Article Marketing Made Easy
The following is the first guest post by Patricia Makhulo, otherwise know as Party Plan Pat. At just under 800 words, it’s worth every second of reading. I hope you like as she will be around again; Pat and I are working out several series’ of articles spanning different Marketing methods. This is her first in her Article marketing series. Enjoy!
Getting Your Message To An Audience of 500,000 With NO MONEY DOWN IS EASY!
How To Have “Killer” Sex
At Any Age… Even If
You Don’t Deserve It!
Good now that I have your attention we can begin.
I have a feeling you are soon going to be heading to the all knowing Google god to figure out if the book exists. At the time of this writing, I have not yet ascertained the validity nor the existence of the book.
But with what you will learn here today, who knows you might be the author of the next NY Times best seller. Have at it.
Discover How To Make Good Money During An Inflation,
A Recession, A Depression And Even When They
Say The Economy Is Coming To A Halt…
Whoa! So not only can I reach an audience of half a million, no money down, but I can also have killer sex AND make good money in an a near depression?
Writing an article may not come easy for many, but as you can see having an irresistible heading/title/headline is half the battle.
You want to craft an irresistible offer, to raise the fever pitch if you will. In doing so you will get their attention and in effect raise anticipation. Let’s say you place an ad in a paper, mail out a postcard or have a website, the best way to get attention is an irresistible headline!
To craft a great headline you need to have done your research. The easiest way is by leveraging the news to discover hot topics.
As with any piece of content created there are simple rules to keep in mind. I commonly employ the AIDA, KISSS & PAS principles.
A: Grab Attention
I: Once people pay attention, get their Interest
D: Create Desire for what you have
A: Call to Action . A call to action is the desired action you would like the potential prospect, client or customer to make. For example Click Here To Order. Get Your Free Copy Today!
Have you ever noticed how Oprah sucks you in? What about your local news?
7 Immune Boosting Foods That Prevent Cancer, Keep The Flu At Bay & Help You Loose Weight. Do You Consume These Foods?
Find Out Today @ 8:00pm on KGW Channel 13!
Got your attention right? Peaked your curiosity, created desire and gave you a call to action. I know you are now thinking what are the foods?
You are making a mental list of all the possible options trying to figure out if you eat these foods. Realizing that you cannot possibly know you stay glued through the mindless, doom and gloom news just to find out!
Works like a charm, ALWAYS! We are a curious bunch, don’t give it all away, you have to lead the donkey to the well.
The Key is to Keep It Short, Sweet and Simple (KISSS Principle). 800 words but more than 250 is ideal.
ALWAYS have an outline, to prevent mindless ramblings. You know the old Title, Summary, Intro, Body, Recap & Conclusion.
Tell a story, everyone loves a story. Connect the story to a moral or a lesson, then issue your call to action.
The other alternative I listed is the PAS.
P- State The Problem
A- Make an emotional connection i.e., Agitate
S- Offer a Solution, no point in pulling a Huffington Post and stating the obvious if you will not provide help
Are You A Drowning Network Marketer Clutching To A Straw?
Discover How The Advice Your Upline Is Giving You
Is Costing You 1000s While Simultaneously
Bleeding You Dry And What You Can Do About It!
To summarize:
Article Marketing is about getting people to take a desired action.
What you want to do is:
1. Get Their Attention
2. Their Permission
3. To Interact
4. Build Trust
5. Exercise Influence
Your attention getting message must be compelling giving just enough information about the product, service, promotion and/or benefits to get the prospect to take some sort of action.
Contrary to popular opinion curiosity didn’t kill the cat. It just kept it coming back for more and isn’t that what you want with your business?
Next we will discuss the makings of a attention grabbing, traffic generating article!
Till then,
Plan with Purpose.
Party Plan Pat
———————————
Patricia Kagwiria Makhulo also known as “Party Plan Pat” (http://www.partyplanpat.com) works with women of color who are struggling to establish their presence in the business world & are looking to attract more customers/clients in order to build successful business both online and offline!
Her clients report improved perception of their services, knowledge base, ability to deliver and compete effectively among vendors, contractors and peers thereby increasing their income base!
http://www.homepartyplansuccesstips.com
http://www.twitter.com/PartyPlanPat
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May 4th, 2009 at 5:52 am
I like the headlines example given in the post, although it may not always be that convenient to write such long headlines, they totally illustrate your point.
