[EzineArticles] Content Marketing and Article Writing for Small Businesses

Content Marketing and Article Writing for Small Businesses Make Your Small Business Thrive With Quality Content Articles, reviews, blog posts, social media posts, videos, infographics, images, photos, podcasts, and more - you consume hundreds of content pieces every month. Whether you're intentionally looking for information to help you decide on a purchase or "just browsing," all of this content influences your decisions in your personal life and business endeavors. It also influences your current and prospective customers' or clients' decisions. As a small business owner (ranging from only a handful of employees to 500), you can use content marketing to build sustainable exposure for you and your business. Not only does content marketing typically cost less than traditional marketing methods (like TV advertising and radio ads), it has been reported to generate over twice the amount of leads as traditional marketing methods.* Small, big, non-profit, and even work-at-home, there's no doubt that an online presence is a must for any business to survive. Why settle for "survive" when you can thrive with content marketing? Ready to get started? Set it Up Who's your audience? Planning is critical to your success and it will save you loads of time. The first step: Audience targeting. [Learn more] Is your website ready? In addition to the goods and services you provide, ensure your website provides a quality user experience through great navigation, original content, easy-to-find contact information, search functionality, reviews , testimonials, and even a content-rich blog. [Learn more] Are you connected on social media? Consumers are interacting with brands on a more intimate level than ever before through their social media presence. Not only can you use social media to build exposure for your brand and promote your goods or services, you can also use it to deepen your audience's engagement through shared interests, conversations, and more. [Learn more] Create It What content should you create? Besides producing elaborate videos or creating time-consuming infographics, there's one method that has worked for hundreds of thousands EzineArticles Expert Authors: write quality, original articles. Not only will article writing give you a better return on the time you invested, it's a form of media that all devices can readily view (e.g., no audio or video plugins necessary). Anyone with a good grasp of the English language and a fistful of original insight can write articles. It's usually what to write and how to begin that's the issue! Be effective, specific, relevant, and compelling, but above all be original. Use these steps as a guide: Ask yourself prewriting questions like who's your audience, what do they need or want, and why. [Learn more] Break down your writing process into strategic steps to create quality, original content. [Learn more] Use article templates to build your article portfolio and explore engaging topics. [Learn more] Amplify your brand signal by promoting your content across your platform. [Learn more] Monitor your articles' traffic and activity as well as traffic search terms used to find your articles. Test approaches and strategies to narrow down what works for you! Be Wary Finally, please be skeptical of any marketing tactics or content writing tools that offer overnight success. Short of winning the lottery, nothing can commit to that kind of guarantee. Content marketing and article writing is a long-term strategy that will help you build a solid foundation over time. Do you have any advice for small businesses starting out in content marketing or article writing? Have other questions or comments? Let us know - we'd love to hear from you! Get The Spread the Word Article Template Package Blaze the trail by becoming a small business leader in your local community as well as online! Get The Spread the Word Article Template Package for 15 original templates to share your insights and experience. Click here to view the package details and find out more information! * "A Guide to Marketing Genius: Content Marketing," Demand Metric: http://www.DemandMetric.com/content/content-marketing-infographic To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Vanessa, Editorial Manager http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Don't forget that we're now giving away 10 exclusive article templates with every Premium Membership subscription. Sign up today at http://EzineArticles.com/Premium/ and use the code: NEW10PREM EzineArticles Member Endorsement "I have grown my monthly newsletter to over 14,000 subscribers." I started article writing when I started my newsletter in late 2006. At that time, I had about 25 subscribers - mostly friends and family. Since then I have grown my monthly newsletter to over 14,000 subscribers. Lee Binz TheHomeScholar.com EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Subscription | EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-9143566-4591749.2ee37a53b1b55f6b57794ace0b613d97@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2013 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

