Building a Business: Marketing Yourself With Articles

The thought of building an at-home business can be daunting, even for get-up-and-go types like my ex-wife. Could that be why we're exes? I'm not gonna go into it!

Even people of a slower, more laid back nature (like yours truly) can be successful online. With just a little bit of time and effort, you can build a business that allows you to set your own hours and work from home in your pj's. Isn't this the New American Dream? Hop on in, people. The water's fine!

Here's how I did it, and I don't mind if you copy me.

The first thing you need to do is set yourself up with a website. It can be as complicated as you like, coded in brilliant HTML with stacks of inter-linked web pages your visitors can surf to their heart's content. Or it can be super simple (see my website). I used Blogger to set up a blog. They make it so easy that even we Baby Boomers can do it in less than five minutes. They even give you several different "looks" to choose from, so you can be unique without knowing any code. How very nice of them, right?

Once I set up my space on Blogger, I was ready to start filling it with content. The first thing I did was a little introductory piece talking a little bit about me and my music, and explaining what I hoped to accomplish with the blog. What you do here is entirely up to you.

Next, I knew I had to start getting content circulating on the Web that would create backlinks to my site. After all, so far nobody can find me! That's where an article distribution service comes in.

Writing and mass-distributing articles is the best way to get noticed by search engines these days. The more articles you get published that include a link to your site, the more you'll become relevant during web searches for your product, service or specialty.

I use Article Marketer, because I like the personalized editorial service they offer. They also distribute my articles to hundreds of sites, from ABC Articles to Zinepublishers. They offer competitive prices on quarterly, annual and lifetime memberships -- so you can choose what's right for your business. And it's unlimited submissions, which is great, so I'm not charged for each article.

Isnare is another popular choice. They charge per article to submit, on a sliding scale from 1 to 115 articles. You pay $10 to submit five articles, right on up to $100 for 115 pieces. If you don't plan on submitting very many pieces, they might be just the ticket for you.

Another option is PhantomWriters, which charges $35 per article submission, but in return they offer all the articles they publish for free reprint. That means you can grab as many articles as you want to flesh out your blog -- even if you only pay to distribute one.

SubmitYourArticles is another popular site. They charge a flat monthly fee ($37) for four article submissions, and this might be perfect if you're going to write one article a week. It's definitely affordable on a small-business budget -- at least until you discover how prolific you are! Just kidding. Their service is definitely right for people who don't plan to do a lot of writing.

Now, you can choose any site you want -- or you can do it yourself for free (if you have the patience). My feelings won't be hurt either way, scout's honor!

Once you have signed up for a service (or not), you should set a writing budget for yourself. Some people write one or two articles a day; others write one a week. It totally depends on how much time you have to devote to your marketing venture. Then you start submitting your content, getting picked up by other sites, and BLING! There you go with more hits on your website than ever before.

I wish you luck with your new online adventure! So far, I'm having a whole lotta fun doing something that doesn't feel very much like work. I hope your experience is as good or better.

Seed Newsvine

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