Article marketing is an internet business practice that is used mostly by marketers, but is also used by online businesses to promote all kinds of products.

Article marketing as a concept is quite simple:

1. You write articles. Your articles include a link to your website or to an affiliate page

2. You submit articles to free online article directories

3. People read your articles online and click the link to visit your website

4. Once at your website (or affiliate page) your readers purchase the item you are promoting and you earn commission.

I never would have believed how writing some simple little articles would put my website marketing into overdrive until I tried it. These techniques worked for me and I can’t imagine what they will do for someone who can actually write!

If you haven’t tried it, give it a go and see exactly what article writing can do for your marketing efforts; you may be pleasantly surprised.

Here are 5 powerful article marketing tips you should apply to all the articles you write. These ideas will help you discover the real power behind article marketing.

1. Information, Information, Information Don’t ever forget, the major reason anyone is reading your article is for the information. Make sure your articles have at least some! The more timely, the better.

2. Keep It Short And Simple Writing for the web and ezines is different than writing for off-line publications. Keep your writing brief and write in short paragraphs. Be concise. Be precise. Talk directly to your reader and trim any unnecessary fat. Be lean and meaningful.

3. Put Your Reader’s Major Benefit In The Title Always put your readers first, give them the main reason they should read your article in big bold letters at the top of the page, i.e. in the title.

4. Cross Reference Your Articles Get more bang for your links. Place links to your other articles in the article you’re writing. If you’re offering helpful advice, most ezine editors and webmasters will let you do this. Self-promote. Self-pollinate..

5. Take Full Advantage Of Article Directories Kick-start your articles by submitting them to popular online article directories. These already have a large clientele looking for your articles.

Here’s my top four sites for article submission:

http://www.ezinearticles.com
http://www.goarticles.com
http://www.articlealley.com
http://www.buzzle.com

One of the toughest things I have faced in my Network Marketing Business is the ability to manage my time. A lot of newbie’s as      well as seasoned professionals fall into one of two categories. The adrenaline driven marketer is exceptionally active.  They are either on the phone or being interrupted by others. Their workspace is a jumble of unorganized chaos. They tend to work long hours, but ironically, for all their effort, their projects are always late and off schedule.

The procrastinator always puts off tasks, hesitates and debates incessantly and has difficulty making decisions or following up on actions. They never seem to be able to get much done or follow up on what they know they need to do.

There is a blend of the above traits in most of us, and we may even swing from one extreme to the other. These are all symptoms of poor time management and recognizing this is the first step toward effective change. To effectively manage your time there are a number of key techniques you should use:

• Don’t commit to more than you can handle – one of the key reasons for work overload is over-committing. The adrenaline junky does this for the rush, we may do this out of a desire to please others, because we don’t like to say no or because we can’t let go and allow others to help us.
• Delegate – trying to do everything yourself is one of the key symptoms of poor time management. Focus on the tasks you know you can do quickly and effectively, and delegate to others, where possible. For example, if you’re not an accountant, you can waste hours or even days doing your tax returns – time which is taken away from your own endeavors.
• Prioritize your tasks – decide the most important tasks that you need to accomplish. It helps if you write this down in a diary. A good strategy is to write down each morning no more than 5 tasks that you need to accomplish during the day. Stick to your list and check off each item as you complete it.
• Focus on the task at hand – don’t allow distractions or other tasks to take you away from what you are currently doing. One of the reasons this happens is that we allow others to distract us or we think we are so important that nothing will get done if we don’t provide the answers. It may be a manager or a colleague who just ‘has’ to have an answer. Don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues to wait until a more appropriate time. They will soon learn that you don’t like being interrupted unnecessarily.
• Handle small tasks immediately – for example, responding to emails, writing letters or returning phone calls — don’t allow these tasks to accumulate; this saves you time having to read through the same information later, once you’ve forgotten it. One technique is to set aside a 30-minute or hour slot in the morning for such administrative tasks, when you can read and answer all your emails and queries and set up meetings.
• Re-examine your goals – ask yourself what choices you have made that are preventing you from effectively achieving your goals. Make sure that you are focusing your time on achieving the objectives that are important to you – whether these are your career goals or your personal aspirations.

Wow, what a ride this has been. I thought setting up a blog would be tedious and cumbersome, but a friend of mine, Jordan Shultz sent me a 8 day boot camp that has opened my eyes to the simplicity to blogging and marketing in general. The best part of his training is it’s FREE. Here’s the link for the free training… http://social-media-domination.secretMLMcode.com/?t=FB