[EzineArticles] How to Prevent Article Writing Information Overload

How to Prevent Article Writing Information Overload Does writing feel like you're sailing the wide, open sea in a dingey? A new Expert Author recently admitted to me: "I have so much to learn from ... I sometimes [feel like I] could be suffering from article information overload." I get it. Internet publishing - article writing, blog writing, etc. - is constantly evolving. It seems like every time you get the hang of things, the rules change. The fact remains: content is king. Of course, all of the content in the world won't do you one bit of good if you get lost in all of the information about content marketing strategies that crash into your little boat. If ... you're first starting out and want to prevent overload, you're up to your neck in information and unsure what you should do, or you're in over your head and are about ready to give up ... ... then you definitely need to read on. 7 Overload-Prevention Tips Have a goal. Do you want to achieve niche authority, increase exposure, gain traffic, or create a killer conversion rate? Set a goal to give your efforts a direction and use it as a compass to filter incoming information.   Allow information to mature. Take it all in one step at a time. As Albert Einstein once said, "Information is not knowledge." Allow time to absorb information, think about it, and finally convert it into your knowledge bank.   Consider the source. Wherever you gather information, always take the source's credibility, accountability, and timeliness into account. For the same reason we advocate originality, quality, transparency, and relevance in your own writing, look for it in your sources.   Lean in and KISS. Keep it simple (stupid). Article writing works best if it's simple and targets a great user experience. Start small to avoid getting swallowed up in your niche and don't be afraid to narrow your area of expertise, since it can always be expanded later. Establish your credibility in more specific, targeted areas of your niche before taking on the big leagues and SEO will naturally work for you.   Save time. Work smarter, not harder by eliminating - even hacking - the inessentials so you can focus and increase your value. Develop a process that includes prioritization, delegation, and organization. [Learn more]   "Learn the rules ... so you know how to break them properly." - Dalai Lama. Discover the basics to writing great articles using the How to Create Quality Content in 7 Steps graphic as your guide. Once you're comfortable with your own style and writing voice, feel free to experiment. [Learn more]   Find the right tools. Break down writing barriers and get a handle on your strategy to succeed in content marketing, article writing, and much more with the ongoing resources found in the EzineArticles Toolkit. Learn more] With any of the above methods or anything related to article writing, ask questions and then ask us MORE questions. Join the EzineArticles Blog discussion as well as Network with experienced Expert Authors on My.EzineArticles.com. Become a VIP When you have a question, concern, or would just like to run something by our Support team, get a response faster than ever by becoming a Premium Expert Author. With Premium, our Member Support Team experts will help you navigate the article writing waters quickly and smoothly with greater speed than any of our free membership levels (even Diamond!). For a limited time, you will get 10 exclusive article templates free with any Premium subscription length of your choice. Sign up today at http://EzineArticles.com/Premium/ and use this code: NEW10PREM What tips do you have for fellow Expert Authors who are battling information overload? Click here to let us know - they'd love to hear from you! To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Penny, Managing Editor http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Have you checked out our Build-Your-Own Article Templates Packages yet? These new PDF templates are chock full of great ideas to help you write high-quality articles quickly and easily. Check them out: http://Shop.EzineArticles.com/BuildYourOwnArticleTemplates/ EzineArticles Member Endorsement "... the positive effects of passive income and name recognition is well worth the effort." Thanks so much for the great publicity. I was amazed at how many articles I already had written when I started digging out all my old notes and speeches. It just took a little reformatting, bringing up to date and filling in here and there to have them ready to send off to you. Even though we are swamped with projects, the positive effects of passive income and name recognition is well worth the effort. Keep up the good work. Judy H. Wright ArtichokePress.com EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Subscription | EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-9137099-4591749.2ee37a53b1b55f6b57794ace0b613d97@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2013 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

[EzineArticles] Empower Your Writing With the Top Punctuation Howlers Grammar Style Guide