Nicolas Prudhon´s last blog post..Self-hosted WordPress on a Shoestring Budget
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
@Nicolas Prudhon,
You are right…One doesn’t need a lengthy titles, however they can be very irresistible!
almir Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
@Party Plan Pat, I don’t see what the whole rave is when it comes to having a really long blog post it doesn’t interests me
almir´s last blog post..Review Of “The One And Only” Atomic Blogging 3.0
May 4th, 2009 at 7:24 am
Hi
When you do find the book, let me know
The challenge I have when article marketing is to find exciting headlines for subjects that are actually quite dull - like life insurance!
Totally agree with your point.
Neil
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
@Neil, Well neil…I will be covering that in the next segment of the article no worries,
That said i will be hosting an article marketing seminar with some of the best, I am sure we will be able to resolve this issue of dull life insurance…since we know life insurance is essential!
Neil Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
@Party Plan Pat,
Thanks Pat. I’m looking forward to you making life insurance exciting
Neil´s last blog post..Making a Budget Is Not the Hard Part
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
@Neil,
Now that was a headline I can get behind. I’d go for the old tongue in cheek, write articles based on the most outrageous things that happen at the most inopportune times…you know the guy that dies on his wedding night while having sex…!
Funny but not so much you know?
Neil Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
@Party Plan Pat,
I’ve actually thought of an article title that cunningly combines your title and life insurance:
“Killed by Sex - It Does Happen. Does Your Life Policy Cover You?”
To the moderator - no more smut from me I promise!
Neil´s last blog post..Making a Budget Is Not the Hard Part
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
@Neil, Ha ha…do you want to JV and write it? Why leave it someone else?
Neil Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
@Party Plan Pat,
Besides, as a diffident English guy I’m not quite sure I could carry off the marketing side of it!!
Neil´s last blog post..Making a Budget Is Not the Hard Part
almir Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
@Neil, Just write about negative things like how cigarettes kill people and they still don’t care that their doing it to themselves
almir´s last blog post..Review Of “The One And Only” Atomic Blogging 3.0
May 4th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I hear what you are saying here — it’s the elements of the sale that David Mamet focused on so brilliantly in Glengary Glen Ross, with a small fleet of salesmen in the real estate game. And though I agree with what you are advising, and think a lot of people will be better served finding the point of the article and then sticking to it, I wonder if some of the article directories would be better if they weren’t all about the sales pitch. Sometimes I think the Internet itself would be a better place if so many people weren’t trying to sell anything to anyone. What about quality information, without getting someone to pull the trigger on a sale? Doesn’t the “always be closing” mentality ultimately skew the tone or message of the article?
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Steve Reich’s “Double Sextet” Wins Pulitzer Prize
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
@Matty Byloos, Oh I agree. The ABC method of sales is no longer relevant. I am with.
I also know that is what people are looking to resolve. You know its like being a missionary. No one cares about the “bread of life” when they are unable to get bread for the day you know what I mean?
However once we overcome the little obstacles then we can look at the big picture, where we build relationships, provide real content.
That said, I will admit I buy my books based on sizzling titles
May 4th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Well put together post. I think the hardest part of the process is exercising the influence you gain after grabbing attention and creating a desire / need.
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
@hilary-trade show display, Yes we all know what happens when the improper use of influence is applied…I’ll take AIG and his cronies for 400 please.
May 4th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Hi Pat,
~ Steve, the trade show guru
The title is important, but I think it’s the easy part. It’s what’s inside that really matters. If I see a big sign on a store saying HUGE SALE I might go in the store, but I’ll be disappointed if there isn’t really a huge sale inside.
Similarly here, I’m still kind of wondering about that “killer” information…
Steve | Trade Show Guru´s last blog post..Trade Show Exhibit Booths and SEO
Matty Byloos Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 11:16 am
@Steve | Trade Show Guru, Great point, Steve — and one that I completely agree with and feel the need to constantly come back to when trying to get deeper inside the meaning of “content is king.” I don’t care how glitzy the advertising looks for the “sale” — if I don’t find anything I need inside, the buzz of the advert isn’t going to make me buy anything.
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Artslant May Showcase Winner
Mikael Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
@Matty Byloos, That is so true but if the “Title” didn’t even get you to go into the store they could have the world’s most fantastic offers but you still wouldn’t buy (because you weren’t there).
Mikael´s last blog post..Why Even Small Consistent Efforts Can Bring Huge Results
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
@Steve | Trade Show Guru, Yes everything is a balancing act.
I recently went to a so called buy out sale, however they forget to mention that for me to participate in the buy out I had to fork over some money for admission…well I just didn’t appreciate that…the old bait and switch yuck!
Alan @ Work At Home Resources Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
@Party Plan Pat, Ahh… the old bait and switch tactic. I find that this is the same as false advertising. If they’re not completely upfront with you from the beginning and withholding needed information, then they’re basically lying to your face, IMO.
