I’ve got a riddle for you. What type of online advertising is free, will establish you as an expert, and can improve your website’s popularity with search engines… all while making it easy for others to drive traffic to your website. The answer: article marketing. So why aren’t you doing it? You should be!

What exactly is article marketing? It’s simple. You write an article and then submit it to article directories, websites, and blogs that are looking for quality content. They post your article, including your bio and a link to your website… and then good things start to happen!

How to get started?

• Write about what you know. Make writing easy. Write about topics that you’re interested in and have plenty to say about. Just make sure your articles are related to your business or industry. That way when readers check out your website they’ll know they’ve come to the right place. And no selling please! Your articles are for educating and informing with your reader’s interests in mind. So when writing articles, think coach and teacher… not salesman.

• Keep it keyword rich. You want to make it easy for the search engines to find your article. No surprise right? Make sure your article title includes keywords you care about. It’s also a good idea to sprinkle keywords into the article text… but always remember it’s about engaging your readers not over-stuffing keywords.

• Have a compelling article title. The headline of your article is the only thing that most people read. So make it compelling. That way they’ll have no choice but to read on. How do you do that? Make your article title provocative. Try writing it in the form of a question that draws readers in. Or phrase it as if you’re going to let them in on a little known secret. You get the idea!

• Write articles often. Get in the habit of writing lots of articles. Volume counts… as one or two won’t do. That’s why it’s so important to write about what you know and like. Look for ideas in your favorite magazines and blogs. And from conversations with your prospects and customers. The good news is that your articles don’t need to be long. Figure 300 to 600 words. But you do need to write at least two articles a month (or more!)

• Don’t forget your bio. Besides your article title, your bio is the most important part of your article. Why? Because it’s where you get to brand yourself and include your website’s URL. This is where the selling happens so definitely add a few sentences about you and your company. The goal here is to get prospects to read about you and visit your website.

When you’re ready… start with publishing to the article directories. It’s easy and free. Go ahead and submit to all the top article directories such as: EzineArticles, ArticlesBase, Buzzle.com, SearchWarp, GoArticles, and IdeaMarketers.  Just search “article directories” to find more.

And keep a look out for blogs and websites in your industry that want guest authors (you can be one!) Having your article show up in a popular blog can mean thousands of dollars of exposure for your business.

Happy article writing!

Brand advertising is only for big brands right? McDonald’s, Coke, Apple… they pay for splashy ad banners on websites and billboards by the road side. Not to mention sexy TV ads. What about your online business? Guess what… you also need to invest in brand advertising. Surprised? Read on.

Spending all your advertising dollars on paid search (i.e., Google) to drive traffic to your website is crazy. Okay, maybe not crazy… but really, really expensive. That’s why everyone tells you to search engine optimize (SEO) your website. That way your site will show up in “natural” search results when a prospect types in a keyword you care about. And that’s huge since natural search clicks are free of charge!

But while most people click on sponsored listings based on ranking (that’s why marketers splurge to get ranked number one), many will click on a natural search listing based on recognizing the brand. So brand awareness matters big time if you want to increase the likelihood that prospects will click on your search listing. This is especially true since research shows that people click on natural search listings more than 70% of the time!

Not convinced of the importance of brand awareness? Then let me say it another way: people are more likely to buy from a brand they’ve heard of.

Here are some ways to create brand awareness for your online business:

• Issue press releases. Doesn’t matter how big or small your company is. Let your prospects know when you have important news that they’ll find compelling. And these days it’s pretty easy and costs only $25 to $100 to issue a press release. Interested? Take a look at PR Newswire and 1888 Press Release to get started.

• Run ad banner campaigns. Yes, buy ad banners! Banner advertising is a great way to generate brand awareness with your target prospects. And there are lots of ad networks and websites that cater to advertisers with limited marketing dollars to spend. For example, check out these ad networks: BuySellAds and AdBrite.

• Publish content. Creating and publishing informative content is more important than ever in making prospects aware of you and your brand. So write articles, comment on blogs (create your own!), participate in online forums… and always mention your brand. Just be patient as it does take awhile. But before you know it you’ll start to create brand awareness (and website traffic too!)

• Leverage social media. There’s a lot of buzz about Facebook, Twitter, YouTube… to name just a few social media sites. And whether or not you understand what these sites are all about… your business needs to participate. It really does. So invest the time to learn how social media can help you get the word out about your brand.

There’s a lot to chew on here… so make sure and pace yourself. You don’t need to do it all at once to start getting prospects to recognize your brand.

How about first doing a press release on that big customer you just landed? Meanwhile, get started running an ad banner campaign that really cements your brand in the mind of your target market. And get in the habit of commenting on blog sites you like to read. Then see who in your company (maybe you) likes to write and put them in charge of your website’s blog. Next up is launching your website’s Facebook page, Twitter account, and then some videos for YouTube.

As I said… there’s a lot to do! The good news is that every step you take generates more brand awareness. Did I mention that prospects are more likely to buy from you if they’re already familiar with your brand?

It doesn’t matter what type of online business you have… just remember it’s all about the content. The text, pictures, and graphics of your website are responsible for informing, engaging, and prompting visitors to stick around and take the actions you care about… like signing up for a newsletter, giving you a call, or buying your products!

Once you realize how important your website content is then my next comment should be obvious: you’re actually a publisher. That’s right… a publisher. Why? Because publishers are always thinking about content and that’s what you need to do too!

