Question: I’m a Virtual Assistant. Can I use articles to promote my business?

Signed, Eager VA

Dear Eager VA,

Virtual Assistants are springing up all around the internet. It’s a very viable business option and more work at home moms are jumping on the bandwagon every day. The real go-getters will whip up a “business card” website right away with their contact information, ‘about me’ information, and their rates and services offered.

But, then that website sits and collects dust while they wait for the traffic to roll in. So, what’s a Virtual Assistant to do to generate traffic to their website?

Oftentimes VAs overlook one of the best methods of marketing their websites &ndash article writing. Virtual Assistants can write about all kinds of topics &ndash how to organize emails, customer service, hiring or firing a VA, ways a VA can benefit a business, or accounting among other things. Then, they can share the articles, just like any other website owner to drive traffic to their websites and establish an expert status in their field.

If you’re a VA who’s new to article sharing, it’s actually quite easy. You write a helpful article and include your author bio at the end. (See the end of this article as an example.) Then, you submit your article to Article Directories where hungry website owners, blog owners and ezine publishers eagerly grab your article to publish it on their sites.

Now, there is stiff competition so it’s not quite that easy, but that’s the gist of how article sharing works. And, you know it works because you’re reading my article that I’ve written and shared with article directories. There’s my URL in the author bio and you’ve found my article because someone has published it on their website, blog or in their newsletter. If it works for me, it can work for you, too.

Article sharing is underutilized in the Virtual Assistant field and I hope to see that change in the coming year. Go grab that free traffic and grow your VA business. Not only will your VA business grow, but you can share this method of marketing with your clients and blow them away with your knowledge of internet marketing. Best wishes.

We write and we write well. At least we hope that we do. Still, we writers need our own library of “go to” books to help us write with strength, market our wares, and simply to inspire us to greater works. I’ve compiled a brief list of useful books for the serious article writer’s library. Some I own, while others I plan on buying.

The Chicago School of Style, 15th Edition &ndash Considered by English speaking authors as “the Bible” of proper grammar usage and style, this 950 plus page reference book is everything you need to have on hand when you simply are not sure about punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc. Surprisingly, the book is not stuffy as it allows serious writers some flexibility with the rules. If you have been writing for some time, you know that rules do change. I was shocked when even the Chicago School started a sentence with “and” in it. Oh me, oh my!

Guerilla Marketing For Writers — I am very curious about this title as I have seen reference to it on various writers’ web sites. Essentially “Guerilla Marketing” espouses the need for writers [particularly book authors] to spend as much as 33% of their time marketing. Hmmm…writing in and of itself is so involved. Who has the time?

Writer’s Market — Every year since this reference book was first issued in 1921, the Writer’s Market has served writers in finding places where they can submit their work for payment. The book lists contact information, submission guidelines, and tips on all the who/what/when/where/why of the “word” industry.

Random House Webster’s Pocket Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation Guide Okay, I admit it. When I don’t feel like lugging the “Chicago Style” around, this Random House book meets most of my needs. 300 power packed pages that will easily fit in your laptop carrying case, purse, or suit jacket pocket.

No, I rarely use a dictionary anymore nor do I rely on a thesaurus. Everything I need is right online or part of my Word program. I don’t know about you, but I am definitely a 21st century writer who manages to write, edit, rewrite, submit and accomplish a multitude of related tasks from the ease of my laptop computer. No pencil and paper for me, except when lounging by the river or down at the beach. Oh, for more of those types of experiences!

Oftentimes when it comes to article writing, the end result can be pretty mundane. In many instances, there is nothing that prevents you from getting creative in your article writing. There are some pointers that will be helpful to you when it comes to getting creative in your article writing. By understanding these pointers, you will end up making your article writing more useful and more powerful.

Article writing can be extremely boring at times, especially if you are shooting for a specific number of articles written each day.

So it is easy with article writing to get sloppy, to forget to make the article interesting, or to not do a good job of teaching whatever it is you are teaching in the article.

So how do you make an article interesting, interesting enough that the reader sticks with you through to the end of the article and clicks on your web site?

The must fundamental factor that you need to master when it comes to getting creative with your article writing is your choice of words. While you do not want to utilize a “big” word when something more concise will do, you will want to use interesting words whenever possible.

