The answer lies in understanding articles and why and how they work to drive traffic, leads, and sales to your online business.

And it all starts with understanding the basic principles that makes article marketing
run like a perfect calibrated machine.

So what IS article marketing?

Article marketing is not a business, but the art and science of using articles you hire out or write yourself in the hopes it’ll drive traffic to your online business to “drive” business.

They’re created with distribution in mind to various article marketing directories, many of which are free, to display your article online.

The sole reason why article directories offer their services for free is because of profits earned from the placement of advertisements around the content you submit. The more articles they have on their directory, the more traffic — therefore more money — they make.

Article marketing online wasn’t much different than it was before the internet evolved over the last few years. In print, with the right connections you could get your article placed for free talking about the benefits of a product or service you’re promoting for free. In return, the newspaper (or magazine) saved on the costs of finding talent to
write for their publication.

Again, creating a win-win for both parties involved.

The biggest difference between online and offline article marketing is the barrier
of entry has lowered to the point where both the really bad and really good article marketers are on the same level playing field.

If you had a bad article to submit to a printed publication, it would be rejected in a heart beat. With online publications, because there are so many start-up distribution centers they are starving for content and, no matter how bad the content it will normally find it’s away around to the end-user which disrupts the credibility of online articles.

Article marketing is just one of many ways to promote products or services.

Usually, people with smaller marketing budgets use articles to get the results they’re looking for.

Keep in mind that keywords are your most important article marketing tool. Without them is like looking for your home (your website) without a street address. Make it easy for your target audience to find you.

Give serious thought to what words they’re likely to type looking for specific information and modify your articles accordingly to fit like a glove. Get this right, and you won’t have to fight to drive traffic to your online business.

CPA (Cost Per Action) Marketing is where you send your website or blog traffic to specific offers that your readers can normally sign up for free of charge. You get paid for the “Action” that your readers complete; like filling in an email address or zip code, or downloading a free piece of software. Below are the three top reasons why you should consider CPA marketing as your new make money model.

Reason one: Your readers don’t have to do much at all for you to make money from your offers. This is the best reason of all for creating your own CPA business. Your clients, your readers, don’t have to buy anything from you, for you to make money. They just have to sign into a site, or fill in their email address, or opt-in to receive a free gift. Now how many people are going to turn down an opportunity to get something for nothing?

Reason two: It is an easy business model to set up. To create your own CPA business you can use a WordPress blog or even a free blog or website to get started with. You don’t have to have fancy technical skills, or know about HTML or php – you can just use a blog and send your traffic to that.

Reason three: You can create a CPA business in just about any niche. If you go through CPA sites you can find a lot of niches that have offers you can promote. This means you can take a topic or niche that you are really passionate about, and create a CPA business around it – making money from your passion.

CPA marketing is the ideal business choice for newbies to internet marketing, or for advanced marketers to add more income streams to their current businesses. In just a few [days/weeks] a comprehensive manual that takes you through the set-up of a CPA business will be available for a limited time. It will provide a step-by-step action plan, workbook, checklists and even a mind map to get you started.

Every step has been meticulously described so that you can start your own business even if you just signed up for the internet today. If you are reading this, then you can create your own CPA marketing business. To register your interest in this unique CPA guide. Don’t miss out, copies will be limited.

Here are a few recommended CPA Networks to get you started:

Content marketing is term used to describe everything that involves direct human-to-human contact for the purpose of creating and sharing content to eventually encourage purchases by current or future client base.

Content marketing aims to increase sales with a small budget by delivering quality and valuable information that drive profits. It’s primary benefit is the ability to hold attention longer than a traditional advertisement and faster brand development.

Content marketing is an effective way to touch all senses of the human body and inter- act with people in a way that was not heard off not more than a few years ago.

Products and services can not only be read, but seen, heard, and felt instantaneously.

However, the purpose is not to spam or scream about your offerings in the hopes of making the sale, but to educate and inform your target audience that “sometimes” includes your products for discussion. The popular belief is that by giving valuable free information brand recognition and industry expert status is obtained.

Media marketers use different social properties to reach various goals that don’t always involve money, such as leadership, fame, lead generation, or improved retention.

So what falls under content marketing?

Videos — creating and uploading videos on YouTube connects you with your target market using all senses to interact and “talk to” your prospect as if they were sitting with you in the living room table or outside on the beach.

Articles — usually a part of writing blog posts for a blog, articles are a powerful way to communicate with your audience. Not as powerful as video and audio, but strong nonetheless.

Web 2.0 — Go to HubPages.Com, Squidoo.Com, or WordPress.Com and you’ll get an idea of what web 2.0 properties consist of. These are places where you connect the dots or send people directly to learn more about you or the subject of interest.