Here are some guidelines to help you think like a publisher:

• Keep your target audience in mind. When writing your website copy, always use words and phrases that reflect how your prospects actually talk. When in doubt, just think about the conversations you have every day with people interested in your offerings and write like that. But please no “biz-speak”… you know, a formal tone with lots of big words that no one uses in real life. Unless your target audience really speaks that way.

• Write content that is engaging and personal. Always write in the “active” voice. For example, the phrase: “you can” is more engaging than “enable you to”. See what I mean? And write as if you’re speaking to an actual person. Notice how I use the words “you” and “your” all the time? I could instead use “one” or “a person”… but that’s so darn impersonal.

• Update and add website content often. This keeps prospects coming back to see what’s new and interesting. For example, you can update product pictures on your home page, add customer reviews and testimonials, provide tips and best practices, and even answer more frequently asked questions. Depending on your business, you should update and add content weekly or at least monthly.

• Grammar and formatting are important too. Please, please, please… no grammar or spelling errors. And keep paragraphs short and easy to read with lots of bullet points when it makes sense. Remember, people don’t like to read on the Internet… they browse and scan instead. Make it easy for them and they’ll want to read more!

• Do it yourself or have someone do it for you. There’s no shame in needing help with your content. Maybe you’re not a good writer or graphic designer. Why should you be? Just find someone that is for what you need help with. These days there are many talented people available and affordable too. Need copy writing help? Place an ad on www.freelancewritinggiggs.com, www.elance.com, or www.craigslist.com for starters.

Lots of good content (especially text) is also critical to keeping the search engines happy. And a happy search engine means prospects will find your business when searching the Internet.

The bottom line: when prospects and search engines like your content then a wonderful thing happens… you generate lots of business!

It’s not like the good old days when a press release was only issued by a big company with quotes from way too serious executives. In today’s web world, press releases can and should be an important part of your strategy to get the word out about your business… even if you’re a one person start-up working from your kitchen table.

Of course, you need to be realistic. Your press release is probably not going to be “picked up” by CNN or USA Today. But many people will read it including potential customers. That’s the power of the Internet. And who knows… a blogger that follows your industry could see it and comment. And the buzz begins… nothing wrong with dreaming!

In any case, issuing a press release is about creating content. And content is king. Why? Because content gives people something to talk about and helps you generate natural (free) search traffic… which is definitely a good thing.

With that said, here are some tips for writing your press release:

• Make it news worthy. There’s a lot of “noise” out there so you need to break through the clutter with news that’s truly interesting, relevant, and compelling to your audience. And even better, if it’s about something that solves a problem for them.

• Tell a story. Sure it’s news but write it like a story. Grab your reader’s attention with a strong headline and an initial paragraph that tells the essence of your story line. Use the rest of the release to cover the basics of who, what, why, and when.

• Use real life examples. Use quotes and examples from real people to bring your story to life. And adding “success stories” is a great way to show the benefits of using your service while making it easy for prospects to relate to your offering.

• Stick to the facts. Hopefully your press release will be an attention getter. But if you want prospects to take you seriously, then don’t write your release like an advertisement. This means stick to the facts and resist the temptation to over-embellish (no promo fluff please!)

• Keep it lean and mean. Attention spans are short… especially on the web. So keep your press release concise, impactful, and action-oriented. Just like that last sentence!

Now the most important thing… always write with your audience in mind. Here’s a good test: if you wouldn’t want to read your press release then your prospects won’t want to either.

At this point you’re probably wondering what you should issue a press release about. Why not cover the launch of your new website or service? How about that important customer you just landed? Did a retail chain just decide to carry your product? Or maybe you’re presenting at an industry conference or event? You get the idea!

And issuing a press release is not that costly. You can expect to pay $25 to $100 per release at quality services such as: PRNewsWire.com, PR.com, and PRLeap.com. There are also free services available like: PRLog.org, 1888PressRelease.com, and OpenPR.com that you can try out.

Keep in mind the free services tend to only show your press release on their site while paid services will also distribute to other websites plus make it easier to optimize your release for the search engines. So the extra cost may be worth it to you.

Are you ready to get started? Do a search for “press release samples” to find examples and templates to check out. Then pick one of the services… now go ahead and make some news!

Looking at the home page was giving me a headache since there were so many words to read. So I (politely) asked the question: “What were your thoughts in having so much text on your new home page?” The answer: “We optimized it for search.” And no surprise… fewer online orders were coming in.

Yes, optimizing for search engines by adding keywords to home page copy may help you generate more natural search traffic. But please keep in mind the following when you hear the siren’s call of optimizing your home page for search:

• Your home page tells users they’ve come to the right place. And you only have a few seconds to convince visitors that they’ve come to the right place. Your copy plays an important role in doing so. But if users think they need more than a few seconds reading your home page to figure this out… then just say goodbye!

• Your home page is about getting visitors to take an action. You want home page visitors to quickly and easily see your compelling call-to-actions such as “sign up now” or “give us a call”… and your text needs to be finely tuned to drive these actions. Don’t make users think the call-to-action really is “read more words”.

• Your home page is about navigation not keywords. If adding more keywords makes it harder for home page visitors to see your “shop” tab, notice the “contact us” link, or find the “search” box, then don’t do it. Don’t. You’ll only be making it more difficult for everyone… especially yourself!

• Your home page entices users to spend time with you. Remember the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words? And pictures are much more engaging and inviting than words. Too many websites act as if this rule no longer applies… simply because the words are now search engine optimized. Not so!

So go ahead and sprinkle the keywords that are most important to your online business into your home page copy. But if it comes at the cost of usability then it’ll do more harm than good. Just remember: optimize your home page for results not search!