7 Deadly Sins of Article Marketing

One of the very best and most economical kinds of marketing you can do for your business is article marketing. This type of marketing is effective both online and offline and can bring droves of warm prospects to your website.

Here's how it works. You write articles in your area of expertise. Online, you submit them to article directories. My favorite is Ezine Articles. Offline, you submit your article to targeted lists of editors and writers who have an interest in your topic area. Easy, huh?

But doing article marketing wrong will sink you fast and make others who can help you promote your business run quickly in the opposite direction. Pay heed to these seven article marketing sins to ensure you get your share of the article marketing pie.

Sin #1 Don't have a bio more words long than your article. No one will read it and publishers will quickly move on without publishing it. Limit your bio / call to action to three sentences.

Sin #2 If you have a number in your title, make sure your article matches. For example -- Top 10 Tips to Outsell Your Widget Competition -- should actually contain ten tips. (No kidding. I read a Top 10 article today that had four tips in it. Oops.)

Sin #3 Don't quickly write an article and submit it without review. Proof read. Proof read again. Have someone else proof read your article. Proof read again. Did I mention proof read? Enough said.

Sin #4 If your first -- and then second -- sentence is boring, it is unlikely I will keep reading and get to the end to click on your website. Grab me with the first sentence.

Sin #5 Do not overuse exclamation points! :-) Let your words convey the emotion of your writing. Too many exclamation points are distracting.

Sin #6 Don't let your article meander around your topic. Have a core message. Get to the point. See Sin #3.

Sin #7 Don't leave me hanging at the end of the article. Give me a place to go in your bio. Spur me into action by offering a free report or newsletter, but don't forget Sin #1.

What do you think? What other deadly sins are small business owners committing? Please leave a comment.