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Please feel free to use this article in anyway you choose. All I ask is that you leave it intact and notify me each time you use it. Thank you.
WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! By Dr Kem Thompson
I should just leave this tip at that, shouldn't I? : )
But seriously, writing is a cost- effective way of promoting your business.
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It exposes you to potential customers in a way that few other marketing vehicles do.
Writing and submitting your work to online sites gives you fr*ee marketing opportunities. It also increases your credibility in the eyes of potential customers.
Have you taken advantage of this very effective marketing strategy?
If not, why not?
~*~'What If I Can't Write? '~*~ Common question, common excuse with a simple answer: if you can talk, you can write.
You don't need to be a professional writer before you can write as a way of marketing your business.
All you do need to do is . Want to write . Decide to write . Write
~*~'What Should I Write~*~ A few ideas are:
. Articles . Tips (eg top ten or top five ways to. . . . ) . Letters to editors . Reports (yes, reports! )
think of some more and add them to this list.
~*~What Topics Should I Write About? ~*~ Here, your only limitation is in your imagination. So be creative and let these questions serve as guidelines in helping you decide what to write about:
. What information will potential customers find useful?
. What are you interested in? Find a way to make it relevant to your business and write about it.
. If you were in your potential customers' shoes, what topics (related to your business) would interest you?
. In what ways have you solved problems for people in the past? Write them down. Chances are, other people would benefit from the solution you provided.
. What are your experiences as a business owner? Write about them.
. Fill in the blanks : a) How To . . . . . . . b) Top 5 Ways to. . . . . . c) What Many People Don't Know About. . . . . . d) My Favourite Pastime is. . . .
What you've got now is a bunch of potential headings for your articles, tips, reports or whatever. If you think about it, there's a lot for you to write about.
All you have to do now is actually put pen to paper (hand to computer).
~*~What Should I Do With What I've Written? ~*~
Submit, submit, submit!
Newsletter editors and webmasters all over the 'net are looking for fr*ee content for their subscribers and visitors.
Imagine the exposure you get by submitting an article to an ezine with thousands of opt-in subscribers. Fr*ee of charge, too! It'd be more expensive (and not always as effective in pulling in prospects) to advertise in the same publication.
Here is a brief list of places that accept articles for publication or announcement:
. PromoteYourArticle@yahoogroups (you need to subscribe fr*ee) . article_announce@yahoogroups.com (subscribe first. Fr*ee) . http://www.articleblaster.com/submit-articles.htm . http://www.family-content.com/articles/submit. shtml . http://ezinearticles.com/add_url.html
To receive a list of 50 groups and sites that accept submissions send an email to submissionlist@daysofsuccess.com.
Here's how it works. The key is to have a system that you use. An example is below:
. Write at least one article each month. . Include a resource box at the end of it. . Include permission to fr*eely distribute it at the top. . Submit it to at least 5 sites each day.
~*~To make your writing easily acceptable and profitable~*~
. Provide useful information. No sales letters or pitches.
. Include some way to get readers to contact you: you could offer a fre*ebie or a link to your website. This info goes into your resource box.
. Make your resource box about 4 - 6 lines long. I've included mine at the end of this article to give you an idea.
. Write it using a text editor like Notepad - that's how many editors prefer to receive submissions.
. Format it to be 65 characters long per line. Press the 'enter' key each time you get to 65 characters (unless your text editor has word-wrap in which case you'd set it to wrap at 65 characters).
. Always obey submission guidelines to the letter.
. Follow the writing tips below.
~*~Writing Tips~*~
. Write like you talk. Be conversational in your writing. If you can hold a conversation, you can write.
. After writing your first draft, leave it to 'fallow' then start on your next article.
. Never submit your first draft. Rewrite it after a day or two.
. Spell check thoroughly. Check for grammar errors too. Get someone else to read through it if you can - they may pick up something you've missed.
. Obey submission guidelines (it's so important, hence my repeating it here)
. Write something everyday. Even if it's just a personal journal entry, just write. It'll get you into the habit, and keep you creative.
I didn't quite expect this 'tip' to turn into a full blown article! But hey, I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it.
If you have then start writing today.
And start submitting.
~*~END~*~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR DR Kem Thompson is a Business Writer and Business Coach. Visit www.daysofsuccess.com/bizwriter.htm to find out how she can help you promote your business through writing articles, ezines and more, send an email to bizwriter@daysofsuccess.
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