Article marketing is a very effective marketing tactic. However, some business owners achieve much more success than others. Is there an art to article marketing? Let’s take a look at the secrets, the art, behind a successful article marketing campaign.

#1 Make sure your article has a purpose

Many people write articles and publish them online without considering the purpose for the article. Sure, it’s to inform and hopefully drive traffic to your website. However, a more strategic approach will help you optimize your results.

For example, if you want to drive traffic to your website then a few things need to be in place. You’ll want to test and track various headlines and article types to find out which articles are effectively driving traffic. You’ll also want to include a call to action in your author’s resource box that fits your purpose. If you’re driving traffic to your website, then you wouldn’t want to send them to a sales page or opt-in page. Your landing page may be a better destination.

#2 Make sure you include a call to action

Your article marketing content also needs to include a call to action. What do you want your readers to do when they’ve read your article? Your call to action will depend on your article’s purpose. If you’re trying to grow your lead list, then you’ll send readers to an opt-in page. If you’re selling a product or service and trying to boost sales, then you’ll send them to a product sales page. Always include a call to action in your content.

#3 Target the appropriate audience

There are many ways to publish your content for article marketing purposes. You can publish on article directories. You can publish in a newsletter. You can publish on someone else’s website. And of course you can publish on your own website. Where you publish will be determined by your article’s purpose.

It’ll also be determined by your audience. You want to make sure you’re publishing where your prospect will find you. If you’re using an article directory, that means properly tagging and categorizing your article. It also means testing and tracking. Some categories may attract your audience better than others.

Successful article marketing requires a few steps. Identify the goal or purpose for your article. Create a plan to achieve that goal by testing and tracking, identifying your audience and including a call to action. Study the results and fine-tune your article marketing campaign for the best results. Oh, and always write the best content possible! To your success!