Empower Your Writing With The Top Punctuation Howlers Grammar Style Guide Why Punctuation Matters Next to common grammatical errors, like spelling mistakes (alot vs. a lot) and misused words (loose weight vs. lose weight), punctuation is often overlooked, but it shouldn't be. Punctuation makes a huge impact! Take for instance this popular example of the power of punctuation: An English professor wrote the following words on the chalkboard and asked the students to punctuate it correctly: "A woman without her man is nothing" All of the males in the class wrote: "A woman, without her man, is nothing." All of the females in the class wrote: "A woman: without her, man is nothing." Punctuation is powerful. You can harness this power to attract new readers and keep your current readers engaged with the free Top Punctuation Howlers PDF guide. Unlike other style guides that imprison your writing or as one author put it, cause you to "type on eggs," Top Punctuation Howlers is easy to understand with its plethora of examples and open-writing style recommendations. It's designed to help you strengthen your writing skills, no matter if you're ... an exclamation point junky!!!! constantly ... in the state ... of pause ... struggling with an apostrophes' placement an ESL writer who needs help with the nuances of English lacking the necessary grammatical instruction in need of a punctuation refresher a writer or freelancer looking for a quick and easy reference guide What's Included This free 29-page downloadable PDF features the 10 most-popular punctuation marks, their most common article writing mistakes, and tips to strengthen your writing skills. Check it out: The Period The Exclamation Point The Comma The Colon The Semicolon The Dash The Parentheses The Apostrophe The Quotation Mark The Hyphen Don't Take Our Word For It! Appearing first on the EzineArticles Blog, the Top Punctuation Howlers have been a huge hit with our Expert Authors. Check out what they're saying: "Waooo! This is informative, educative and interesting." -- Samuel Bani Dauda "Fantastic! This column should be required reading in high school, college, and anywhere small-business owners congregate." -- Tom Fusard "Thank goodness there are still some people who care about the use and misuse of the English language." -- Mary "This is probably the best explanation I've ever read about the proper use of the comma. It's easy to understand. Thank you!" -- Patti Winker "I'm still laughing, Penny! (As well as learning.) What a very elegant way of reminding writers about grammar." -- Lisa Strong Gorringe Empower Your Writing What have you got to lose? Instantly download your FREE copy of the Top Punctuation Howlers here! Take Your Writing to the Next Level! Now that you've downloaded the Top Punctuation Howlers PDF, increase exposure and leverage your authority by building your dynamic and engaging article portfolio. Combine one, two, three - or all seven - Build Your Own Article Template Packages to find the perfect combination of article topics and framework to suit you and your audience. Click here to start building! Questions? Comments? What's your favorite punctuation mark? Anything you'd like to see in the future? Click here to chat with us - we'd love to hear from you! To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Penny, Managing Editor http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Don't forget that we're now giving away 10 exclusive article templates with every Premium Membership subscription. Sign up today at http://EzineArticles.com/Premium/ and use the code: NEW10PREM EzineArticles Member Endorsement "EzineArticles surely has worked for me." I really have supported my business with my ezine articles ... This has been a tremendous boost to branding of my name, my website, and my various projects. I am looked upon as an expert on aging, someone that writes about their subject. People get an idea of what you think, as well as what you can give to their organization or on an individual basis. EzineArticles surely has worked for me. Patricia Weaver PatriciaWeaver.net EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Subscription | EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-9131440-4591749.2ee37a53b1b55f6b57794ace0b613d97@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2013 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

[EzineArticles] Top 20 Writing Quotes and Inspirational Pins

Top 20 Writing Quotes and Inspirational Pins Join Our Countdown to the Greatest Writing Pins The activity on EzineArticles' Pinterest page is bursting with inspirational quotes, informative graphics, useful writing tools, and much more. So much so that we decided to compile the top 20 pins that have been liked and repinned to share with you! If you're on Pinterest, feel free to click-through and like or repin any of the following images for motivation now or save them for later. If you're not on Pinterest, you should be! Besides promoting your own content on this growing social networking platform, you can use Pinterest to catalogue your article writing ideas, find great content marketing strategies you wouldn't discover anywhere else, and have fun. Whether directly related to article writing or containing key elements to your success, check out these great motivational tips and sage advice for writers! Top 20 Writing Quotes and Inspirational Pins 20. The art of rewriting. 19. Be positive and constructive in your criticism to raise your credibility, instead of lowering it with negativity. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." - Benjamin Franklin 18. Editing matters! Use this Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar Revision Checklist to help your readers see through the smoke. 17. Ruthlessly edit your writing. More isn't better - sometimes it's just more. 16. Set an intention: What's something new you're going to try today? 15. "If not now, when ..." "Write" now! There's no time like the present. 14. Writing Tip - Latin phrases every writer should know. Do agree with this list? 13. A good reminder. Sometimes you can't help but want it to be perfect, but then you realize that it's just the first of many drafts. For now you are laying down the foundations of something beautiful and new. Later you edit and revise it into something greater than before. 12. Write to give your ideas and insights flight. "Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings." - Salvador Dali 11. Plan to succeed. "A goal without a plan is just a wish." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery 10. A positive attitude will show in your writing and will help increase your productivity. "For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness." - Ralph Waldo Emerson 9. "All writing problems are psychological problems. Blocks usually stem from the fear of being judged. If you imagine the world listening, you'll never write a line. That's why privacy is so important. You should write first drafts as if they will never be shown to anyone." - Erica Jong 8. Neil Gaiman's 8 Rules for Writing - great tips from an awesome writer! 7. Let's start writing today on a positive note, shall we? "Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up." - Ann Bradford 6. Is writing a chore? Choose a niche you are passionate about and enjoy writing! "Choose a job that you like, and you will never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius 5. Writing tips from Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction or non-fiction, these tips are great!) 4. When's the best time to write? "Write" now! "If you wait for inspiration to write you're not a writer, you're a waiter." - Dan Poynter 3. Content writing is like any other training or learning process. Don't overthink the details, practice, and stick to the path. Once you know all of the rules, then go ahead: break them. 2. Stay inspired - keep writing! 1. You may not be there yet, but you're one step closer than you were yesterday. What's your favorite pin? Have questions about Pinterest? Click here to visit this post online and let us know! P.S. Click here to follow us on Pinterest for the latest EzineArticles' pins and writing repins. And don't forget to follow the Article Writing Tools board for the latest tools to help you save time, give your efforts a boost, and defeat writer's block! To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Penny, Managing Editor http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: We've combined the advantages of both Premium membership and 10 Article Templates into one irresistible package! http://bit.ly/196nszz EzineArticles Member Endorsement "... build an expert reputation ..." After submitting articles to EzineArticles.com, I experienced a dramatic improvement in my website's search engine rankings -- and the increases in traffic and sales that come with top rankings. I recommend EzineArticles.com to anyone who wants to increase their web visibility and build an expert reputation. Cathy Stucker IdeaLady.com EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Subscription | EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-9126260-4591749.2ee37a53b1b55f6b57794ace0b613d97@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2013 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

