or that relate to your business. Take one at a time and write a short piece on it. You can write a short article around 400 words to start.

For solutions to the problem, give information and resources that will assist your audience. That includes web sites with the URLs, book titles, or particular experts you know can help get to the solution.

Sample Article Titles from Clients:

“How to Procrastinate to Your Heart’s Desires;” ” How to Create Employees Who Can Hardly Wait to Get to Work Each Day;” and “Promote your Coaching and Speaking Business Through Free Articles.”

2. Write Tips

This kind of how to article takes the shortest time to write and is also the easiest format. Even if you think you can’t write, you can write a tip.

Create a title first. “Five Ways to Strop Procrastination.” After the opening hook, include an introduction with your thesis–the point you want to prove, or the problem you are about to solve. Usually one or two sentences are enough. At the end, include a one or two sentence conclusion in which you add one more punchy way to stimulate your reader to act. Remember to include your power-packed signature file below each article or tip.

To write a tip, after the title….

1. Start with a command such as ” Do this.”

2. Follow that by the consequence of not following the tip. Or, show a benefit of following the tip.

3. Show examples or resources to solve a problem and put the tip into action.

Write an article with 3, 5, 7 or 10 tips in it. It’s best to give a complete tip as listed above rather than just a list. Don’t bore people with a long list.

Tips can be 100-300 words. Keep some on your web site, combine them into a book to sell with correct headers and headlines.

The Biggest Mistake even Experts Make

Starting one tip out with a command verb and using a noun phrase for the next one. This inconsistency makes the article difficult to read and understand quickly.

Expand your influence with how to articles. You’ll attract new tailored visitors, clients and profits.

Book and Internet Marketing Coach, Judy Cullins, can help you build credibility and clients, sell a lot of books, and make maximum profits. Author of 11 books including Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast and The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Targeted Web Traffic” Get her free eBook”20 High Octane Book Writing and Marketing Tips” and two free monthly ezines at http://www.bookcoaching.com

post by Wendi J. McNeill

The only way your going to get more speaking engagements and fill your schedule is if you get your message out and get it out to the right people, the people in your market who have the buying power to hire you. Get to know them and build relationships and you will find your schedule full every year.

How do I get my message out? Market, market, market! Opportunities don’t normally land on your lap without doing a bit of work first, once you start marketing yourself one door leads to another as you continue to market on a daily basis and build your platform. There are so many ways to market and finding the ones that work for you will be through trial and error, something that works for one may not work for another. My suggestion first is to make sure your website is in place and marketable this is extremely important as planners and media professionals are online now looking for their experts so make sure you have everything on your website to back your “talk” and show you are the expert and this will make for an easy decision for them.

Another recommendation for marketing is to start an article marketing campaign and write articles on a regular basis and have them submitted to article sites, this will place you as the expert and link back to your website. If you don’t have time to market your articles then think about hiring a virtual assistant to help you with this.

Another marketing technique is to join many networking groups both online and off, build relationships and grow your mailing list (very important) you want to grow your mailing list so you can continue to market to your audience, share valuable content that will help them solve their problems and also offer your services and products that will assist them as well.

Although there are so many ways to market both online and off the above are just a few to get you going and remember even though you may not like marketing yourself it has to be done or nobody will ever know you exist. Once again if marketing isn’t your thing think about hiring a virtual assistant to assist you in this area. Keep marketing on a continuous basis and you will see a world of difference!

Wendi McNeill start up business coach for speakers has been opening doors of opportunity and coaching speakers since 2002. She is the founder of Charli Jane Speaker Services providing coaching and speaker services to help speakers start and grow their business.

To learn more about Wendi visit her online at http://www.CharliJane.com 

The following post is from Joan Stewart the Publicity Hound. Internet marketers are hawking thousands of products that promise to help you promote yourself and get rich quick—AFTER you pay, in some cases, several thousand dollars for the how-to information.

I just discovered one of those how-to products that’s perfect for Publicity Hounds, but at a paltry $10.  It just might be the best money you’ve ever spent.

It’s a 13-page report called “Easy 7-Step Fash Cash Strategy, written by Lynn Terry, who I met at a members-only convention hosted by Stompernet, the Internet marketing membership site, earlier this year. (Sorry, but membership in Stompernet is currently closed.)