As I’m sure this may sometimes happen with an article title misrepresenting what the article may be about, I see this tactic most used with email subject titles. I open the email only to find out I’ve been had!
Alan @ Work At Home Resources´s last blog post..Marketing Your Work From Home Web Site with Proper Use of Forum Signatures
May 4th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Hi Pat,
Those are very good models to follow. The hardest problem I have is writing an attention grabbing headline. I can usually keep the article flowing with no problem. Most people miss the call to action step, and I’m sometimes guilty of that myself. I just wrote a recent article on article marketing that outlined a similar model as yours. Applying the “useful, but incomplete” approach works very well, and I think you touched on that.
Great article, and I look forward to your next guest post.
Alan @ Work At Home Resources´s last blog post..Marketing Your Work From Home Web Site with Proper Use of Forum Signatures
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
@Alan @ Work At Home Resources,
Well like anything it is an art and has a learning curve.
I use many different processes…often the title is the last thing I tackle because I know once I have the content, well the rest is easy.
At the end of the day being authentic is what counts! Like the other posts mention why tell folks you are having a HUGE CHEESE SALE only for me to show up and all you have is crackers?
I hate false advertising!
Alan @ Work At Home Resources Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
@Party Plan Pat, Oh I totally agree. Honesty is the best policy, as they say. I don’t understand why people would want to jeopardize their credibility and business due to false advertising.
I find writing the title last is a lot easier as you said. It’s much easier to create a title that sums up the entire article rather than trying to write an article that focuses on the subject of the title.
Alan @ Work At Home Resources´s last blog post..Marketing Your Work From Home Web Site with Proper Use of Forum Signatures
May 4th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Yes, the Killer Sex thing got my attention. These are some good tips for article marketing, something I plan on doing in the future. I think the whole point is make sure your article solves a problem which is stated in the title and beginning of the article. That gets readers hooked!
~ Kristi
Kikolani´s last blog post..How to Make Social Promotion Easy
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
@Kikolani, And there you have it…it must all come together, no fluff. I highly recommend article market, it is a great traffic resource, great for branding, great for building a relationship.
And google loves articles!
May 4th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Attention grabbing headline is the real deal. Once you get someone’s attention the rest just follows!
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
@Salwa, Indeed….you know you only have 3 -10 seconds to make an impression. Better use them wisely!
May 5th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Some great tips on article marketing here, very well written. Thanks for interesting reading
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
@Best CSS Gallery, Hey thanks. I love to write and I know a lot of folks struggle with it so I am really interested in helping where I can.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:47 am
the AIDA model is the evergreen model I think. Whatever you write it won’t work if you don’t pay attention to the first AIDA principle: Grab the user ATTENTION. Then if you’re saying something quite intelligent is quite easy to obtain their interest. I think the hardest part is the relationship between gain attention while selling something.
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
@Jimbo, yes indeed! It’s alot like dating ya know…some folks just get the opening line correct and others…well still floundering
Authenticity is the key!
May 5th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Not a bad introduction to article marketing. A strong headline is certainly important…some people say 80 percent of readers don’t read past the headline of a given ad/article. Doesn’t matter how good your article is if no one gets past the headline.
May 5th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
One thing that continues to amaze me is that so many people doing article marketing don’t get this. Writing an article with the title “dog collars” are a sure way to not get any clicks.
I’m no genius at writing compelling headlines but at least I’m giving it a try each time
Mikael´s last blog post..Why Even Small Consistent Efforts Can Bring Huge Results
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
@Mikael, I agree! I hate reading an article about why I should loss weight that tells me eat less!
So it falls upon us to teach teach teach by writing, writing, writing.
May 5th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
These are great models to keep in mind when writing articles. I agree with Mikael. To many people don’t pay enough attention to writing their article titles. You could have the best content ever, but with a bad title nobody will ever know.
Dennis Edell Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
@Cool Gifts, I notice you’re new, welcome to the community!
In the future to ensure proper linking of your URL, please follow the policy linked at the bottom - please provide a real name next to your kw’s.
Party Plan Pat Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
@Cool Gifts, Well its like the guy that walks into an interview looking like he just released from jail. Now are we saying he is not qualified? No we are not. He may be the genius of genius however what we see is what we expect to get and who loves to hire convicts?
Better dress your article for success and the title is the first place to start.
May 5th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Well folks, thank you so much for your input and encouragement.
May 5th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
It can be difficult at times to get started with a killer headline but once it is done I’m sure it will grab all the attention that is desired.
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May 6th, 2009 at 9:07 am
[...] suggest you take a moment to visit Patricia Makhulo’s Article Marketing Made Easy post which gives you many great pointers on getting your article noticed and [...]
