Some don’t know where to start.Others think that there isn’t enough content to write about. They believe that at some point, you’ll run out of ideas or that you completely exhaust a topic. Rarely does that happen. Ironically, even if that were true, the benefits of article marketing completely outweigh this fear.

Article marketing helps in spreading the word about your market/company and can also provide some traffic to your site. As people read the article, those who want more information will visit to your site.

The same people who complain about running out of ideas are the same ones who don’t have a process. When you follow a system, you reduce your writing time and you also don’t hurt your brain as much. The folks who don’t know how to start can use this method also. Here’s my process.

Create a basic outline:

1. Introduction for article

2. Supporting Main Point A

3. Supporting Main Point B

4. Supporting Main Point C

5. Conclusion for article

When you consider it from this angle, suddenly things don’t seem so complicated.

Let’s consider the length of each section. If you simply write 60-70 words for each section, then you’ll quickly reach a article length with some substance.  With each section at 60-70 words, you’ll reach a total article length of 300-350 words. Simply increasing each section to 100 words you’ll have a 500 word article in no time.

Yes, this is the same outline that your 3rd grade teacher taught you. I didn’t say it was new, I said it was the one I used.

It’s simple once you are reminded of it.

In regards to search, there are 3 benefits for using Press Releases.

1) New content – The search engines are counting on new content to keep your website high in the rankings. New releases count as that, plus they offer great keyword rich information. Where else can you use your product/company multiple times without looking like you are intentionally targeting search rankings?

2) Backlinks – As your paper gets distributed and posted throughout the web, you’ll start to accumulate backlinks to your site. Backlinks are another large component of high rankings.

3) Sitemaps – If you create a separate section on your website for your Press Releases, Google will often include this link in the sitemap. Why is this important? Because it boosts your rankings. And, although this is my opinion, it looks more professional in the listings.

And, remember, if Google is crawling your site, you could put out a Press Release just for the search boost. Sometimes this is important if you have something that you want to announce, but it’s ‘borderline’ media material.

Absolutely.

A white paper describes some aspect of your business. It could be your service or your product, or it could describe a problem faced by your customers. Regardless of the content, it serves one purpose – to educate. A white paper is meant to help explain your business to a potential customer. (Hopefully, the prospect will convert into a customer.)

That’s why white papers became so popular in tech. The products and services in tech are fairly complex and need significant explanation. So marketers started writing white papers for prospects to read. Now everyone uses them.

Even if you aren’t in tech, you can still use a white paper. Why? Because all prospects need information. It’s part of the buying process. You don’t have to be an engineer to want to know more about a product or a company. Everyone wants more information, whether they are choosing a dentist, a florist, or a car repair shop. Usually, the company who provides the best information are the ones who get the new business.

For you, using a white paper can be another way to reach out and fill this need for information. It will help you convert a prospect to a customer.

You have many options to generating traffic to your white paper through online methods – SEO, articles, press releases, networking sites, social bookmarking sites, etc. However, you can also drive traffic using offline traffic. In all your offline marketing, mention the white paper and list the URL.

Here are some ideas:

- Insert the white paper into all outdoor advertising and event marketing

- Mention the white paper in your on-hold telephone method or you after-hours message

- Create a special automated number that people can call to receive a hard copy version of the paper

- Put up flyers mentioning the paper

- Have specialized business cards printed up that showcase the benefit of the white paper

- List the white paper URL in any newspaper, magazine, or other print advertising that is done

By incorporating the white paper into your offline channel, you are carving out an entirely new vehicle for acquiring customers.

What’s Your Best Blog Post of 2008?

The most common big lie is – “I have a writing problem.”

Many people are quick to point out the faults and flaws of a white paper. They say, ‘Improve this headline,’ or ‘Tighten up your summary,’ or ‘Create a stronger close.’ All of which indicate that the writing needs to be improved.

In fact, most white papers have a marketing problem, not a writing problem. The papers don’t understand the core audience or the paper doesn’t present the product in a compelling light. The paper goes on and on without making a connection with the reader. And, as such, there are no results from the paper. Then the critiques and explanations start.

It’s easy to think that the writing is the cause of the problem. But, do you really know your customers?

If you are an advanced writer, you’ll be more interested in the tons of resources along the right-hand navigation. There’s enough material for you to study for several hours.

Writing a White Paper – The OWL at Purdue University

Head-on collision describes the manner of the sales approach. It’s a one-on-one battle against the potential consumer. You are desperately trying to convince them to buy your product. Likewise, the reader is adamantly ignoring your pitch. And, like with cars, there’s a collision.

A better way to write a paper is to use a flanking strategy. Don’t approach the reader with straight-on, blustery language trying to sell them. Instead, look for an angle that accomplishes the goal of selling, but without the damage of a collision.

One flanking strategy is that of education. By using your white paper to educate, you are raising the information base of your prospect. You are providing real and concrete reasons on the nature of your industry or product-space, rather than the specific features of your product. How does this help you? By educating your readers, you are actually improving their decision making ability.

In the end, this education helps you increase your sales percentage. That is, unless you have a sub-standard product. Which, in that case, you’ve got bigger problems than just your white paper.

Here are several questions to answer before you launch into your campaign.

1) Who is my reader?

Try to define your reader as precisely as possible. Understand things related to their role in the company, their title and what that means, their biggest obstacle at work and their role. Know their basic job responsibilities and their daily operations. This information will focus your writing on your reader. Know your audience.

2) What are the pressures on my reader and how does my product help them?

Answering this question positions your product correctly. You can frame your writing in a manner that will have the most impact on the reader. Ignoring this question leads to a lack of focus, which causes the reader  to quickly discard the paper and move on to other things.

3) Is my paper written for them or for me?

Here’s the fastest way to tell. Have someone read the paper and count the number of references of ‘me versus you’ or ‘my product versus your problem.’ The numbers should be skewed towards the customer. Otherwise you are talking too much about yourself.

4) Where in my sales cycle does this paper fall?

This is probably the most difficult for people to answer. Sometimes it’s due to a lack of a funnel, more often it’s the writer isn’t aware of the process. Most white papers are used as lead generation – they are distributed to get people interested in the product. However, white papers are also useful in closing deals, providing additional social proof for a customer, or to justify the economic value of the product. Each of these applications falls into a different part of the sales funnel.

5) What are my intentions for this paper? Or, how will I know if this paper is successful?

If you don’t understand what you expect from the beginning, you’ll never know when you get there.

6) What is the next step I expect the reader to take after this paper is complete?

There are several additional actions you can have the reader take. You can take them to a special landing page, have them contact the sales person, send an email, or download a trial offer. However, you need to be specific in your expectations of the next steps.

Use this questions to help evaluate your use of the paper. You’ll have much greater success in the use of the paper.

In addition to your text product description and value proposition, you can insert dynamic Flash descriptions of your product, including animation, video, and interactive diagrams. This capability will help  illustrate your product and highlight the value in your offering. I can envision a large number of uses of Flash within a PDF.

That being said, I’m tempered in my enthusiasm. I’ve seen many technologies introduced and watched them mature. In every case, the beginning of a product launch holds much thrashing before the technology matures. This ‘thrashing’ refers to the initial attempts of users to wrangle control over the technology. It takes time before the best practices start to emerge.

Remember the early days of the web? All developers thought it clever to add flashing animation, loud bells, and other annoying elements to a page. That’s thrashing. Over time, those obnoxious practices dwindled and the best practices came into the mainstream.

I suspect that we’ll start to see several PDFs incorporating Flash that distract rather than contribute to the paper. Over time, things will steady out.