Grow Your Business With Article Marketing

Did you know that writing and publishing articles on the Internet can be an effective and affordable way to grow your business and increase your visibility? There are hundreds of article aggregators online today that are actively looking for the kind of expert content you can provide to others.

Since I started regularly posting articles over the past couple of years, I've achieved my goal of letting a much wider pool of people who are interested in the topics I write about find me online. That's because article aggregators attract tens of millions of visitors each month. Their heavy traffic can benefit you too. Why might you want to publish articles online? Here are my top five reasons:

1. Increases your perception as an expert - Most people do not take the time to even write a personal letter, much less author articles. Even though it isn't really difficult once you get the hang of it, being a published author, even online, really adds to your expertise and the comfort with which people will chose to do business with you.

2. Expands your capillary system - Article marketing is like a giant capillary system that branches out, reaching a much wider pool of prospective customers than you could do in the physical world, and sucking them into your pipeline. Every business needs a steady flow of new prospects and article marketing provides it.

3. Ease of Entry- It is more difficult to publish articles in print publications than online. To write in a print publication, you'll need to be vetted by a gatekeeper or two and have discussions about exactly what you propose to offer, which takes time. Also, with print advertising budgets dwindling, most print publications have fewer pages available. But online it is a quick and simple matter to submit your articles and see them posted.

4. Long shelf life - Once people read a publication they either pass it along to someone else or throw it away. Your article might not ever be read again. But online, each one is up in cyberspace for years, greatly increasing your return on investment.

5. Provides leverage - Leverage is a key concept for all small business owners. It means re-using and repurposing your work in every way that you can. If you're already publishing articles for an ezine, article marketing gives you a way to further benefit from that work. You can also leverage your articles on social media to increase your return on investment for any writing you are already doing.

© 2011 Barbara Wayman, APR, BlueTree Media, all rights reserved

Barbara Wayman, APR, president of BlueTree Media, LLC, publishes The Stand Out Newsletter, a free monthly ezine for people who want to know how to leverage the power of marketing and public relations. Get your free subscription today at http://BlueTreeMedia.com

By Barbara Wayman