Common Questions (and Honest Answers) About Content That Converts

By Author: Thomas Ward
Total Articles: 34
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Who else is thinking about starting an article or content marketing campaign and isn't' sure what to expect? Have you heard differing opinions on whether or not article marketing even still works? Are you worried about duplicate content issues, where to submit your articles, or even how to go about even figuring out if your content is helping you make momentum at all? In this article we are going to take a quick and easy look at some common questions (and honest answers) about creating content that converts, and how to make sure you AREN'T spinning your wheels as well. Curious to know more? Continue reading as we take a closer look below.
Why should I trust you to begin with?
Good question! I've written and submitted well over 6000 articles that have resulted in millions of new readers in my own personal business alone, not counting overseeing thousands more in businesses I have with partners and clients. (so I've had a fair amount of experience with article marketing to say the least!)
Are article and content marketing the same thing? If not...what's the difference?
Another good question! While they ...
... are often used interchangeably, and they're both only really "labels" anyway...there are some significant differences to me. (and most professionals) Article marketing is content like THIS. (what you are reading right now) Content that is created specifically for the purposes of syndication through leveraging high trust directories, and blogs and websites that will re-publish your writing as well.
Content marketing is really a more generic term to refer to ANY kind of content that is used to draw attention to your product, site, service or offer. An INFO GRAPHIC, for example... would be considered content marketing. So too would a white paper or webinar.
A good rule of thumb is, ALL articles are examples of content marketing... YET, not all content marketing campaigns use articles!
Can I write one article a day and succeed?
Unfortunately, no. The truth is, article marketing done properly is equal part persistence and quantity, as it is creating quality content. Of course you can use one good article a day to get good traffic in many niches, and it IS a great place to begin. But, I'd rather see people use a different strategy altogether if they only have time (or patience) for 1 article every day.
Are off site article submissions still an effective form of SEO?
No, and they haven't been for a very long time. The truth is, articles (and anchor text links that emanate from them) are NOT a metric that the search engines use to gauge how much they should trust YOUR landing page, blog or website. Why? Because you are linking to your own pages...using keywords (via your anchor text) that you chose, which makes it pretty worthless from an objective standpoint.
If articles aren't good for SEO... why would I want to write them?
Great question! The truth is, there are tons and tons of reasons. First and foremost? They remain one of the very best ways to build a list in a new niche... from day 1. They broaden your sphere of influence and allow your audience to see you are published around the web. They ARE good for traffic and in some niches, GREAT. (I saved over 100K in ad spend over 6 months a few years ago in one niche alone using FREE content while my competition paid through the nose for the very same visitors)
What about duplicate content? How do I avoid it?
Don't submit the same article all over the place, but otherwise... DON'T worry about it. I typically publish very different content on the article directories versus what I publish on my blog, and so too do most of the successful marketers I know.
Duplicate content isn't something to stress about, just work hard and smart and focus on creating killer content that converts your readers into subscriber sand your subscribers into fans, friends and followers who will help spread the word about your brand, your blog, and your business to boot!)
Remember....
The best article marketing strategy is a list building one. I can't stress this enough. It's also the EASIEST way to measure your marketing momentum day over day as you watch your community go and grow! (which WILL encourage you to fall in love with article marketing as well, I promise!)

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