Lynn’s report teaches you how to market a special report that you’ve written for a niche audience, even if you don’t have a website, shopping cart, or email addresses of people who have given you permission to market to them.  Most Publicity Hounds I know would love to create info-products for their niche, but they abhor the thought of creating a website, processing the payments or delivering the product.

Lynn suggests that you write a content-rich report that walks people through the steps of how to solve a problem, similar to the 52 special reports I sell on publicity-related topics.

You can give away the report as background information for journalists, or for your favorite clients and customers.  But Lynn suggests you sell it to the public like she’s doing so you have an additional revenue stream.

The only 2 things you need

You only need two things: a PayPal account and an email address. I recommend the report for:

—Anyone who has written a book and is looking for a fast, inexpensive product to create so they can upsell their readers to something else.

—Anyone who has written a book and wants a low-price product that catches the attention of people in a particular target audience who also might be interested in the book.

—Publicity Hounds who want to promote their expertise and demonstrate their ability to solve problems.  If people love the report, they might be inclined to hire you at your hourly consulting rate.

—Speakers who are trying to get paid gigs in a particular industry.  Rather than cold-calling meeting planners, you can market the report to a niche, and then include in the report information about topics on which you speak. I’d even go so far as to suggest that within the report, you mention that readers who would like to hear you speak at a live event should contact meeting planners at their trade associations and hire you for their next event, assuming you’re a good fit.

—Anyone in PR who wants more clients. That includes book publicists, PR agency people and sole-proprietor publicists. Write a report on how to a solve a particular publicity problem. Many people don’t want to do their own publicity. They’d rather hire someone like you.

—Small-business owners who can explain within the report a problem and solution that relates to a product or service they sell.  The report can generate leads that turn into paying customers.

In some cases, you can create the report and start selling it in well under a week.  And if you have questions, go over to Lynne’s discussion forum where she’ll be happy to help you.

From drug store manager to Internet marketer

Michael Brown of Howard, Ohio, one of Lynn’s customers, quit his day job managing drug stores earlier this year and started his own Internet marketing business selling information products after he read Lynn’s Fast Cash Strategy report.  He followed her step-by-step instructions, created a special report, and marketed it exactly as she explained.

Initially, he sold 300 copies of the $10 report. He then expanded the report into a $47 ebook and sold 1,200 copies. Total income from both products: $59,400. Since then, he has created dozens more reports and other information products and sells them from his website, TheProfitHQ.com.

While reading the report, my “ah-ha” moment came when Lynn explained how to quietly sell your report at a few specific websites, and then generate feedback and testimonials which you can then use during the product launch.

Michael says his “ah-ha” moment came when he read on Page 13 the exact wording you should use, including the subject line, when you’re emailing someone to introduce yourself and suggest they join you in a joint venture to market the report.

“That was a good starting point for me,” Michael said.  “It’s one thing to create a product but something altogether to try to round up people to help you promote it.”

Today, his business has grown to include managing two membership sites.

Get Lynn’s report.  Read it, choose a topic, write your own report, and then get started marketing it to people who are searching right now for helpful solutions to aggravating problems. Who knows? You just might be able to quit your day job.

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a News Release.”

One of the ways to get more visibility is by writing articles and submitting them to the various directories on the net. In the post today by Judy Cullins she offers tips on what to do once your submit your articles so that you can keep repurposing your content and continue to gain recognition.

Take it away Judy…

What do you do after you submit an article to a high-traffic web site like EzineArticles.com?

I hope you didn’t say “nothing.”

Remember, you submitted a description with each article. Now is the time to use each article link along with the description to stay in touch with your target audience every few weeks or even weekly to build customer loyalty retention. Now is the time to expand your article marketing network.

This article marketing research includes keeping a growing list from two sites that list so far 57 articles and links from Hubpages.com and 230 from EzineArticles.com.

We choose 2 articles every two weeks already published on these sites, and share them with our many lists including “ezine subscribers,” “question and answers,” “free reports” and “customers.” Sometimes we add a note and a link to a product or teleseminar we’re producing for upcoming months.

