Learn more about custom written content that sells.

There is a growing trend catching on across the Internet like wildfire; turning older content into brand-new videos. Videos are one of the hottest things going online these days and if you aren’t taking advantage of it, you’re leaving money on the table. Check out this article below and see for yourself.

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Four Little Words That Can Increase the Fee of Your Next Copywriting Project

By Sid Smith, Online Copywriter

The first time I used these four words with a client, I was shocked by how easy it was to almost double the size of my project.

Since, then it’s worked without fail. They always respond with something along the lines of, “Yes, of course. We need that, too.”

Before I give you the four magic words, let me give you a little background and explain why these four words evoke such an automatic response.

It has to do with the fastest growing niche market online …

Video marketing.

eMarketer reports that U.S. Internet users viewed 12.7 billion online videos during November 2008, up 33% from the previous year.

They also put online video viewers at more than three-quarters of U.S. Internet users, and estimate that percentage will rise to 88% by 2012.

That’s 75% of all Internet users viewing videos.

Who’s creating all these videos? It’s mostly individuals, although a growing number of businesses are also moving to video marketing.

Unfortunately, the majority of the videos are home-grown, poorly produced, and sloppily written. And yet, they are viewed — sometimes by thousands of people.

This presents a tremendous opportunity for copywriters to step in and use our skills to produce quality marketing videos.

In fact, I’ve discovered that video marketing is an easy add-on to my existing web projects. All I really need are my four magic words:

“What about using video?”

Talk about getting a quick head-nodding response! There’s no hard-sell, and not a shred of doubt in their minds that video marketing is a requirement.

Here’s What You Need to Know About Video Marketing to Get Started …

There are three primary components of creating an online video. I typically do the first and third steps and subcontract out the middle step. With a little training, the right tools, and some practice, you can actually do all three.

The Three Components of Creating Online Videos

• Writing the video script

• Producing the video

• Promoting the video

This article focuses on the place where you as a copywriter can have the greatest impact — writing the video script.

How to Write a Video Script

You know as a copywriter that the headline and lead constitute about 80% of the sales process. It’s no different with videos. If they’re not hooked in the first 10-15 seconds of the video, you’ve lost them.

Just as with any promotion, you’ll want to start your video with a powerful benefit-driven headline and lead. The speaker’s credentials will come later.

There are three main types of marketing videos you’ll be asked to write.

• A short “talking head” video (usually less than 5 minutes) in which the speaker entices the viewer to take a specific action at the end of the video, such as opt-in to a list.

• A short (3-5 minute) text or animation video with the same intentions as the talking head video.

• A longer “value add” video intended to offer the viewer something of real, tangible value in the moment. These training-type videos are anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes in length. These videos are almost always a combination of text and animation and rarely the talking head type.

Tips For ALL Video Types

Whether you’re writing the talking head script or the text/animation script, do just as you would do with any promotion you’re writing:

• Start with a “big idea” …

• Write a solid headline and lead that gets them hooked …

• Maintain the “golden thread” throughout the script …

• And close with a solid offer or, more typically, a call-to-action.

All the elements of good copy are still there, but they are very much compressed. The key is to offer a compelling promise and “unwrap” the promise through the video. If they don’t get to your offer, there’s no reason to shoot the video.

Remember that unlike with a written promotion, the viewer can’t skim or skip ahead. You’ve got them from beginning to end, so your copy has to really flow and provide good reasons for them to stay with you.

Talking Head Videos

In the talking head video, the spokesperson is shot against a “green screen.” The green screen (literally a light green colored screen) allows the video production crew to digitally place ANY backdrop behind the speaker. With the right software, you can even produce a video in which the speaker “walks” onto the computer screen from the edge (called “Transparent Video Effects”)!

With the talking head video script, you also need to consider these factors:

• Create frequent transitions between ideas or thoughts. This helps in the video production in several ways. It makes it easier for the person being filmed to stop, take a sip of water, or pause to memorize the next piece of the script. Talking head videos always work better if the script is memorized, not read.

• Use short, snappy sentences. Online video viewers have incredibly short attention spans. The bullet above, for example, is WAY too long for video.

• Write a draft, then cut out about 50% of what you wrote. It takes about two times longer to read a script out loud than it does to read it silently. After you write the script, time yourself reading it out loud (with pauses). You’ll be surprised that your 30-second script takes 50 seconds to read out loud!

Here’s a special tip: Those frequent transitions you write are perfect for the person being filmed. He or she stops at each pause for a few seconds, memorizes the next piece, and goes back to the filming.