Another fundamental factor that you will want to need to appreciate when working to make your article writing more creative is the manner in which you structure a particular article. Long blocks of text are far less compelling than a pithy, direct and smartly written sentence or paragraph. Don’t use five words when one will do.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to write a ‘how to’ article – much like this one. By writing a how-to article, you are specifically dealing with exactly what the title indicates, and you are meeting a need of your reader. The nice thing about a how to article is that only people interested in learning ‘how to’ do something specific will read your article – and as long as you stick to the topic and teach them how to do it, you will succeed at writing an interesting article, at least to them.

Another way to create an interesting article is to include a story of how what you are writing about has helped someone else – how your technique has benefited someone else.

And still another way that you can keep your article interesting is to offer information that is rarely found elsewhere – and possibly even only information that you alone can offer

Question: I’ve got a forum and it’s a ghost town. How can I get people to my forum? &ndash NobodyLovesMe

Dear Nobody Loves Me,

Building a forum into a happenin’ place is a LOT of work. Don’t be discouraged if your efforts aren’t paying off yet. It does take time.

That being said, there are ways to boost your forum and keep boosting it, without having to spend a lot of money. Let me share one of my favorite ways to get traffic, writing articles.

You may not be familiar with article sharing. Basically, you write and share your articles with other websites and newsletters that need content. They publish your article with your author resource box (including your website URL). This helps both of you. The website publisher needs interesting, informative content and you need the exposure.

But, what does this have to do with building your forum? It can help you in two ways.

1. In your author bio, include a link directly to your forum so people that click through your link can sign up immediately and get chatting with the other members.

2. Or link to your website and have your forum prominently displayed on every page. The more incoming links you have pointing to your website content, the more important the search engines will think your site is &ndash and you’ll get more natural traffic from google, msn, and yahoo.

So, how do you take advantage of this method of generating traffic? You can start today.

1. Choose a topic. You can even use your own forum posts for inspiration. If you’ve recently answered questions in a post on your forum about any topic, turn it into an article. (Of course you may only use the materials you yourself have written and any and all names should be changed.)

2. Include your Author Resource box. Make sure to think about this part a lot. Many people just skim over it and, frankly, have useless resource boxes. What do you offer to the visitors? Do you have a free incentive for joining? Think this one through. Make it enticing.

3. Submit your Articles. Find article directories where you can share your articles.

4. Then, don’t sit and wait for traffic, repeat the process over and over and watch your forum grow.

The results will be long-lasting as your articles will float around the web for years and years to come.

A small but indispensable tool if you’re serious about writing is a notebook; I mean the paper kind and not the computer. Yes, that’s right, a notebook. It should be carried around whenever you leave your home or office. Here’s why:

1. You just don’t know when an idea will strike. Unless you have a photographic memory, you’d want to write down that idea immediately so you may study it at a later time. Ideas often come when you are aware of the sights and sounds around you.

2. It’s better to write down experiences as much as possible in real time then try to relive and write about it later. For example a first-time visit to a park or rain forest can produce emotions or feelings that would be difficult to duplicate in writing if recalled by memory when it’s long over.

3. You might meet an important or exciting personality whom you’d like to quote verbatim. To write about it later out of memory might cause you to misquote the person, which will render your article false. What’s worse is that you might draw the ire of the person misquoted.

4. When you have a chosen subject matter, it helps very much to collect information. An article with lots of information endears you to readers, especially those who go to the Internet for information. Jotting down as much information you can get will also give you fodder for more future articles. Information will also generate those all-imortant ideas.

Of course, it goes without saying, that carrying a notebook will entail carrying that other indispensable tool, a pen (or pencil). Carrying these are unobtrusive, lightweight and can easily be retrieved and used.

They may seem old-fashioned, but they work nonetheless.

Writing down your thoughts is an easy task but making them appealing to the readers is difficult. When you write an article, you sit on chair of an expert. People read your thoughts as if you have a thorough knowledge of the topic you are dealing within your article. So writing an article puts whole lot of responsibility on your shoulders, the responsibility of being true and genuine. If you want to have panache in your writing, there are certain points that you should keep in mind. These are certain basics of article writing.

In this day and age, competition is fierce when it comes to article writing on the Net. One of the most important elements of successful article writing today is to be able to produce high quality articles fast. There is a method that you can use in order to write an article fast.