These websites are like your center control panels where you run the show and can control more of the information and the direction your visitors go. But when it’s all said and done…

You make money by DOING. Period.

You don’t need the most expensive social media training course. You don’t need to get all your ducks in a line before you fire your first shot. And you don’t need to study, study, study to make any progress in your online business.

When you go out to your local grocery store, do you stop yourself from leaving because you anticipate a few red lights along the way? I doubt it. Because ultimately you know you’re going to get to your destination come hell or high water — because you need to eat.

Treat social media marketing as if you’re looking for food, and your food is “taking action”. If you don’t take action, you’re business starves to death. Want your business to survive? Take massive action, adjust, and take more action until you get results.

The secret is to add online marketing.

Here’s what you do if you’re a smart ice cream shop online marketer:

You have a website because people search online for types of ice creams shops, where they’re located, and if there are any coupons or specials available. Really!

You get a Facebook fan page up and offer a shot at a contest prize if they “Like” you and spread the word to their friends.

You get on Twitter and gather followers who are waiting for you to tweet about Twitter Only specials and other sweet tweet deals.

You ask people to tweet, email, or fill out an online order form with your bulk ice cream orders or special ice cream cake orders so you can have it all ready and waiting for them when they come in.

You ask for interaction on your website in order to build community. What’s your favorite flavor? What flavors would you like to see us offer? Tell me what your favorite creation of mix-ins would be? Should we have a karaoke night once a month?

You collect email addresses with a special form on your site and market to these people who are interested in your ice cream shop and your brand of ice cream.

Do you think your competitor is doing this? Probably not. That’s why it’s a great way to get ahead… way ahead.

Is social media good for your business? Really?

Good grief, not another thing you have to learn about and try to figure out when you’ve already got so much going on with your small business?!

Yet social media really is something you should give heavy consideration to using because social media can be really good for your business.

Here are just 7 of the reasons why:

1. You can give instant killer support. Turn your occasional unhappy customers into raving fans by dealing with them directly, quickly, and in a satisfactory manner.

2.  It offers ways to get your name out there and keep your name out there. Don’t get forgotten or left behind; offer discounts or limited-time offers or whatever works for your particular company. It’s all about branding.

3.  Social media also offers you a chance to show a bit of the face behind the brand. This means a lot to people.

4.  It’s another way to be found – you might not be found on the first page of a Google search if you’re a little guy competing against the big guys, but you can be seen when you use social media.

5.  Social media gives you targeted traffic.  The ones who stick around are the ones interested in your product and company.

6.  Consider social media a much less expensive way to advertise/market!

7.  It allows your customers a chance to communicate with you using their preferred method. Conversations are real and valuable.

If you need help setting up a Facebook fan page or want to know the social media do’s and don’ts, I’d be happy to help.  Please contact us with your needs and let’s get you benefiting from social media as soon as possible!

Regards,
Vaultis Internet Marketing
866-591-1825

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Traditional marketing broadcasts or prints the message where many potential consumers will receive it, but it will applicable to very few. As such, marketing slowly has become more centered on specific demographics, enabled largely by improvements in communication.

For example, it is relatively easy to develop marketing campaigns that focus on certain locations, such as advertising in a neighborhood paper, or to target a specific demographic, such as advertising your fitness center on a healthy living website. However, it can still very difficult to reach viable consumers, consumers that turn into sales, mainly because of the constraints posed by location.

Location-based marketing is the missing element. Without it, over 90 percent of ad impressions are wasted on consumers who are outside your geographic area. Fortunately, technology has advanced to allow geo-location marketing. For instance, smartphones allow marketers to obtain device-location data and modern search engines, such as Google, enable consumers to find what they need based entirely on what is near them. Better targeting equals bigger demand and better conversions. Here is how to make it work for you:

TARGET YOUR CAMPAIGN AS SPECIFICALLY AS POSSIBLE: First, make sure that your campaign is targeted specifically to the area you do business in. Search engines like Google, allow you to target your marketing campaigns based on City, ZIP codes, neighborhoods, or even a specific street intersection.

This way, when you advertise your coffee shop, you can be sure that biggest percentage of consumers exposed to your campaign are within a range that would make sense for them to choose your coffee shop.

USE YOUR LOCATION TO YOUR ADVANTAGE: You can use your location to your advantage in promotions by focusing on providing consumer incentives at a hyper-local level. For example, you could provide a time-sensitive coupon to consumers within a few mile radius of your business.

EXPLAIN YOUR LOCATION: With geo-location, you can also explain your location, preventing a situation where you have a customer who is interested in what your company offers but does not want to bother looking up directions. Not only could you provide a map, but you could even provide directions from the person’s location (walking, driving, or by bus).

