6 Tips for Getting More Mileage Out of Your Article Marketing Don't Let All That Hard Work Go to Waste	1.0/5.0 (1 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
Jessica Cox and Michelle Pierce August 20, 2007

So you’ve gone to the trouble of picking a topic, choosing an audience, doing your research and writing an article. You’ve uploaded it to your website or your blog, and seen a bit of traffic to it. But are you really getting the full mileage out of all that hard work? 

A well-written article can be a powerful resource if you know how to use it. You can reach out to existing clients, tap new markets, and present yourself as an expert across the Web. Here a few tips for getting the most out of that investment of time and effort:

Blogs

Full-fledged articles can be a great addition to the shorter musings, industry commentary or company news bytes you may be featuring on your blog. It will also impress your readers more than the latest coffee break ramblings, and a good article will entice them to comment back or even link to it. 

Newsletter

Don’t overlook your existing client base. Current or past customers who are familiar with you are easier to sell by far than strangers hearing your name for the first time. If you've already got articles, it's a matter of a brief Internet search to find newsletter templates. This way, you can keep your customers up-to-date with information they can use. 

Article Databases

Article directories are the traditional method of distribution for article marketing. Newsletter editors troll these for content, and your article could also pick up search engine results if you play your keywords right. Remember to get the keywords in the title and the first few paragraphs, and give it a couple of weeks to get into the search engines.

Link Partners

Articles can be used as enticing link-bait to forge new link partnerships. They can also strengthen existing relationships and give your company more visibility on existing partner sites. When you’re pitching these ideas, be sure to explain the important elements from their perspective: What’s in it for them? Why will their visitors be interested in the piece? 

Directories

Directories are well-known for their SEO benefits. These are highly indexed sites that you should be looking to for more than just a simple link placement. Why settle for being Generic Company #253? With an article, you can set yourself ahead of the pack and gain credibility your competition would kill for. 

Social Bookmarking

You can reach a wider audience of people who may not read the specific online magazines and knowledge bases you write for. Give your distribution an extra boost with social bookmarking sites. AddThis.com offers an easy-to-utilize service for making your article social-bookmark friendly. A note of caution: many people have tried to game Digg or other bookmark sites by faking votes for higher rankings. This can backfire on you and actually gain negative publicity for your company. People on these sites can tell the difference between genuine quality and fake rankings. Don’t try it.

It pays to utilize the full range of options for distributing your article. The more readers you can reach, the more people you can ultimately impress with your knowledge and expertise. Whether it’s solidifying existing relationships with current clients, or softening up new prospects, make sure you’re getting the full use out of your intellectual labors.