Promoting to your Lists by Autoresponder

1. Choose two published articles from either a blog site like hubpages.com or directory site like EzineArticles.com.

2. Choose a proper headline for the subject line of your email promotion. For example,”Judy’s Fresh New Articles for You.”

3. Place a note at the top of your promo saying you are staying in touch and want to share your latest tips.

4. Include the two article descriptions and the live link such as this one:

You may think you don’t have enough time and ask, “Can I learn how to write a book in 28 days? Or “Can I write a book in two weeks? You may want to know how to write a business book.

As a long-time book coach, I can enthusiastically recommend you write a business book or a non-fiction book. Include the title and link after the description such as hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Write-a-Book-Fast. You’ll have to add the http://www. in front of this to actually click to the article.

5. Keep good records of these promotions. It’s easy to get confused who you sent what to if you don’t keep numbered lists of these articles from article 1 at the bottom, adding # 2, 3 as you submit above it. If an assistant does this, you need to stay in the loop by adding your name to each list by autoresponder.

Now you know this wonderful way to stay in touch with your clients, using article descriptions and links sent directly to your potential clients and customers, are you ready to expand this idea to other venues?

Web coach and “Article Lady” Judy Cullins helps small business and their websites get well known, building client base, and increasing sales conversions. Get her free report “Five Article Marketing Mistakes and How to Solve Them” at http://www.bookcoaching.com/free-report-article-mistakes.php

Read posts on article writing

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_Cullins

by Donna Gunter, The Online Biz Resource Queen ™

I do wonder at times if some Twitter users have any time to get any work done.  Several of the more prolific ones that I follow swear they spend no more than 30 minutes a day on Twitter, but I really find that hard to believe.  Many times it seems they are twittering just to say something, like “Good morning Twitterverse” when they begin their day, give more details than I want to know about what they had for lunch, what their children said to them, or when they take a nap.

I realize that this is part of the “like, know, and trust” process that enables people to get to know each other, but sometimes it’s simply too much information..LOL.  I’m Twittering primarily to market my business.  Consequently, I try and limit my personal twitters to no more than 2 per day.  My clients, who create Twitter accounts for marketing, as well, tell me, “I’m signed up.  Now what in the world do I Twitter about?  How do I market my business with this tool?”

Here are 10 strategies that I use regularly to marketing my business and my expertise via Twitter. Remember, you have only 140 characters for your tweet (Twitter post).

1.  How you’re helping clients.  Talk about specific ways that your business helps clients and use their Twitter ID if you have their permission, i.e. “Just finished @clientname brainstorm great Internet marketing plan for 2009″  or “Finally finished setting up Quickbooks for local hardware store — now they can invoice their clients”

2.  What you’re doing in your own business.  This is a perfect time to tell others when you’re blogging, writing an article, creating your weekly ezine, recording your podcast, i.e.  “Had great interview with Jane Smith today on speaking to grow your biz.  Great ideas! Subscribe to podcast & listen here <URL here>”

3.  Useful tool or resource you’ve found.  I run across these all the time in my daily activities, and Twitter is a perfect place to share,. i.e. “Found great new Firefox plug-in to monitor & check multiple Gmail accounts at same time at <URL here>”  or “Read great blog post on work life balance with kids under 5 at <URL here>”

4.  Ask a question.  Need some ideas or some quick brainstorming?  Twitter is an ideal place to gather opinions, i.e. “Help! Desperately seeking new laser printer.  Recommendations?” or “How do I find training organizations online?”

5.  Conduct a survey.  What do your Tweeps think about a particular issue?  Ask them via Twitter, i.e. “Quick poll:  Do you get more clients from Facebook or Twitter?  Respond at <URL here>”

6.  Report on live events.  The latest Twitter trend seems to be tweeting what’s happening at conferences or workshops. In order for Twitter users to follow a particular event, it’s usually referred to by a name preceded by a # sign, as in #JVAlert, for example, to make it simpler for people who want to follow those posts.  So, if you were at an event, you might tweet “#JVAlert John Smith speaking on affiliate programs.  Just got great idea on training affiliate managers!” Just don’t get so wrapped up in tweeting that you ignore the content delivered in the conference!

