Sell Your Product or Service While You Sleep: Submit Short Articles to Multiple Web Sites

By Judy Cullins
Posted Sunday, October 17, 2004

Have you wasted valuable time and money on promotion that doesn't work? Have your announcements and releases been ignored? Have you been too quiet about getting the word out how your product or service will help solve people's problems?

You have put passion and creativity into your business; now it's time to put passion and creativity into promoting it! Since no one really cares as much about your products as you do, then take time to learn this new, effective way to sell them. Know that the World Wide Web audience wants and needs your information--your expertise, how-to's, your experience or entertainment.

If you are willing to take four-five actions each day to promote your products, you will have successful sales. Follow these steps to learn how to promote yourself on line and make big sales:

Step One. Promote yourself through writing. Create several short "how-to" articles, short stories, poetry or humor, anywhere from 75-800 words. Prepare several lengths of the same article. For one eMagazine I submitted a seventy-five-word article on how to write a short article. For a top business Web site, I expanded it to 800 words.

Step Two. Take responsibility for Online promotion yourself. If other marketing has been weak and sales were disappointing, you can still create ongoing, lifetime profits. Online promotion is great if you are totally bashful or reluctant to "sell." You don't have to talk to anyone in person. You promote straight from your home or office. Now, that's convenience! Learn the basics from teleclasses and seminars, from the Internet, and from professional networking organizations.

Step Three. Develop Internet savvy. When you don't take this step, you will hang back, and stay stuck in fear. Action spurs you on. Take a free community college course, or visit your library for help. In just three hours, I learned about search engines, and other basics. If you are like me and are passionate to succeed, then hire a coach or virtual assistant from a local high school or tech school. Jump in and get yourself an email address and try out surfing. You won't need a Web site right away, but if you want to be a market leader, you eventually should have one.

Step Four. Visit the top Web sites in your field. Without them, your product won't get much exposure. Many authors report only a few sales from their own sites. High traffic web sites are always looking for new material (your articles) to entice their visitors to come back, again and again. Notice their signals: "New material added daily." In turn, they will put your "signature" which includes the product name or service and the Web address where it can be purchased. It doesn't have to be your Web site.

With just one short article posted in an ezine, one bookcoaching client received eight emails asking for more information. These responses give the creator another chance at a sale, and to be known as the market expert. Many product folks also have a professional service to offer. So when the person contacts them, they can mention these other services.

Step Five. Run a search on the top search engines to find the top ten Web sites in your field. Alta Vista at: (http://www.altavista.com]www.altavista.com) or Google at (http://www.google.com). Visit the Web sites to see their layout and whether or not they have a regular ezine that needs tips, excerpts, or stories. If their site puts up new articles up regularly, your information has a chance to bring you increased product sales.

Here's a great shortcut I use: Instead of searching for "product marketing" or something that is very targeted, use the keyword "business" without the quotations. Type in "business" in the blank "search for" box, then search. You will have several million Web sites that are about business. Now the fun part: replace the keyword "business" with two words: "submit article" then click on the box just below the "search for" box and click where it says: "Search Within these results" Now, do that sub search and you will be queued up to pages that allow you to submit business articles. You will hit business people who offer products and services and get a much bigger piece of the pie.

Step Six. Submit two to three article a week to the top ten Web sites. Include your article description, its category, your Web site key words, and an autoresponder link. This one technique will boost your Web site URL into the top ten listed for all the top search engines. This is a great way to optimize your search engine placement without any cost.

Step Seven. Place your articles on as many Web sites as possible. Now, you can be in control of your promotion, with far less effort, and get the respect, support and sales you deserve. Delegate some of this marketing work to your computer assistant.

Step Eight. Organize your research. Start a file called "Web sites to Link With." If you don't keep track of your promotion contacts, you will not be able to follow up.

Professional people always follow-up. They develop relationships with the people they want to do business with. Start a communication sheet for these people either on your computer or in a physical file. For instance, for publishing sites, list the contact person (Web master or content person), their email and web site URL. Include your note to them. Keep track of what you offer, what they like, what they take. Date your communications. Not everyone will respond, but with persistence, many will! At the end of your note, ask that they include a link back to either your site or other sites where your products and services are offered.

If you're like me, and not a technical person, hire a person who can do the research for you. Remember, people who visit top sites are looking for information and entertainment. They will appreciate your articles, may even pass them on to friends and associates. Many will go to your site or other sites to check out your products—even buy them. Web sites want your information. It seems like a marriage made in cyber heaven.

About the Author
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Judy Cullins: 20-year author, publisher, book coach Helps entreprenurs manifest their book and web dreams eBk: "Ten Non-techie Ways to Market Online" (http://www.bookcoaching.com/products.shtml) Send an email to Subscribe@bookcoaching.com FREE The Book Coach Says... includes 2 free eReports Judy@bookcoaching.com
Ph:619/466/0622