The production crew simply zooms in or zooms out at each transition so that it appears to the viewer as a seamless production. They won’t see that the speaker is perhaps standing in a slightly different place.

Text and Animation Videos

The second form of video uses only text and animation. At its simplest, the video is little more than a set of PowerPoint slides. More complicated videos use “transition effects” (scrolling, fly-ins, etc.) to flip from scene to scene or slide to slide.

With the right software, it’s not hard to create fun animations which can be added to a video. Plus, you can purchase ready-to-go animations and short video clips online at www.istockphoto.com.

Short text/animation marketing videos are generally 5 minutes or less. Any longer, and your viewer may never get to the close.

When writing a script for a text/animation script, pay attention to these factors:

• What’s on the screen is the essence of what’s being spoken. The actual script enhances the words on the screen. Think of the words or images as the “picture” you are cleverly placing in your viewer’s mind. The spoken words are the backdrop that reinforce and enhance the feelings you want to evoke.

• Think of everything (words or images) you put on the screen as subheads. They continue the flow of the conversation and keep the viewer engaged.

• Vary the on-screen message. Make bold points. Ask questions. Say things that get the viewer nodding his head. All the while, the voice script is reinforcing the message (the big idea) and continuing the golden thread until the close.

Writing Longer Videos

The longer videos are frequently used to “extend the free line” or offer “results in advance.” These are Internet marketing terms which are sometimes used interchangeably.

The “extend the free line” concept is simply where you provide something of real, tangible value to the viewer to gain his or her trust.

The “results in advance” concept is similar — you give the viewer something he or she can do within the next few days that provides tangible results. Again, this builds trust.

I’ve found that the actual video format for these longer videos is far less important than the value of the content being provided.

I’ve seen amazing videos that were little more than pictures of a “mind map” on the screen, with no special effects to enhance the viewing experience. They are PURE verbal content, and I’ve watched them with rapt attention from beginning to end.

This is good news for copywriters. I’ve created complete scripts for some clients for 30-40 minute training videos. As a copywriter, I find that I know far more about how to convey a message to my audience than most of my clients.

If you can write a long promotion, then you can easily create a solid training video that your clients will love.

The Bottom Line

Web TV Enterprise reports that spending for online video marketing will increase by 50% in the next year. And comScore Video Metrix service says that the total number of videos viewed online grew 47% in the past year.

It’s not hard to sell your clients on the idea of creating video. In fact, in the online world, videos are rapidly replacing “White Papers” as the preferred method of promoting a product or service.

And, video is important for your own business. You can create your own marketing videos, as well as your own video-based products.

The bottom line is that video is an EASY add-on to your business. It’s also a great niche in which you can start your copywriting career.

How to Learn the Tricks of the Trade

I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on online video training programs, and there’s only ONE program I know that is specifically written for copywriters: Video Marketing for Profit.

To be perfectly honest, I’d prefer to keep Video Marketing for Profit a secret. I feel like the miner who inadvertently discovered a massively huge swath of gold in a hidden valley.

Nobody knows the size of this market, but when I look at the dollars being spent on poorly written videos, my heart starts to flutter.

If I were you, I’d get my hands on Video Marketing for Profit as soon as possible. I’d go through the program a couple of times, then try the four magic words the next time you’re talking with one of your clients … “What about using video?”

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I have Camtasia and use it for many things, but to make simple video articles, I use GFX Video Writer. It’s quick to use , inexpensive and intuitively easy to learn.

(This article above appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI) The Golden Thread, a free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers available. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/.)

Think about it. Have you ever seen a hammer drive a nail? Nope, hammers just lay where they were last set down until someone picks them up and puts them to work. Your writing is in the same boat: it doesn’t do a thing until someone picks it up and reads it.

Take a few minutes to read the article below. I’m sure you’ll find some invaluable information to keep your writing pencil sharp there.

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Woman Attacked With Cheeseburger!
(A Lesson in Grabbing Your Prospect’s Attention)

By Guillermo Rubio

I was minding my own business, doing my daily online research, when I was suddenly stopped by an Associated Press headline that read, “Woman Attacked With Burger, Police Say.”

I couldn’t resist. I just had to find out how this woman came upon such a terrible fate.

The weapon in question? A McDonald’s cheeseburger.

Apparently, she and her boyfriend had a spat, which ended in aggravated burger assault.

Funny as that may seem, there is a valuable copywriting lesson in this story.

And that is …

Curiosity is a powerful way to make your prospect stop dead in his tracks and read your sales message from top to bottom. Human nature makes it hard to resist a desire to find out more.