The ultimate key to writing an article fast is to understand your topic. There is an old mantra in writing that you should only write of those things of which you have actual knowledge. Start writing about something you are familiar with. After that before you begin writing any article, you need to make sure that you educate yourself on the subject.

In addition, when it comes to the easiest way to write an article fast you need to understand that fast article writing takes practice. Therefore, you need to “workout,” you need to write regularly. Many professional writers recommend that you write each and every day. You need to schedule a regular time to write … even if you do not have an active project in production. By following this course, you will become a better and faster writer in no time.

The basic of article writing is that the articles you write should be well organized. This means that the article should have an introduction to the topic, which introduces the readers to the topic followed by paragraphs that deal with the topic, and a conclusion to the topic. Using the above format gives the readers a chance to understand your article better and you will be able to convey your message properly to the readers.

Finally, when it comes to the easiest way to write an article fast, remember the principle of keeping it simple. You do not have to write a complicated article. People like to read articles that are easy to understand. Therefore, you do not need to litter your writing with unnecessary fancy words. Keep it simple and you will keep it easy.

Question: I started an online talk radio show. I have the equipment set up and my guests lined up. But, how do I get listeners? I feel like I’m talking to myself.

Signed, Talking to Myself

Dear Talking to Myself,

First of all, Congratulations! What a big step you took to start a show. You’ve got the equipment ready, the interviews lined up and are ready to roll. I’m assuming you’ve already spent money on equipment so you don’t want to spend more on advertising. What’s a frugal online radio host to do?

Lucky for you, there are many ways to get traffic to your online radio show. One of my favorites is writing and sharing articles. If you’re unfamiliar with this method of traffic generation, it’s actually quite simple. In fact, it’s working right now. You’re reading an article that I’ve written and shared &ndash and you can see at the bottom of the article, my author bio, where I get to share a little bit about me.

If it’s working for me, it can work for you, too. All you need to do is to find some topics, write effective articles with an author bio that works, and submit it to everyone who wants it. And repeat, repeat, repeat.

Not only will you get traffic to your website, but you’ll get more people inquiring about being guests on your show. And, if you sell advertising on your radio show, you’ll get exposure to more potential advertisers as well. Article sharing is definitely a great way to get your name out into the cyber-world.

And, the best part is that every article you send out is working for you for years to come. One article won’t likely get you a flood of traffic, but it’ll give you a ongoing drip. Fifteen articles will get you a trickle, and so on. So, get writing and get your message out there. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I have read several articles, blogs, and message board postings concerning the rise of article theft. Specifically, this is where your article is lifted from your site without your permission or pulled from a third party site.

In many ways I consider the internet to be the “Wild West” in terms of lawlessness. Ignoring established and set rules is common, meaning that us law abiding folks have our work cut out for us.

It may surprise you, but I don’t take action in many cases of known article theft. Why? Because, I just don’t have the time to police everything. I know of authors who check every link to their site, but that work is both tedious and time consuming.

A golden rule: If someone takes my article without my permission and the content and links are still in place, I don’t worry about it. If they take my article and change the content, paragraph headers, the title, or steal credit for themselves, then I will contact the offending party and demand that they make the appropriate corrections. Even for links that are broken, I generally let these types of mistakes slide.

When it comes to writing, time is money. I only respond to egregious violations while letting everything else slip by. I would rather spend my time making money instead of losing that time to chasing down violators. No, my policy or “golden rule” isn’t perfect, but it saves me from being bogged down in what I find to be a wasteful pursuit.

Have you wasted valuable time and money trying to promote your online business? If you’ve spent hard-earned cash buying ads on ezines or on websites, you may have been disappointed with the results.

There’s a better way to advertise your business or website!

Article writing is for you if you want great benefits that don’t cost anything.

By submitting quality articles you’ll get lots of exposure and publicity — without a financial investment! You’ve probably realized by now that the internet is about information, so content brings visitors to your site. That’s a no-brainer!

Consider the possibilities of regularly writing for the internet.

Your work may be seen by millions. Articles written today can quickly appear on over 100 websites.

Search engines are constantly looking for new content to feed content-hungry readers. Why not yours?

By keeping your work before the public, your website will keep getting new visitors who become buyers. As your words are spread all over the internet, your targeted traffic will increase. That’s how to reach lots of qualified buyers. Previous customers will be motivated to become repeat buyers.

By writing regularly, you can reach affiliates or joint venture partners who can help your sales’ potential.

