3 Ways to Boost Your Article Marketing ROI

Article marketing may not be the fastest track to improved traffic and visibility, but it does promise a great return on investment ... if done correctly.

Writing short articles and posting them to article directories -- a.k.a. article marketing -- can improve your website traffic by increasing backlinks to your website and showcasing your expertise in front of prospects you couldn't reach any other way while encouraging them to visit your site. But you won't gain these benefits if you don't follow these three ways to boost your article marketing return on investment (ROI).

1. Give Your Article a Killer Title

Your article title needs to balance two things: keyword usage and interest factor. Keyword usage -- that's using the key words you are trying to optimize in your title. You need to use key words in your title to improve the chances of it showing up in a search of the article directory. On the other hand, the title also needs to be interesting. Readers, as well as publishers, will decide whether or not to read your article based on the title. So make it relevant and interesting at the same time.

2. Use the Author Resource Box Effectively

So many people fail in using their author resource box in a way that will benefit their business. They just put a short bio there and leave it at that. But that's not what this is for. This is your opportunity to promote your business in an acceptable manner that garners results. Here's what you absolutely must have in your resource box:

* Your or your business name. Readers need to know who they got the information from or they aren't going to know where to get more.

* Your website or blog address. Don't make readers search for you. Give them a direct link to your information! But only include the one website that is most relevant to the article the resource box is attached to. Most article directories will allow you to have more than one resource box or modify it for each article. Do this for each article!

* Share why they should seek out. Include your unique selling proposition or elevator pitch. This pithy bit of communication emphasizes the benefits you or your business offers the reader.

* Tell them what to do. Don't assume the reader will know what you want them to do by reading the above. Give them a call to action. But only include one -- you don't want to dilute your message.

3. Write about relevant content.

Write articles that are related to the products or services you offer. Write about topics your ideal clients care about. If you offer dog training services, don't write about litter boxes! Your article marketing efforts should be focused on attracting your ideal clients to your business. Don't stray from this task or you'll just be sabotaging your ROI.

Do these three things consistently and you'll see, over time, that your article marketing efforts will bear fruit for your business.