7.  Product or service launch.  If you’re about to launch a new product or introduce a new product, let your Twitter followers know, i.e. “Pre-launch pricing for new DVD set about how baby boomers can start an online biz.  Get $100 early bird discount at <URL here>”

8.  Responding to others with advice or answers.  The way to build professional relationships on Twitter is to help your tweeps.  So, if someone asks a question, comments about something to which you have a response or an idea, or you want to ask a followup question, this is the perfect place to do so.

9.  Acknowledging new followers. I’ve noticed a recent trend of acknowledging people who’ve decided to follow a Twitter user in the past day or so.  I initially thought that others were doing this as a measure of popularity, but what I’ve come to realize that it’s actually helping out the new followers because it exposes their Twitter profiles to others who may have never heard of them and who might like to follow them.  So, to thank your followers, you’d tweet, “Welcome new followers @twittername, @twittername, etc.”

10.  Automate your tweets.  Many of my tweets have been automated and connected to other things I do.  TwitterFeed turns all of my blog posts into tweets.  aWeber turns each ezine issue into a tweet.  EzineArticles.com tweets my followers every time I publish an article through their service.  Typically all that’s involved here is connecting the particular service to my Twitter account.  Once all the services are connected, I get free and automated Twitter posts with no additional effort on my part.

Twitter can be a great time-waster or a wonderful way to market your business and leverage your expertise online.  Follow these 10 strategies and you’ll begin to attract more followers and get more clients through social networking.

Online Business Resource Queen™ and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FR*EE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at  AskDonnaGunter.com.

Are you a conference professional speaker? Is your present marketing working? Working well enough you have enough profits to vacation each year, buy a nice car, or pay your child’s tuition?  Now you can replace low results marketing with these five solutions. It will change the way you do business if you are willing.

Perhaps you’ve tried high-cost, but low results marketing already. In person networking groups can steal your time and not yield big results. Free talks and book signings are fun for the extrovert, but don’t yield alot unless you give at least six talks a month.

Replace low results marketing with these five solutions. It will change the way you do business!

Top Five Questions Answered So you can Update Your Authentic Marketing Messages  

 1. How can I update my email signature file to attract more clients?

Remember, to engage your audience and get action you need to include a signature file at the bottom of every email. Without it, you miss possible sales and clients. Don’t just taut yourself or your book; show some benefits of your service with a written concept statement such as “I help business people manifest their book dream.”  Offer a free report or white paper through a link either to a squeeze page or to your free ezine. Your purpose is to capture your visitor’s email and add it to your growing data base. From the report they will see you as the trusted expert in your field.

2. Should I brand my speaking business with a short book?

Yes! Either an electronic book or print book, or both. Test your ideas with an eBook; then write your print book for in person programs. Many authors waste a lot of money printing too many copies and don’t realize even the printer makes mistakes. Know your book is your best business card and you can even write a short version to give away or sell for under $10.00. Many speakers I know  practice this. Your target audience is hungry for your information  and they will buy your books. Books are the  #1 product bought online. Your audience is out these awaiting your wisdom. And your book will bring you higher paid speaking jobs.

3. Why is knowing my preferred audience so important to know before I start a book or web marketing project?

The biggest mistake speaking professionals make is to not to be clear on who their audience is. This is the kiss of death. Aim each print marketing message to a particular audience. That includes short sales messages for each book, seminar, teleseminar, web site product sales and your soft sales letter on your website for your service.

Your headlines and titles matter. Make sure they include hot key word phrases that are low competition only and benefits to your audience. You’ll write much better copy when you slant your materials toward just one audience. If more, your copy withers away, and no one is satisfied.

4. Why should I write short articles to submit to the top high-traffic article directories or blogs?

Your targeted audience visits these websites and blogs because it wants free information in your field of expertise. When they like your article, and if you have a powerful original resource box, you will attract droves of unique visitors to your Web site.

The most popular length article is from 250 (blog entry) to 800 words.  Before you post these articles on your own site, make sure that Ezinearticles gets the first version. Google knows who the biggest sites are, and will get your article page up from this source.  Isn’t it better to do just a little work in the right place than to shotgun your marketing and spread yourself thin with far less customer following?

