To all writers and non-writers out there, now is the time to start digging up those creative writing skills. With modern communication technology, comes the popularity of information-based marketing, which is one of the oldest and most effective techniques, in getting targeted prospects to sites and converting them into buyers. This is why article writing, submissions and publications are also getting popular. Simply put, they create lots of free traffic. So, if you are building a list, are you using article marketing effectively?

There are already many tools, that people can use, to make the process of distributing their articles easier. Though this is invaluable, in getting the contents more exposure, it is only half of the story.

Let us take a look first, at the common mistakes, that some people make, before submitting their contents to article directories:

1. Confusing the reason to promote the articles, with the reason to write them.
In article writing, there are three key benefits, why you are promoting them; branding, lead generation and promotion, which are all part of your optimization efforts. But there is only one reason why you write an article, and that is to inform your audience. If the article is not focused on this primary and most important purpose, it will fail to achieve the three promotion benefits, because no one will be interested in reading them.

You need to figure out first, how to get people to read what is in your article, then make them click on your resource box. You can achieve this, by producing better content. Something they want to read. In your bio box area, insert a little information about yourself and a link to your website.

2. Failing to maximize the promotional opportunities of article marketing.
You may know already, that your articles can help you, to generate additional links back to your site. But do you know that you can get more visitors and better search engine results, from those same articles?

Mention keywords at strategic places. Just be sure not to overdo them. Some people are even using anchor texts, which is also an effective method. But it is important to know, that majority of the directories are not able to support this.

Remember that it is not only about the links, back to your site. Part of doing well, in your article marketing, is getting picked up by publishers, with a large number of audiences and gaining the ability of leveraging other brands, because of the quality of your work. Better search engine results also are great benefits.

But, these things do not put much money in your pocket. There are other factors, that can turn your article marketing efforts, into an opportunity, that can boost your earnings. Not just increase the number of visitors to your site. Start out with a plan and see to it, that your article will serve the function that you intended it to have.

3. Publishing content that does not help your readers.
Maybe, in the process of writing articles, you are thinking, that all that you wanted, is links back to your site. And, any visitors it can generate are fine. Well, guess what? Not all article banks and directories are going to accept your content, automatically. Often, they have some guidelines and specifications, on the articles that they are accepting.

Be prepared for a long wait. As there are so many articles being submitted daily, the article sites like to check each one. They see if it is spam, if it’s offensive, too short, too long, poor grammar, a worthy subject, duplicate content, too many links and so on. This could take days, or even weeks to approve. Even then, they could reject it for some reason and you will have to fix the problem.

You can double the number of sites you submit to, by writing articles that the directories want to share with other people. All it takes, is one publisher, with a hundred thousand readers, to increase your potential audience overnight.

Write the articles that publishers want in their publications, if you want your article marketing to work the most effective way, for you. This also means, you have to obey the standard guidelines, spell checks, researching on a good topic and even hiring a writer, to produce good content on your behalf.

In the end, it is all really a matter of choice, on your part. You can start getting a little exposure, from increased links, back, but on a very basic level. Or, enjoy massive exposure, from a little extra time, making quality content. It is your choice. You may not be aware, of the fact that an article submitted to directories, is not meant to have the same level of exposure, as highly-targeted content articles, geared for a narrow niche, or group of people.

Learn the difference between these two and it will help you, to know what kind of articles to write and to submit and which topics draw the most readers. Don’t forget, when all this traffic rushes to your site, to capture their names and addresses, otherwise your efforts will have been in vain. There is more to list building than just getting visitors!

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Derek Robson is an up and coming, South African, internet marketer, with a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success, on the internet. He is a syndicated article writer. He and his wife Sally, have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. For daily postings and articles, on Internet marketing, South African business, list building, affiliate marketing, the law of attraction, rugby and general topics, check his blogsite, at: http://dersalsites.com/southafricanbusiness  

To remain informed of our progress, in trying to find satisfactory alternatives, by newsletter and mail and to get recommended tools and lessons and to start your journey to wealth, sign up here. It’s free. Click this link: http://www.dersalsites.com/newsletter/  We will even throw in some free software for you, when you join.

Clint has stated a website on fitness and bodybuilding and has amassed hundreds of articles on various topics of fitness. Check his site at: http://dersalsites.com/clintstraining/  and his new blogsite at http://dersalsites.com/clintstrainingblog/

For all you need to know about blogging, article writing, submission and feeds, visit our site at: http://dersalsites.com/blogging/

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