When I started my virtual assistant business in 2009 article marketing was great for link-building which is important to build your website’s reputation and position in the search engines. Now article marketing’s value is two-fold:

  • the articles drive more traffic to your website and
  • expands your reach on the Internet having an active profile on the article directories

Article marketing is one segment of your content marketing strategy. Content marketing is an online marketing plan that spreads your content to several platforms.

Although there are subtle differences in the way article marketing is used now compared to a few years ago, it is still a very useful tool for building your brand. The two requirements to be successful in article marketing have remained the same.

  1. Article marketing's influence grows over time
  2. Original content has to qualify to get added to the article directories

The Articles Former Benefit

  • Article marketing was used to improve your site’s search engine ranking with backlinks
  • Add a link to your website in the bio for the reader to get more information
  • Articles approved almost automatically

The Articles Benefit Today

  • Your articles lead traffic to your site
  • Strategically include a link in your bio where the customer reads more information on the subject
  • Articles are extensively reviewed for quality

Your articles assist in building your expertise in your industry. The more your content is uploaded on various media on the Internet, the more traffic is driven to your website. More traffic means your opportunities to work with your ideal clients or advertisers to purchase ad space on your site.

Posting links that lead to more information on the article’s topic increases the chances the visitor will remain on your site longer than 30 seconds. When your content can keep a visitor on your site more than 30 seconds, it increases the odds that the visitor will convert into a subscriber to your blog or newsletter.

Consider adding this strategy to your content marketing strategy understanding that this is a passive marketing activity. Online marketing is a building process. The quality articles you post leads to referral traffic back to your website. It is your website content’s job to convert the visitors into subscribers. The information in your newsletters or other platforms is to inspire or encourage the subscribers to become your customers. This is the process for attracting customers and advertisers. Start writing your articles today.

Author's Bio: 

Electra Ford is an online marketing strategist that helps business get noticed on the Internet. She specializes in online marketing plans that connect entrepreneurs, companies and organizations with their audience to get traffic to their websites and make qualified connections. For more details on this topic visit, http://www.virtualofficecenter.net/virtual-assistant/content-marketing-s...