Know that the top sites offer multiple categories that are sure to fit your niche.  You give the article; the resource box brings your target audience to you.

Article marketing is faster and easier, because you already have content from your talks, books or programs to put into your articles. And, with the new rules today, you only have to submit to a few high-traffic sites–much less time with a lot more credibility and unique web visitors.

It’s great that article marketing is free except for your time. I recommend that you start key word research before you submit because the game has changed. You must only use 3 keyword phrases that are in the low competition scale. I recommend you delegate submissions to a VA or webmaster when you can. I credit my Google rating as still #1 with the keyword “bookcoaching” from the 290+ article submissions we sent out over the past eight years.

5.  Why should I write a benefit driven sales letter for each product and service?

You have the marketing down with articles. But, when your unique visitor comes to your site, do you get low sales conversions? Maybe it’s because you haven’t let your visitor know the benefits of your products or service.

A list of talks doesn’t motivate sales.  You won’t get many telecoaching attendees if you don’t share how you’ll solve your audience’s problems.  The same thing goes for your service. Although it’s a bit softer, you still need a unique marketing message for it. How will your customers choose you if you don’t show your values and solutions to their needs?

Book and Internet Marketing Coach Judy Cullins helps  businesses get all the clients and sell all the books they want.  Author of 11 business books including How to Write your  Book Fast and Advanced Article Marketing 3-Book Special. Judy offers free articles and eBook “Book Writing and Marketing Tips” with monthly ezine subscription at http://www.bookcoaching.com and http://www.advancedarticlemarketing.com

The following post is by Judy Cullins

You already know article marketing brings you high visibility, optimizes your website in Google page ranking, and builds your data base and ezine subscriber numbers. When you post a well thought out article on http://www.ezinearticles.com your readers will visit your web site and first sign up for your free ezine.

That’s how I built my list from hundreds to over 10,000 in just a few years. And, that’s just for starters.

Your articles bring your target market to your web site to see what you have to offer. Don’t disappoint them. When you keep adding new content to your site and submit articles to blogs and article directories, new subscribers and visitors will keep showing up. These become loyal customers.Knowing these benefits, you want to create and submit as many excellent articles as you can. At times, you have the articles complete, but don’t have anyone handy to edit them. Edit them yourself–with a little help from your book coach.

Use this Checklist to Edit your Articles Before you Submit

1. Start your introduction with a hook: ask a question, show a benefit, or give a startling fact.You must hook your readers with something that reaches their emotions. Show them you care. Include questions about where they are now that your article will answer.

2. Make your hook only a few sentences.Make it rich with key words and phrases.Your readers want to get to the heart of your article fast. They want readable, quick tips. Long stories can bring a yawn to your reader. Save them for print publications.

3. Place the article thesis at the end of your introduction.Your whole article must link to the thesis to keep you on track and focus for a more clear and compelling article. For instance, “Use this checklist to edit your articles.”

4. Make all of your sentences short. Since standard sentence length is 15-17 words, make most of your sentences under that number. Complex sentences and multiple phrases make the reading slower and tougher. Make it easy for your readers to find the subject and verb of each sentence, so they get the point fast. Online article readers want easy to read and short articles.

5. Avoid dull, slow sentences.To avoid passive sentence construction, start them with a subject, and then follow with a action verb. For instance, “The coach marketed her business and books through submitting articles online” is an active sentence. “The coach’s books were marketed online through submitting articles.” is passive. Drop linking verbs such as “is,” “was,” “seemed,” or “had.” Keep the total number from 2-4% to create active sentences. Replace them with power, active verbs. Instead of “She is beautiful,” you could say, “Her beauty compels you to stare at her.”

6. Aim for compelling, clear copy.Write for the10th grade reader. Don’t try to impress with pompous words such as “utilize.” The shorter word is always better than the longer one. Always think “What’s in it for them?”

7. Use concrete, specific nouns and names.General references don’t engage your readers’ emotions. Let them see the size, color, and shape. Rather than say, “Write your book fast to make lifelong income,” say “Write and finish your book fast so you can take that well-deserved vacation to the Virgin Islands. Give your reader their ideal picture, let them feel their emotions. Money alone doesn’t motivate, but what we can do with it does.