[EzineArticles] Dofollow vs. Nofollow Links: Guidelines You Can Count On

Dofollow vs. Nofollow Links: Guidelines You Can Count On No Nonsense Guide to Dofollow and Nofollow Link Relationship Attributes We've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's get right to it! What is dofollow? Simply put, "dofollow" is a plain HTML link that indicates to users that text is hyperlinked. It also tells search-engine spiders to crawl your link. If you're familiar with basic HTML, "dofollow" links should be very familiar: <a href="http://example.com">Your Anchor Text</a> The term "dofollow" is used to describe a type of link in conversations like we're having today. You will notice there isn't an actual "dofollow" link relationship attribute, which is an HTML tag that tells the web browser the relationship of the linked document with the current document. What is nofollow? The link relationship attribute "nofollow" looks like this: <a href="http://www.example.com" rel="nofollow">Your Anchor Text</a> Still visible and clickable to users, what "nofollow" does is tell search-engine spiders to not follow your link, resulting in the following: Spiders will not follow the link Users may still click and follow the link PageRank is not transferred Anchor text is not transferred to your link profile Okay, I know you might be thinking, "Wait?! Isn't that counterproductive if what I'm trying to do is build exposure for myself in search engines?" The link relationship attribute "nofollow" is one of many methods search engines have initiated to prevent link spam from reaching end users. With strategically used "nofollow" tags, you will build your exposure and protect your authority with search engines. Here are the two most common ways you can use the "nofollow" link relationship attribute on your own website: Your blog comments section. If you're already monitoring your blog comments (as you should be), then you know that commenters will often leave vague or sometimes completely irrelevant comments just to get a link back to their website. The "nofollow" will preserve your website's integrity from those linked comments that are not easily deciphered as spam. Pages you don't want indexed. You may have areas on your website that are exclusive to members that are not open to the public or perhaps you simply don't want users on a page. Use the "nofollow" relationship attribute to indicate to search engines that you don't want it indexed. Your Articles: Dofollow vs. Nofollow If you recall, section 3f. Website Links/URLs of the EzineArticles Editorial Guidelines, you may include: A maximum of two self-serving links (links you own or have a vested interest in). A maximum of two non-self-serving links (those links you don't have a vested interest in, such as a citation). Up to four links max., consisting of both self-serving and non-self-serving links, in your entire article submission. Depending on the placement on your links, your articles on EzineArticles.com use both "dofollow" and "nofollow": Nofollow: All links placed in the article body automatically include "nofollow" , which instructs search engines that the link should not influence ranking. Dofollow: Links placed in the Resource Box are "dofollow" and therefore do influence the ranking. 5 Additional Quick and Easy Must-Read Resources on Linking The Fold: Why Linking Above the Fold Is Problematic Click here learn more about link placement in your articles. HTML Code Basics for Expert Authors Click here to learn how to format basic HTML. Diversify Your Link Profile With Descriptive Anchor Text Click here for more information on how to maintain your visibility with a balanced link profile. Losing Readers? Keep Them on Your Website by Improving User Experience Part I Click here for 7 tips to improve your website's appeal and keep visitors on your site. Losing Readers? Keep Them on Your Website by Improving User Experience Part II Click here for 5 website basics to consider BEFORE you link. Any questions? Click here to share your comments and suggestions - we'd love to hear from you! To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Vanessa, Editorial Manager http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Like us on Facebook for more great tips every day. EzineArticles Member Endorsement "... the process of writing has been profoundly rewarding!" Writing articles is truly the best way to become a leader of thought in your industry or within your circle.... Thank you, EzineArticles - You literally changed my life, and the process of writing has been profoundly rewarding! Camille Rodriquez PolkaDotImpressions.com EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Subscription | EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-9121243-4591749.2ee37a53b1b55f6b57794ace0b613d97@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2013 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.