PLAY UP THE NOVELTY: Lastly, make sure that your geo-location marketing campaign plays up the novelty presented by location based marketing. Major retailers, such as Starbucks, are using programs such as Foursquare and Facebook Locations to turn location into a game. Consumers can “check in” at your location, allowing you to provide incentives for consumers to visit a specific location more frequently by offering status (e.g. mayor status, badges), points, or incentives based on the number of visits (e.g. free appetizer on your fifth visit).

Local Internet Marketing is a key part of growing your business and brand, to attract local consumers.
Local Internet Marketing isn’t just about having a website, it includes being findable in multiple places when local consumers are looking for your product or service. A Local Internet Marketing Consultant can help you determine the best route for your online marketing plan.

The problem is two-fold. First, establishing a social media presence takes time and continued effort. You have to be consistent in your involvement with the social media medium and remember that returns will not be overnight. Second, you have to make sure that you are using social media in a way that makes sense for your business.

If you are not sure, ask yourself these simple questions:
- Are you using the right platform?
First, remember that there are a variety of social media platforms for you to consider – most notably Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Further, within these platforms, there exist variations on the theme. For example, in Facebook, you can have a “Page,” a “Group,” or a “Community.” Each variation has its own set of tools, purposes, and capabilities. In addition, you may decide to participate in several social media platforms at the same time. For example, if you have a fitness center, you may want to use your YouTube channel to publish videos on how to perform certain exercises or tapings of classes you offer there while using Facebook to build a sense of community through candid photos, listings of hours, available classes, and upcoming events.

- Have you scrapped past attempts?
However, you also need to remember that whatever you take on has to be maintained and updated regularly. This can take up valuable time and people resources. While it can certainly be worth it in the long run, remember that consistency is key. If you do not think you will be able to maintain various platforms (or you have already started and stopped using a platform) be sure to erase or delete those accounts. Otherwise, you stand the risk of eroding your brand value when a customer (current or potential) stumbles across your forgotten Bebo account. Instead, make sure that what you have is the best it can be and do away with anything that you are not actively using.

- Are you providing the type of information and interaction that your audience wants?
Ask yourself what it is that your audience would want to read, not what you want to tell them. Providing discounts or having giveaways can be useful, but you have to have more substance than that. Consider posting facts about your company, the brand, or its products. Think of the tidbits of information you encounter everyday that make you stop and say, “Really?” Examples include fun facts about how long you have been in business, what happens “behind the scenes”, why your business operates as it does (e.g. why Yoga class was cancelled on Tuesdays, why you do not serve poppyseed bagels, why you buy local, why legal documents are presented in blue card stock), etc.

- Are you listening to your audience?
Likewise, are you listening to your audience? When they make a post, do you respond? Do you stay on top of when your company is mentioned on other sites, blogs, social media, etc., and make relevant comments to that affect (on that site and yours)? Remember that social media has developed because of the continued interaction it affords. Its purpose is not to simply broadcast, but rather give people a voice in things they would otherwise not be privy to.

- Do you allow them a voice?
Similarly, make sure that you give your audience a voice. Ask open-ended questions, run surveys and polls, include them in new product decisions, etc. – the more things like this you do, the more valued your audience will feel. Remember that interaction is a large part of a successful social media campaign. If miss out on this, you may already be out of the game.

Social Media can be a key part of growing your business and brand to attract local consumers.
Local Internet Marketing isn’t just about having a website, it includes being findable in multiple places when local consumers are looking for your product or service. A Local Internet Marketing Consultant can help you determine the best route for your online marketing plan.

Tip 1 – When it comes to the pages of your website make sure that included in the footer of each one is information relating to how people can contact you. So don’t only include your name and that of your business, but also your address and your local phone number.

Tip 2 – It is perfectly okay to include a free phone number on your website but make sure that you also include your local number. This will include the area code for where your business is situated and so improve your local search.

Tip 3 – You need to remember that search engines pay very particular attention to the Title Meta Tag of your website pages. If you were to include the city and state for your business in the title tag this again will increase the number of local search results you get.

To learn more about Internet Marketing for Real Estate Professionals, Vaultis Internet Marketing is now offering an online training course which includes: Advertising Graphics Package, Video Training and more.

Click here or the image below for complete details.

As part of an online community you will not only be able to reach those people close to you but also many around the world. As well as allowing you to market your business much more easily it also allows you to do several other things that may be connected to your business. However when you are part of these online communities remember to share information with others within it they will find valuable. If you try to sell them something they are going to immediately turn away from you.

Through online communities you are offer chances to learn about new ways in which you can market your business through advice from other marketers. Wherever possible take advantage of any advice that these type of people who are members of the same community as you are giving and where it is appropriate put into practice what they recommend.

As you can see from above online communities can prove very effective as a way how small business can build an online presence. If you don’t believe me then give it a go.