8. Let go of certain adverbs.Words like very, suddenly, and sparingly, tell instead of show. Use adverbs as often as you celebrate your birthday. Did this past sentence show, rather than tell? Your readers are hungry to experience feelings as well as picture themselves in your examples. Adverbs tell, don’t show.

9. Let go of adjectives. Let the noun make the statement. Instead of saying, She is a super-intelligent person,” you could say, “She’s a genius.”

10. Use the present or past tense of the verb rather than the “-ing” form of the verb.Instead of “she is singing,” say, “she sings or she sang.” Instead of “She had known her article was weak.” Say, “She knew her article was weak.”Make your article noticed by thousands of readers. Remember, your word choice does make a difference–both in commercial acceptance as well as audience understanding. Self editing will help. Get professional feedback on the final version of your article.

www.bookcoaching.com

The following post is from Jeff Herring the Article Guy.

 Jeff Herring AKA The Internet Article Guy is an internet marketer specializing in article marketing, teaching nternet marketers, authors, speakers and self employed professionals to write and market articles for more prospects, publicity and profits, and to create multiple streams of income with their articles.

I will be interviewing him on October 15 in a teleclass where we will be talking about Article Marketing/Writing: Get More Prospects, Publicity & Profits.  Join us click here for more info.  Can’t make the teleclass?  The mp3 will be available for purchase see http://www.speakerservices.com/products

So what does it mean to extend the reach of your articles? Extending the reach of your articles simply means to get your articles in front of as many eyes as possible in as many consumable forms as possible.

Let’s take a closer look at three powerful strategies for doing just that:

1. EzineArticles + Twitter = More Exposure – If you are an information marketer who wants to extend the reach of your articles, then I strongly suggest you set-up your EzineArticles account to automatically post your approved and published articles to your Twitter profile.  You set this up by going into your Author’s Area at EzineArticles, then your Profile Manger, and then Edit Your Author Bio. In the fields provided enter your Twitter user name and pass word. Now each time one of your new articles is approved and published at EzineArticles, an announcement will automatically be posted to your Twitter profile. In this may you are automatically extending your reach and repurposing your articles.

2. Announce your own articles on Twitter – While the EzineArticles + Twitter automated strategy is very powerful, I recommend that you continue the process on your own. As you follow discussions on Twitter, I recommend that you refer people to your articles to make a point, educate, and to share your expertise. You can also simply announce that you have an interesting article you are inviting them to read and then supply the link to your article. In this way you can keep the traffic generated by the EzineArticle automatic post going for a much longer period of time.

3. Get your Articlesby(yourfirstname).com domain name – As an Article Marketer, are you unsure of what to say when someone ask you about what you do? Not sure how to get them to read your articles? Then I recommend you get a domain like Articleby(yourfirstname).com and have it forwarded to your Profile Page on EzineArticles. When I am at a social gathering, being interviewed on the radio or on a teleseminar, it is easy for me to say “Check out my articles at ArticlesbyJeff.com.” This gives them access to my profile, all my web site and blog links and all my social networking links, in addition to all my articles which contain more links to my web sites and blogs.

I suggest you jump on these three strategies now to extend the reach of your articles.

And I get my domain names at http://www.MustangMarketingDomains.com

And you can also get a boost for writing more articles in less time by claiming your free instant access to two of my Instant Article Templates when you visit http://www.TheArticleGuyBonus.com

From Jeff Herring – The Article Marketing Guy & The Great ArticleMarketing Blog

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Herring

Why write an eBook?

By Judy Cullins

 You want ongoing, lifelong multiple streams of income. You want to raise your credibility and trust ratings with clients or customers. You want to get your message out so the world can be a better place and you are seen as the savvy expert through your book. You can repurpose your book’s content for big sales and profits through your other offerings.

Yet, You want to spend only a little time on it. (Would you be willing to spend 4 hours a week?) You want to get it out fast (Would 4-8 weeks be OK?) You want to market online at a low-cost investment. And, for some of you, you are ready to be innovative and even take a small risk to get your eBook read by millions, rather than hundreds!

Remember your book’s virtual benefits. No travel, no print book fufillment and distribution, no techie knowledge, no agent, no publisher to slow you down, no big staff and you do it in the comfort of your home office in your best time. And, you can delegate the administrative work to an assistant.