Think about it …

Have you ever been driving down the road, when you encounter a couple of police cars with lights flashing near a huddled group of curious bystanders? Chances are, you really wanted to know what was going on.

Or think about your favorite TV show …

How strong was your desire to learn more after watching the first part of a two-part series … especially after a really good cliffhanger?

No doubt about it, curiosity works.

Claude Hopkins, considered to be the “Godfather” of direct-response advertising, once said, “Curiosity is one of the strongest of human incentives. We employ it whenever we can.”

And as a copywriter, you’d be wise to follow his advice.

The most critical place to use curiosity is in your headline.

Here’s why …

If your promo’s headline doesn’t grab your prospect’s attention, your sales message is headed for wastebasket city.

Here’s an example of an attention-grabbing headline from a classic control that was responsible for bringing home the bacon:

What never … ever to eat on an airplane!

Even if you don’t fly, the curiosity this headline builds is irresistible. You can’t help but want to read further.

Here’s another one:

Outlawed for 41 years, now legal again,
this investment launched the largest family
fortune the world has ever seen …
and could return 665% in the next 12 months.

If you’re an investor, you’d dive straight into the letter to figure out what this newly legal investment is.

And finally …

How to Get FREE Health Care Anywhere in America!
What Hillary Isn’t Telling You!

Back when this promo ran, the timeliness – and the promise of FREE health care – was enough to get even the biggest skeptic to keep reading out of sheer curiosity. Plus, who didn’t want to find out what it was that Hillary wasn’t telling them?

The second-most important place to use curiosity is in your lead.

Within the first two or three sentences, you’ve got to hook your prospect and make him think, “Wow, I need to keep reading this to find out more.”

Here’s an excerpt from one very successful lead:

Many of the world’s wealthiest familieshave used this “secret currency” for generations to grow dynasties. Let me show you just one example …

In this case, the prospect wants to keep reading to find out what this “secret currency” is.

Here’s another example:

This is very urgent, so I’ll get right to the point.

Starting tomorrow, just after 12 noon EST, you could begin skimming $5,250 per month from Wall Street’s banking coffers. If you want, you’ll be able to transfer this money straight into your personal bank account … free and clear.

This promise creates an itch the prospect must scratch. He wants to find out, “How is this even possible?”

And finally, from a health promotion:

I want to warn you about a serious hidden health threat that’s likely targeting you and your loved ones.

Wow. How could you NOT keep reading to find out what this health threat is?

The headline and lead are the two most important places for using curiosity, since they form the critical portion of the letter that hooks your prospect and forces him to keep reading.

So how, exactly, do you create curiosity so you can boost your promo’s response rate?

Here are four ways:

1. Juxtaposition. Put two unlikely things together. For example, take a look at the headline of this article. Cheeseburgers and attacking usually don’t go hand in hand. This unlikely pairing, in itself, creates a good deal of curiosity.

Another great example of this concept is the classic headline: “The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches” Becoming rich is normally associated with hard work. By putting in the adjective “lazy,” it creates a juxtaposition which, in turn, breeds curiosity.

2. Absolutes. This is another great way to build curiosity. Take, for example, the headline you saw earlier: “What never … ever to eat on an airplane.” By making it an absolute – “never, ever” – it builds curiosity. This headline wouldn’t have the same appeal if it simply read, “What you sometimes shouldn’t eat on an airplane.”

3. Questions. One of the most famous of these is: “Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” Another great example is, “Can You Write a Letter Like This One?” The key here is that the prospect would need to read further in order to answer the question.

4. Secrets. Secrets always have been – and always will be – a great way to create curiosity. Everyone wants knowledge that no one else is privy to. Here is a classic example penned by copywriting genius John Carlton:

Amazing Secret Discovered By
One-Legged Golfer Adds 50 Yards
to Your Drives, Eliminates Hooks
and Slices … and Can Slash Up to
10 Strokes From Your Game
Almost Overnight!

So there you have it.

Whether it’s a brutal burger assault, a one-legged golfer’s secret to success, or a way to skim $5,250 off of Wall Street’s coffers … if you use curiosity in your writing, you’ll certainly see a boost in response … and your paycheck!

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Interested in taking your writing skills to the next level? This may be just what you need: The Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting

Regards,

Mike Lawson
www.bluegrasssolutions.org

PS: This article appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc.’s (AWAI) The Golden Thread, a free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers available. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/.

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Read This Article For a Key To Hypnotic Writing

By John Torre

Welcome back!