May 7th, 2009 at 6:41 am
It certainly got my attention as they say sex sells. Its very true that if you can relate a product or service to a topical subject like the flu for instance its half the battle in getting peoples attention. If you provide them with a feed to where more advise or a solution can be found then a good percentage of those people will have a look which makes it worth the effort in producing the article and marketing it in the first place.
Id not heard of the terms AIDA, KISSS & PAS, before but going to try implementing them in an article I have to write this afternoon.
May 7th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Short Ones Perform Better!
I was always taught that a title should be no more than 8 words?
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May 8th, 2009 at 1:22 am
Great post, love the details, thanks!
May 8th, 2009 at 6:59 am
Wow i really like to read your post…Its keep me excited every-time i visit your site..i like the information and the ideas you post here…its very informative and give me more ideas to marketing online…And the way you wrote your article is very interesting..because other blogs that i read keep me bored..
Good job having that kind of idea of writing articles like this..thumbs to you guys..
Dennis Edell Reply:
May 8th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
@gilbert - Air horn,
Well thanks for all the kind words Gilbert. You can thank Patricia for this one, she’s a guest blogger who will be back more often!
gilbert - Air horn Reply:
May 12th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
@Dennis Edell, oh well thanks to your guest blogger…this post help me a lot in my marketing strategy…this are the good points of marketing…keep on posting more ideas on marketing you’re helping a lots of people in marketing ideas…
Dennis Edell Reply:
May 13th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
@gilbert - Air horn, Thanks Gilbert, I really appreciate that.
Glad it’s helping!
gilbert - Air horn Reply:
May 13th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
@Dennis Edell, looking forward to read more post here and also more leanings…;)
May 8th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Bold really does make a difference…
May 9th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
[...] Article Marketing Made Easy - DirectSaledWebMarketing [...]
May 10th, 2009 at 5:18 am
I love the post as it gives some great information on how to write. But I am not sure I would use these steps for Article writing as much as for advertisment writing. Generally I like articles to be informtive rather then make me curious. I am looking for answers not new questions. But seriously some good things you could and should implement in both your articles and advertisments.
Casper Christensen´s last blog post..Emails with frosting
May 11th, 2009 at 12:12 am
I just took some of these suggestions and did my first article on eHow about how to get out of your comfort zone. It solves a problem, and gives a call to action as well. Google does seem to like articles from that site, as I have come across them often in search results. So far, it’s received good ratings and traffic. Definitely useful tips!
~ Kristi
Kikolani´s last blog post..How to Make Social Promotion Easy
Dennis Edell Reply:
May 13th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
@Kikolani, Awesome Kristi, congrats on the article!
May 12th, 2009 at 1:10 am
This is a wonderful post Pat!
A lot of people just write half-ass articles so they can throw in a backlink somewhere in the post. It can’t fool human readers that junk is junk.
Kai Lo´s last blog post..Effective Anchor Text Link
May 19th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Wow,
Some awesome points, in much needed time as I venture into article marketing.
Thanks
May 19th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Great article these strategies that you provide are great. I agree that you have to grab the readers attention, but you must also have quality information to turn that attention into a sale. I also prefer the KISS method…Keep It Simple…Stupid!
Consumer Mailing Lists´s last blog post..This is a test run - Data Advisor Week of May 03
Dennis Edell Reply:
May 19th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Thanks for the comment, and welcome to the community!
In the future, please follow the comment policy linked at the bottom and provide a real name or initials next to your keywords.
May 21st, 2009 at 9:56 pm
The first thing that attracts readers is the headlines, once you get there attention then they’ll get into the content and thats it. wow learned that from you, thanks for the nice post.
May 26th, 2009 at 11:28 am
I totally agree with one of your first points.
Grab their attention and then they’ll be interested.
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:57 am
ha ha. You really grabbed my attention with those lines..
“How To Have “Killer” Sex
At Any Age… Even If
You Don’t Deserve It!”
and also a nice way to relate it with your article marketing tips.
Typhoon´s last blog post..Google May 2009 Toolbar PageRank Update - I am still PR4
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Nicely written article, Patricia. I love writing, but I’m the worst at titles, which means I’d be even worse at trying to hit home runs with titles. I don’t know what business you’re in, but I’m thinking PR would fit you well.
Mitch´s last blog post..Best Free Software
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Yeah, grabbing ones attention requires creativity. Just like you grabbed many at the beginning of this blog post. Real neat tactic.
jay@ work at home´s last blog post..Work At Home Job Or Business?
November 10th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
80 years of advertising has proven this!!!
However, marketing has greatly changed as we have learned what works.