Where are you now?

You have the idea for your eBook; you have a lot of ideas! Take a moment and decide which one you are most passionate about now and will be for the next year. Focus on one great idea, then add others after you finish and market the first book you know will attract your target audience.

Maybe you have your eBook well on its way, but aren’t finished. You need advice on the next step–how to get it done, what’s needed to publish (not much!), and how to distribute it.

Every part of your book can be a sales tool. When you know and apply the essential “Hot-Selling Points” before you write chapter one, you’ll sell more books than you ever dreamed of! Because, when you know your preferred audience, your book’s benefits, its thesis and more, you write a focused, compelling, easy to read book that your readers will love.

Seven Ways to Write Your eBook that Sells Well

1. Write for your niche audience.

You may think everyone will want to read your book, but this assumption will lead you to the general content book graveyard. Specific topics sell better than general and general topic books have a lot more big name competition. When you know your specific audience and write for them you’ll be able to write fast and give your audience solutions they need. What problems does your book solve for them? Where can your find your book buying audience? Hint: your best audience is probably someone like you.

Create an audience buyer profile and keep your audience’s picture in front of you as you write. Ask yourself, is my topic narrow enough? Give your book an angle and include the audience and benefit in the title and sub title if possible

2. Write a book title derived from your target audience.

Survey your audience and ask them what’s the most important challenge they want answers to. You have eight seconds in your title to hook your potential buyer. Check out best sellers at http://www.amazon.com. Notice their subtitles that put forward the book’s promise. You spend less effort and improve on what’s already out there when you creatively imitate the top selling books.Your book title and cover should compel your audience to buy.

3. Write a thirty-second “tell and sell.”

When you answer the question “What’s your book about?” don’t go on and on; use sound bites to grab your reader’s attention such as, “This book’s skills will do more for you than instant cappuccino.” Or, “This book on passion is the senior’s Artist’s Way.

You only have a few seconds to impress your potential buyer. Include your title, a few benefits, and the audience. For example, “Write, Publish and Market your eBook Fast to Pull Online Sales- shows professionals how to shortcut each step of writing, publishing, and promoting a book your audience wants.

Compare your book to a successful one such as “How to Write an eBook Fast!” is the Chapter Blueprint companion to Dan Poynter’s “Self-Publishing Manual.”

4. Write your sales letter before you write your book.

Your book’s sales information can go on the back cover and also on your web site. This important sales tool gives the benefits your potential buyers want. Include compelling ad copy, benefits, testimonials, and a small blurb about you, the author. If your potential buyer likes it, they will buy on the spot.

5. Write your eBook’s introduction.

Hook your readers with a background story of where they are with their particular challenge, your books solutions an benefits why you wrote the book, and its purpose. In a few paragraphs include more specific benefits, and how you will present it (format). Keep it under a page. Your introduction will help you write your sales letter.

6. Create a table of contents for your book.

Each chapter should have a title, preferably a catchy one. If your reader can’t understand the chapter title, then annotate it. Add some benefits or a sub title (chapter’s promise).. Added to the first chapter called “Why Write an eBook! was this partial list of benefits: Create ongoing lifelong multiple streams of income, credibility as the expert, products that sell easily online.

More profits comes your way when you give your readers what they want emotionally and need.

7. Reach out to opinion molders.

After an initial contact of asking for feedback, resend them the same chapter and the table of contents of your book. Ask for a testimonial then. These influential contacts’ testimonials will help promote your eBook online and offline, and bring that audience back to where you offer your services, teleseminars and other repurposed content.

Design every part of your eBook to be a sales tool and a beacon that brings out your best: writing–compelling, understandable, organized, and enjoyable. Knowing the “Essential Hot Selling Points before you write your book will bring you thousands, even hundreds of thousands of customer contacts.

Book and Internet Marketing Coach Judy Cullins helps  businesses get all the clients and sell all the books they want.  Author of 11 business books including How to Write your  Book Fast and Advanced Article Marketing 3-Book Special. Judy offers free articles and eBook “Book Writing and Marketing Tips” with monthly ezine subscription at  http://www.bookcoaching.com