All the experts kept saying it was a great way to give value, gain free publicity, and position yourself as an expert. It was something I had planned to do for years and I finally did it for the first time in May, 2005 and Ive been doing it ever since. What is it? Writing articles. Dont be like me and wait, get started today!

OK, I can hear the moans of protest from here, so let me explain what writing articles can mean for your business and perhaps you will be willing to give it a shot? For those of you who love to write this is your big chance to get started or to write even more.

You dont need to have a weekly or monthly newsletter in order to consistently write articles although this is a good way to make sure that you produce at least one article per month (it sure keeps me on schedule).

Pick a topic you are passionate about, one that allows you to provide insightful information that will help your clients, and start writing. An average length for an article is 500-800 words. Once you have completed your article ask a friend or colleague to review it for you and give you feedback. If youre going to take the time to writing something, make sure its the best it can be!

There isnt room in this article to go into all of the details of how to write, there are plenty of resources out there if you need help in this area. The point is that you, as the owner of your business, know a lot about the problems your clients face and how you can help solve them. You have valuable information that people want and need, so why not give it to them? Writing is like any other skill, it takes practice and over time you will improve and find your own unique voice.

So whats the big deal, what can you do with an article? Ill mention a few here, be creative and dont limit yourself!

1. When you meet people who fit your ideal client profile offer to send them an article. No sale, no pitch, just sharing something that will support them.

2. Offer your articles to strategic alliance partners for them to give to their clients.

3. Place your articles on your own website so visitors can see the value you offer.

4. Once you have several articles you can package them together and voila, an instant e-book you can give away or sell.

5. Finally, a highly leveraged action to take is to place your articles on the internet where publishers go to find content for their publications. This is really simple and it will cost you nothing.

There are different places to submit your articles on the internet depending on your focus and content. Here are just some of the websites where I place my articles: ezinearticles.com, goarticles.com, articlecity.com, amazines.com, marketing-seek.com, ideamarketers.com, articlefinders.com, and businessknowhow.com.

To find places where can publish your articles, go to google.com and type in the keywords article submission. You can also go to http://www.ezau.com/latest/articles/0253.shtml for a list of article submission websites.

Be sure to include a brief author bio with each article you write and publish (see mine at the end of this article). This way, when people read your article they know how to connect with you in case they want to know more. Include a call to action in your author bio that invites the reader to take an action like: sign up for your newsletter, get a free report, or receive a sample of your product or service.

Because you can allow your article to be re-published without permission you may not actually know how much exposure you have received. To find out where you have been published simply type the name of your article into Google.com or Kartoo.com. In some cases you will be contacted for permission even though it isnt necessary. You may also hear from people who want to thank you for allowing your article to be reprinted.

What will sharing your articles do for you?

- Giving people valuable information they can use makes you a resource and increases the possibility that people will think of you, and your business, when they have a need. This is a way to let people get to know you and start building a relationship with you.
- You will increase your exposure by publishing your articles in many places. Increasing your exposure increases your reach to potential clients. Think leverage!
- You position yourself as an expert in your field by writing about the kinds of problems you solve for your clients. Everyone wants to work with an expert.

These things will all contribute toward the growth of your business. Dont look for results overnight and stay focused on serving your clients by producing articles that will help them be successful.

Writing is just one of many marketing strategies you can use to grow your business. Remember, the most important aspect of any successful marketing strategy is consistent implementation. So please dont write one article and then decide it doesnt work and give up. If you choose writing as one of your strategies, stick with it and leverage everything you create!

(c) 2005 Stephanie Ward