Top 5 Article Marketing Tips Internet Marketing is intense, adventurous and exciting. It has a steep learning curve with many ups and downs and requires a tremendous amount of patience and tenacity. It’s a gritty business. If you don’t have a strong work ethic and true passion, don’t bother. The Internet is littered with costly products that guarantee you will get rich quick by working just a few hours a day. If that were the case we all would be turning in our letters of resignation to the human resource department.  If you are new to the world of Internet Marketing it’s easy to get lost in the sea of information that is available. Message board forums, eBooks and blogs are useful resources to learn the tricks of the trade. Eventually you will need to progress from information overload to a plan. For the beginner simplicity is best. The beauty of simplicity, especially in the world of Internet Marketing, is the power you can generate if you create a simple and steady plan. Defined in the most elementary way, article marketing is a tool used to promote your business or product by submitting content to Internet article directories. If you are new to creating content for the Internet it’s essential you educate yourself on keyword research in the niche you are promoting. Understanding the fundamentals of search engine optimization frequently referred to as SEO and the use of keyword density is crucial. Seasoned article marketers agree the article need not be long. In fact, the industry standard ranges from three hundred to five hundred words. The first goal is to engage the reader with a catchy title, fresh content and a unique point of view. The second goal is to peak their interest enough to lead the reader to your own website or sales page. Like a delicious dessert you want to leave them wanting more.  Why exactly is article marketing so powerful? The trail blazers of article marketing could probably offer you hundreds of reasons. To avoid that pesky information overload let’s focus on the top five.  Search engines are kind to article directories. If you have strong short and long tail keywords your article will be indexed within days, sometimes hours. Having indexed content in a search engine brings organic traffic to your article. Organic traffic opens the door to reach thousands of potential customers.  As they say content is king when it comes to article marketing. Strong content can quickly establish you as an authority in your niche. Consumers are far more likely to purchase goods or services from somebody who exhibits a consistent level of expertise in their field. It may take a while but striking a balance between salesmanship and expertise will improve your conversion rate considerably.  List building is another element of article marketing that should not be overlooked. Not every visitor to your website will make a purchase. If your website has a clearly defined privacy and no spam policy a percentage of visitors will supply an e-mail address to receive future information. An e-mail address is the opportunity to market your product directly to somebody that has already expressed some measure of interest. Sending quality messages, special offers and interesting tidbits may convince somebody to pull out their wallet and place an order. As your e-mail list builds so does your pool of potential customers.  Like list building, link building and back linking is a dominant way to get your content out there for the world to see. Bloggers around the globe are always looking for interesting content to add or link to their site and comb through article directories to find it. When submitting to an article directory you retain full rights to your work therefore your website must remain visible if your content is used on another site. As your links build and spread so does your potential customer base.  Lastly, social bookmarking evolves on a daily basis. Each article you submit to a directory should be bookmarked. It’s another method of spreading the word, creating buzz and attracting new customers. Article marketing is a powerful and free way to make your venture a success. The results aren’t immediate and instant gratification isn’t part of the game. With a plan in place and quality content to share article marketing is a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.