Using Articles to Build Your List

How do you feel when you see webpages in the Google search with your name ? I am presently surprised every time Google alert informs me that one more webpage with my name has been indexed.

But why would Google index those pages? I remember submitting just one page when my first website came into existence. Yet Google search with my name will show up thousands of pages.

The reason is not difficult to find. It is because of my articles which are published at numerous sites. This is one of the privileges of being an author – free publicity for months and years after the articles are submitted to just few ezines.

This and many other features make articles effective vehicles to find opt-in leads. If you publish relevant and useful articles on your website or blog, you can include a webform to collect contact details of interested persons. This will ensure that only those who have some interest in the subject of the articles will seek further information.

When you submit articles to ezines, you have the option to add a resource box. This is where you can tell the readers about yourself and how they can get more information. Your articles give you wide publicity, build up your credibility and help you to establish yourself as an expert in the field. It is amazing how your articles are picked up by so many different websites and ezines and distributed with viral effect.

In any marketing effort it is easier to find eager customers first and then offer suitable products which will satisfy their expectations. Your articles can help you do just that. It will first attract people, who are looking for information on resolving their problems, concerns or desire. Those who want to know more will ask for it and you get more people in your list. You get a chance to contact your list repeatedly and try to remove any apprehensions or doubts they may have about what you have to offer. You need to sell yourself as much as your product and again you accomplish this with your articles.

The “list” should be considered and treated as a list of friends. You should try to connect to them at emotional level. This is a crucial factor in building relationship. Your intent is revealed by your writing. Therefore it is crucial to be absolutely honest about the message you wish to convey.

The cost involved in using articles for advertisement is negligible. Yet it is profoundly effective. Well written articles full of content and useful information will help in building your list as more subscribers join. Your writing should be able to produce that anticipation by which your subscribers will be looking forward to the next newsletter.

This is a step to make your list more responsive. As more people find your articles interesting and relevant your conversion rate is bound to increase. You know your subscribers, you know what is bothering them and you offer solutions to them. They joined your list for this reason in the first place. Retaining a list is as important as building it. The longer your subscribers remain loyal to you, the more they will trust you and they are more likely to listen to your advice.

It would appear that there is a natural connection between writing articles and building a list. The articles you see on the net have characters of their own. They are presented in conversational form as if someone is talking to you. This is different from the articles your find in printed media where the articles tend to be are more essay-type. This unique feature of net-based articles makes them suitable for newsletters. Emails are most common medium for maintaining contact with your list. You are able to communicate to them at regular intervals and gradually clear their apprehensions.

Once you have a growing list your aim should be to retain it for lifetime. You and your list are bound by a common interest and personal relationship. This is your most important asset – the real earnings for your marketing efforts.