Seriously Sexy Web Traffic Generation Tip # 2

Today we continue our look at generating serious traffic with a look at article marketing.

Now, I know a lot has been written about article marketing over the last six months but, truth be told, very, very few people are using a systematic approach to generating traffic through articles and, as such, are missing out on a HUGE amount of potential traffic AND those ever valuable backlinks that help to push you up the search engines (this is just one factor, but an important one).

In many respects, article marketing is not to dissimilar to blogging.

First, you need to identify your target readers and provide them with content rich, relevent articles that solve (or partially solve) one or more of their problems.

Second, you need to identify the purpose of your article. Not just the purpose in terms of the problem you're going to help them solve, but also the purpose for you.

Why are you writing it?

To generate sales?

To generate traffic?

To move people to an opt-in box or squeeze page?

Something else entirely?

Whatever you're writing it for should shape the entire structure and content of the article as each goal is achieved through its own route.

Third, you need to need to write from a P.A.S perspective. This stands for 'problem - agitate - solution' and simply means that the general structure and flow of your article should move readers through the phases of identifying the problem, agitating it by discussing it in greater detail and then providing the solution.

Good ways to start articles like this are...

"Have you ever noticed how...."

"Did you ever feel like..."

"Has this happeed to you.?..."

Using a question to start your article is a great way to get identification with your readers as, if they find themselves saying 'yes' then they're already feeling like the article is applicanble to them.

Fourth, write your article so that it uses relevent keywords to your market, your website and your products and services.

If you're writing a fat loss article you could include specific terms like 'fat loss', 'weight loss', 'diet', 'rapid fat loss results' etc within the body of the article copy.

Just be sure that you use these words in ways that make sense to the article and that you're not 'stuffing' them into the article like "If you're looking for fat loss then this is without a doubt the best fat loss system around and has been responsible for more fat loss than any training program I've ever written"

Don't laugh, I read 4 articles like that today alone so people are doing this.

Don't be one of them. For a start, the main reason to use article marketing is to put yourself 'on stage' and generate interest through your professionalism.

Use this method and you look anything but.

Second, you get penalised by the search engines for pulling this stunt and lose any benefit you may have gained by writing the article.

Fifth, Use your signature file to generate interest in one of your main offerings... but don't sell!

Too many personal trainers get to the sig file or bio and then lose the plot by writing a mini-ad. Don't!

Instead, send people to a page that's relevent to the article.

For example, if the article was about nutrition, don't send them to the home page of your general PT site or they'll back-click due to the irrelevence of the link. Instead, send them to a page that's directly related to to the subject matter like your nutritional consulting page or, better still, your free downloadable diet report.

Of course, this has double benefit because the traffic you drive to your site will exchange their email addresses for the report and you get to speak to them all over again through your newsletter.

In addition, make sure your sig file has a live link by using 'http://' prefixes as many article submission sites will not active the hyperlink facility on just the 'www' this means that you'll lose out on all those backlinks to your site.

Finally, use a submission site to place your articles out into cyberspace as these are far more efficient and effective than you could ever be. Use something like www.submityourarticle.com which, for just a few dollars a month, places your article into hundreds of online article directories at once, allowing you to benefit from increased exposure and, of course, all those extra backlinks.

Try using this strategy along with your blogging strategy for just a month and you'll see a major difference in the amount of traffic you're generating as well as benefitting from a generally larger web presence too.

Now get to it! : )

Dax Moy
http://www.personaltrainersuccessacademy.com

P.S - If you're looking for a crash course in writing great copy that generates sales then check out Scientific Advertising For The Fitness Professional over at www.personaltrainersuccessacademy.com/scientific-advertising.asp where you'll learn exactly how to write copy that moves people to action.