Your articles can be permanently displayed on the internet.

Your reputation can spread all over the internet and beyond. Think of the reach just one article can have!

Your influence could span the globe!

What you’ve written can show up in the most surprising places.

1. Your words may wind up on on a number of publishers’ home pages.

2. You could get featured in a large ezine with thousands of subscribers.

3. Your work could be published in a book or in magazines.

4. An author may ask to use one or more of your articles in an e-book and you’ll be credited.

5. You may get discovered and earn extra income through speaking engagements.

6. You may be given the opportunity to speak on radio shows.

7. You may even be interviewed for national newspapers.

You may not have to wait long before seeing amazing results.

As you submit your work to ezines and article directories, keep in mind that top-ranking sites are crawled by Google more often than other sites. When these sites publish your writing, you’ll soon see results.

With each article you submit, your reputation will grow. After you’ve submitted twenty or so, you may become a household name — at no charge to you!

An author’s works are often kept permanently on websites, so one keyword-rich article can bring thousands of hits for years to come.

Articles not only build your reputation, but are the best way to raise your search engine ranking.

Reciprocal linking is viewed as less important to Google than one-way linking. If numerous sites point to your website without you linking back, Google rewards you with a higher rank.

You get back links automatically by submitting articles and you don’t even have to bother with link exchanges to increase rankings. You also don’t have to worry about Google’s ever-changing algorithm changes that can dump your website several pages down in one day.

Your published works prove you’re an expert — at least in the eyes of readers who view you as knowledgeable. You also establish credibility and trust. Your words can create your own brand for your website and business.

The written word has clout, so you can clinch your point.

Writing brings personal satisfaction.

There’s a great sense of accomplishment from sharing your expertise with the online community.

Real people are sitting behind computers in their homes or offices reading what you’ve written. Through the right words you can build rapport with them.

You’ll probably get emails from time to time telling how something you wrote helped someone. And that’s satisfying!

So there you have it –

Writing articles can open surprising doors to success!

There are thousands of articles to be read on the World Wide Web, and many more are being added everyday. If you take the time to do more than skim them, you will find that many articles are about similar things. Why would you take the time out of your busy schedule to add one more? We all suffer from information overload- so why add to it?

Why should I bother?

Here are some good reasons to consider why it would be to your advantage to take up article writing:

1. Expert Status,

By writing articles in your niche area you begin to establish your credibility as an expert in that field. When writing your article it is important to include key words in the article that relate to your specific area. This will make it easier for the search engines to link your name to your area of expertise, and your reputation will grow into ‘expert status’

2. Your Articles Are Needed

Webmasters, ezine editors, and publishers are looking for fresh content to publish to their subscribers. It is to your advantage that they find you. Then your article will get reproduced all over the world, and that will increase your exposure and reputation.

3. To Use your Resource Box

The resource box at the end of your article is your space to “sell” and promote you and your services, products, and expertise. To reprint your article, publishers have to include the resource box. Here is your opportunity for FREE advertising and unashamed self promotion.

4. To Gain Traffic To Your Website

By including a live link back to your site in the resource box your will increase your web traffic to your website. This is a good marketing strategy, as search engines look for links into your site and it will improve your ranking and you will get even more traffic directed your way.

5. Content is King

Quality content is king on the internet. The more places your articles are found on the Internet, the better it is for you. This is because when a search for your subject, name or company is done the more hits will be found by the search engines, and you will place closer to the front of the listings. (of course there is a way for your article to come up as Number One, but that is a topic for another day)

How do You Get Your Article onto The Internet, and Get Noticed?

There are several ways to do this, here are four important ways:

1. Publish your article on your website. To get it noticed quickly , you can submit a sitemap to Google (it’s a free service)

2. Register and submit your article to free article submission sites such as .EzineArticles.com , .articlesbeyondbetter.com . There are lots out there- do a search for them. You can also sign up to several Yahoo groups that focus on article writing and submission.

3. Submit to a service that will submit to sites for you. Well known submission services include Isnare, Article Marketer, Submit Your Article and thePhantomwriters.com.

4. Buy software that will not only submit articles for you, but help with the formatting and make them search engine friendly as well. If you intend to write articles frequently this is a great time saver. I recommend Article Announcer

So What Next ?

Start writing and increase your expert status, web traffic, and promote your

business product or service for free.