Writing Effective Articles-7 Proven Steps That Every Marketer Needs To Know

Writing effective articles is a challenge that most marketers fail to conquer and find successfully satisfying! To many, writing effective articles is a necessary “chore” to getting valuable content out to the masses. Although writing effective articles can be a daunting challenge, marketers can minimized the risks and increase article value by keeping readers 1) Engaged, 2) Educated, and 3) Encouraged to Take Action!

In particular, when you discover how to write articles for article marketing, for article writing services, and/or for article distribution, it's crucial to keep in mind "article structure." As a general rule, using an article structure when writing effective articles online can help to maximize your article marketing efforts.

My goal for writing effective articles like this one is to provide you with tips on writing online articles using 7 Proven Steps That Every Marketer Needs To Know before submission. When done correctly and once you've discovered how to write effective articles, I genuinely believe you will experience your best Return on Effort (ROE).

STEP 1: Define Your Purpose (WHY write an article?)

First, when writing effective articles, determine why you feel it’s necessary to even have articles to write. Who is it you want to write for? Writing an article is more than mere content; writing effective articles is about CONNECTING.

The following questions will assist with this vital step.   

*What is it that you want to accomplish? Do you want to educate, evaluate, inform, protect public interest or cause, report, or review a product of service?

*What do people need or want that your article can help them with? Can your content article provide a solution or will it just confuse the reader?

*What does your prospective reader “look” like in personality, education, temperament, financial status, etc?
    •    Professional Executive
    •    Homemaker with Children
    •    Young or Seasoned Athlete
    •    Accomplished Artist or Musician
    •    Small Business Owner
    •    Community Servant
    •    (dis)ABLED Entrepreneur or Veteran
Once you’ve determined the logistics of this important first step, writing effective articles will be unlike any “chore.” It’ll become a “rewarding pleasure” while providing quality content and value that meets particular needs and changes lives!   

STEP 2: Execute Effective Keyword Research

Second, when writing effective articles, keep in mind any SEO concerns (Search Engine Optimization) and other tips for writing an article. To keep sound SEO practices, executing effective keyword research is a vital step they cannot be overstated! If you want your content found, read, THEN understood, have effective keywords that pertain to your content.  

For example: Sharing about caring for horses...You don’t want keywords detailing baking a cake!! The following information will assist with this vital step.

*A safe percentage of keyword placement is around 2% to 3% of the entire article.  

*Place keyword(s) in first sentence, particularly the first few words (like this article), throughout the article “body,” and in the last sentence of the article.

*Depending on your article content and targeted audience and purpose, you’ll want to use Keywords that people ACTUALLY type in the search engine bar; otherwise, you’ll inevitably waste your potential efforts for your article to “reach” those who sincerely NEED TO READ YOUR ARTICLE!       

While using a search engine, search for “keyword research,” with the quotes, and you’ll discover enough information to explain Keyword Research in more detail that cannot be provided here in this limited article.

Step 4 provides additional information.

STEP 3: Identify the TYPE of Article Using Templates

Third, when writing effective articles, use an article template to identify the “type” of article you desire to present your content. Templates are a good resource to help leverage your time as your are writing effective articles. You can find some excellent article templates online by searching “article templates.”

The following template information will assist you with this vital step.
    •    Beware of “X”
    •    Current Events
    •    How To...
    •    I Love...
    •    Methods of Saving “X”
    •    Question and Answer
    •    Things I’ve Learned     
Using an Article Template is an organizational way to create an almost limitless supply of content for your targeted readers. When used correctly to writing effective articles, templates will precisely SPEAK to your reader where other people’s articles fail to perform!   

STEP 4: Create "Title" from Keyword Research

Furthermore, when writing effective articles, it is best SEO practices to have the “exact” Keyword or Long-Tailed Keyword in your article title.   

*Keyword and Long-Tail Keyword Research for article Titles must include quotes to receive the clearest, “targeted” market number of websites using the exact same keywords.

The following Keyword information will assist you with this vital step.

*For Example (at the time of this article):
1. a) Keyword: “Writing Articles” (7.8 MILLION results)
b) Long-Tail Keyword: “Writing Effective Articles” (157K results) or “Writing Effective Articles For Your Blog” (8,300 results)

2. a) Keyword: “Servant Leadership” (1.8 MILLION results)
b) Long-Tail Keyword: “Servant Leadership Characteristics” (59,500 results)

The most important thing to remember is to attempt to have your Keyword(s) in your article title so the search engines can recognize your article more effectively!

STEP 5: Write the Article "Body"

Fifth, when writing effective articles, your article “body” must be creative, engaging, and provide precise value for the reader. In all fairness and honesty, I’m not afraid to admit that this step is a challenge for me! After 12 years of writing for Higher Educational Research, my “body” content can become rather LENGTHY.

It’s something to keep in mind when writing effective articles. If possible, keep “body” sentences brief and to the point.

As a professor once told me, “Bryan, just like a women’s skirt, keep your research paper long enough to cover the ‘subject,’ yet, short enough to ‘keep it interesting!’”      

STEP 6: Provide Useful Contact Info in the Resource Box

Next, when writing effective articles, provide updated contact info in the Resource Box whenever it’s applicable. According to Tommy and Gloria Douglas in their article entitled, “The Importance of the Resource Box Your Link Home,” they stated that,

As [in the] article itself, the resource box must also be attention-grabbing to capture the responsiveness [in your] reader...correctly using the right keywords and content [in] the resource box will provide [incentive] for a visit to your site. 

For more information, research Ezine articles online to determine how the Resource Box is utilized.

STEP 7: Proofread, Edit, and Submit

Finally, when writing effective articles, it is very crucial to Proofread your content. Especially for English-speaking readers, write with appropriate grammar. Ensure that as you are writing effective articles, your content makes sense to your reader. It’s rather easy to notice an article that’s been “spun,” using Article Spinner software or services, or someone using English as a second language.

Spell check software is not always fool-proof. Have other people read your content as well. Often, having another set of “eyes” can catch some grammatical and/or spelling errors and other “problem” issues. When done correctly, you are writing effective articles that will be easier to Edit and will be less likely to be “rejected” when Submitting.    

In Conclusion

Writing effective articles is a challenge I find useful! This discipline helps me to develop a unique strength to “connect” and “communicate” to my target audience. When I place writing effective articles as a priority, I move closer to becoming a “seasoned” online marketer! However, writing effective articles doesn’t reach 100% of the time because sometimes I fail to utilize the proven steps outlined here in this article.

The truth is...you CAN DO IT! Writing effective articles is well within your reach and marketing potential! With effort, patience, persistence, the right knowledge, and taking action, there is no reason WHY you cannot keep readers 1) Engaged, 2) Educated, and 3) Encouraged. This will happen because you’ve used these 7 Proven Steps for writing effective articles!