Successful Article Marketing for Ecommerce
Article marketing has been around since the beginning of the internet. In
fact it is a perfect fit for the web because it requires no special software,
programs or bandwidth to share. A picture may say a thousand words
but people still like reading a story and articles are just the way to blend
marketing and engagement. Sharing articles is scaleable which means it
is just as easy to share one article with one person as it is to share the
same article with a million people.
Article marketing is practically free, (if you write them yourself) builds
trust, attracts customers and influences people while they are in the
process of making a buying decision. To sum it up – article marketing is
a Guerilla marketers dream come true.
The proof is in the numbers
The newest stats by Adfusion, March 2009 report that “ 67% of people
between the ages of 18 and 24, and 56% of those making at least
$75,000 per year say they are "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to read
and act upon article-based advertising”
You read them – why not write them?
Why don’t more ecommerce stores use articles to promote their internet
marketplace and influence buyers? I am not sure, but I suspect that
many folks believe that it doesn’t really fit their business model. If you
sell something concrete like motorcycle accessories, it might not occur to
you how to use article to increase online store sales. Here is a method I
have used successfully and it is really fairly straightforward.
Step one: Choose your Keyword phrases
Start with keyword research, write the articles, rewrite the articles then
post on your website and submit to article directories, blogs & social
media outlets. I will use the motorcycle accessories, specifically bags, as
an example. Here is a quick Google keyword tool search, the phrase and
the number of times it is searched per month:
leather motorcycle bags 3,600
leather motorcycle gear 1900
motorcycle rain gear 8100
motorcycle tank bags 2400
motorcycle saddle bags 9900

womens motorcycle gear 1000
motorcycle windshield bags 720
motorcycle camping gear 1300
motorcycle saddle bag 4400
I start with keyword research and identify trends that indicate a desire of
need for more information. Don’t go for generic highly competitive terms,
look for the type of specific information people look for when they are
researching a purchase. Start with 5 phrases (these 5 receive over 9000
combined searches per month):
womens motorcycle gear
motorcycle windshield bags
motorcycle camping gear
motorcycle tank bags
motorcycle saddle bag
Then I create a keyword list for each article, these are keywords that
need to be included in the article and in the metadata for the webpage.
Choose no more than three, try to use plurals and similar terms, it makes
it much easier to add them to the content naturally. Here is an example
of my keyword list:
womens motorcycle gear, woman motorcycle clothing, womens
motorcycle apparel
motorcycle saddle bag, motorcycle saddle bags, motorcycle gear
bags
Step two: create title and outline
Next I craft titles for the articles, creating two or three titles per keyword
phrase. Make sure you use the exact phrase in order. Here are two
examples:
1.Womens motorcycle gear gets a new look and more safety
2.Preview new fashions in Womens motorcycle gear
3.Womens motorcycle gear adds safety to fashion with new
designs
1.How to choose the best motorcycle saddle bag for long
distance road trips.
2.Leather or Plastic? Which motorcycle saddle bag is the best
for road trips?
3. The right motorcycle saddle bag makes long road trips a
breeze.
Next I create 3 points I want to cover for each title, here is an example:

Title: Womens motorcycle gear gets a new look and more safety
a) New trends in womans motorcycle apparel,
b) New materials mean more womans motorcycle clothing
is safer for riders
c) Woman riders demand motorcycle clothing that is both
safe and stylish
Make sure your exact keyword phrase is in the title, first paragraph and
closing paragraph. This helps optimize the article and provides
continuity. Remember that someone will be finding this article because
they search for this specific phrase, so make it relevant and
informational.
Step three: Create multiple versions for each article
I repeat the step above for each title, using the same keyword list for
each new article. The reason for this is I want at least 2 versions of each
article using a specific keyword phrase (3 versions are even better).
At this point you can either write each article yourself or hire someone to
write it for you. I have also written the first and then had the second two
rewritten. However you do it, you will now have 3 versions of an article
optimized for a specific keyword phrase.
Choose the best article and post it to your website. Link relevant product
pages to it and add to your article directory of you have one. Optimize
the page for your three keyword phrases including the main on in the title
tag, description tag and metatags.
Take a second article and submit to article directories, like
ezinearticles.com, GoArticles.com, IdeaMarketers.com, or
Amazines.com. Use the keywords in the tag or keywords area. Link back
to your website in the author box. Normally you can use 2 links back to
your website in this area. Make sure one of the text links is the original
keyword phrase and have it point back to a relevant internal webpage.
The third article can be used on your blog, social media sites or given to
a joint venture partner for use on their website or newsletter. It might
sound slike a lot of extra work to write three articles instead of one, but in
reality, it makes it much easier. This way you have one article pulling
traffic to your website, one giving you quality links back to an internal
page and another to use socially, where it’s better to give than receive.
Bio; LeadMasterUSA

Jan Riley
Jan Riley is the CEO and founder of LeadMastersUSA, a website
marketing company founded in 2004 and based in Atlanta, Ga. Her
entrepreneurial spirit and internet experience along with a talented staff
has made LeadMastersUSA synonymous with innovative marketing
tactics, increased ecommerce profits and business websites that build
relationships. We believe that the true power of the internet is NOT
technology – it is communication. People buy from people. Discover how
your website can connect, capture and convert visitors into customers
with our 3 minute weekly video series at www.LeadMastersUSA.com
You can contact Jan at 678 318 7515.
www.LeadMastersUSA.com
jan@LeadMastersUSA.com
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