WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!Please feel free to use this article in anyway you choose. All I ask is that you leave it intact and notify me each time you use it. WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! I should just leave this tip at that, shouldn't I?:) But seriously, writing is a cost- effective way of promoting your business. It exposes you to potential customers in a way that few other marketing vehicles do. Writing and submitting your work to online sites gives you fr*ee marketing opportunities. It also increases your credibility Have you taken advantage of this very effective marketing strategy? If not, why not? ~*~'What If I Can't Write?'~*~ Common question, common excuse with a simple answer: if you can talk, you can write. You don't need to be a professional writer before you can write as a way of marketing your business. All you do need to do is . Want to write ~*~'What Should I Write~*~ A few ideas are: . Articles think of some more and add them to this list. ~*~What Topics Should I Write About?~*~ Here, your only limitation is in your imagination. So be creative and let these questions serve as guidelines in helping you decide what to write about: . What information will potential customers find useful? . What are you interested in? Find a way to make it relevant to your business and write about it. . If you were in your potential customers' shoes, what topics (related to your business) would interest you? . In what ways have you solved problems for people in the past? Write them down. Chances are, other people would benefit from the solution you provided. . What are your experiences as a business owner? Write about them. . Fill in the blanks : a) How To ....... What you've got now is a bunch of potential headings for your articles, tips, reports or whatever. If you think about it, there's a lot for you to write about. All you have to do now is actually put pen to paper (hand to computer). ~*~What Should I Do With What I've Written?~*~ Submit, submit, submit! Newsletter editors and webmasters all over the 'net are looking for fr*ee content for their subscribers and visitors. Imagine the exposure you get by submitting an article to an ezine with thousands of opt-in subscribers. Fr*ee of charge, too! Here is a brief list of places that accept articles for publication or announcement: . PromoteYourArticle@yahoogroups (you need to subscribe fr*ee) . article_announce@yahoogroups.com (subscribe first. Fr*ee) . http://www.articleblaster.com/submit-articles.htm . http://www.family-content.com/articles/submit.shtml . http://ezinearticles.com/add_url.html To receive a list of 50 groups and sites that accept submissions send an email to submissionlist@daysofsuccess.com. Here's how it works. The key is to have a system that you use. An example is below: . Write at least one article each month. . Include a resource box at the end of it. . Include permission to fr*eely distribute it at the top. . Submit it to at least 5 sites each day. ~*~To make your writing easily acceptable and profitable~*~ . Provide useful information. No sales letters or pitches. . Include some way to get readers to contact you: you could offer a fre*ebie or a link to your website. This info goes into your resource box. . Make your resource box about 4 - 6 lines long. I've included mine at the end of this article to give you an idea. . Write it using a text editor like Notepad - that's how many editors prefer to receive submissions. . Format it to be 65 characters long per line. Press the 'enter' key each time you get to 65 characters (unless your text editor has word-wrap in which case you'd set it to wrap at 65 characters). . Always obey submission guidelines to the letter. . Follow the writing tips below. ~*~Writing Tips~*~ . Write like you talk. Be conversational in your writing. If you can hold a conversation, you can write. . After writing your first draft, leave it to 'fallow' then start on your next article. . Never submit your first draft. Rewrite it after a day or two. . Spell check thoroughly. Check for grammar errors too. Get someone else to read through it if you can - they may pick up something you've missed. . Obey submission guidelines (it's so important, hence my repeating it here) . Write something everyday. Even if it's just a personal journal entry, just write. It'll get you into the habit, and keep you creative. I didn't quite expect this 'tip' to turn into a full blown article! But hey, I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. If you have then start writing today. And start submitting. ~*~END~*~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr Kem Thompson is a Business Writer and Business Coach. She helps Business Owners grow their prospect and customer base through her work. Contact her at bizwriter@daysofsuccess.com and visit her site at www.daysofsuccess.com/bizwriter.htm This article courtesy of http://www.where2begin.com. You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL reHome intact. |