I hope your Labor Day holiday was enjoyable. Mine was good, but I have to say I felt a bit deceived by the weatherman. A sunny, beautiful weekend was predicted here in Jersey, and indeed that prediction held true for most of the state. But down the shore where I was it remained pretty much overcast except for Saturday. But, at least it didn’t rain, and with the good fortune of being able to generate a bit of “liquid sunshine” in lieu of the real thing, a good time was had by all.

By-the way, I realize that to most of the other coastal parts of the country, “the shore” refers to the strip of sand that meets the ocean.

Not in Jersey. To us, that’s “the beach.” While the beach is indeed an essential part of the overall shore experience, here in Tony Soprano land “the shore” encompasses so much more.

If I had to define it, I’d say that the Jersey shore is more “attitude” than location. It’s comprised of approximately 127 miles of resort and residential towns that feature endless rows of vacation bungalows, multi-million dollar homes, roadside motels, and seedy honky tonks from which blare the sounds of Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Frankie Valli, or the latest local tribute band.

On the famed boardwalks of tourist traps like Seaside Heights, it’s all about greasy cheese steaks, sausage sandwiches, slices of pizza the size of road cones, and wheels of “chance” where prizes range from stuffed animals to televisions, bicycles, and more. You’ll also find souvenir shops, beach gear stores, arcades and ice cream parlors, as well as two 300-foot long piers that feature amusement rides, carousels, log flumes, roller coasters, Ferris wheels and other attrations that’ll make you lose your lunch quicker than a quarter through the cracks of the boards.

Every few steps you’ll come upon attractions that test your skills, bearing compelling names like “Frog Bog” and “Shoot the Geek,” where barkers dare you to shoot paint balls at a poor kid dressed up in an Osama Bin Laden costume who’s being paid about six bucks an hour for nothing more than cultivating welts on his head and body.

From the snap of paint balls hitting body … to the blaring sounds of rock-n-roll … to the bells and whistles of Lucky Leo’s Arcade … to the screams and sirens from the rides on Casino Pier … to the tat-tat-tat sound of leather slapping metal prongs as it slows down the spinning wheels of chance … it’s all part of the aura of the Jersey shore.

Is it unique to New Jersey? I don’t know … you tell me. All I can promise is you’ll have the time of your life when you visit the Jersey shore, and you’ll understand why it’s an experience all unto itself.

Okay, ‘nuff said about that. In the spirit of the holiday past (and in anticipation of the ones to come…), what do you say we get back to work?

A couple weeks ago we started talking about some psychological devices that will help your sales copy transform readers into buyers. Today we’ll take a look at another one that has almost a hypnotic quality about it … literally and figuratively.

It’s called, “Neuro-Linguistic Programming,” or “NLP” for short.

Co-founded in the 1970’s by American author and mathematician, Richard Bandler, and Dr. John Grinder, an American linguist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, NLP, in its most basic definition, is the study of helping people change by teaching them to program their brains.

Or, in our case, perhaps subtly programming it for them.

Now understand right up front that NLP is as complex as any psychological field of study out there, and it would be ludicrous to try and use this space to dissect it past the miniscule scope of it that applies to us.

Nevertheless, we can still examine the logic behind certain aspects of it and how they might be used to our benefit as copywriters. And the first aspect we’re going to take a look at this week is…

Embedded Commands

The “Golden Rule” of web copywriting (or any copywriting, for that matter…) is to generate a response of some kind. Whether it’s to call for more information, subscribe to a newsletter or mailing list, or purchase a product or service … you want your reader to take action!

Using embedded commands to elicit that action involves “embedding” the action you want your reader to take in the form of a casual, conversational sentence.

Consider the following sentence:

“Let me know when you are going to purchase this product and I’ll make sure you receive a free bonus report.”

On the surface it seems like a harmless enough sentence. But notice the almost hypnotic embedded command: …you are going to purchase this product.

Embedded commands are frequently used by public speakers to get their point across. Whether it’s a sales presentation or a political speech, the speaker will use voice inflections such as a lower tone or speaking more slowly for emphasis to produce the hypnotic effect.

We, as copywriters, don’t have that luxury so we have to depend on other means of delivering our embedded commands. This normally involves using boldface type, italics, quotation marks, dashes, ellipses, or colors.

In the example above, I set off my embedded command by putting it in italics, thus establishing the effectiveness in which the command is communicated. A person will subconsciously zero in on that part of the sentence as a command, and will likely follow the command without consciously realizing it.

The whole point is to gain effortless compliance from your reader without ever having them perceive that they’ve been given a command. What’s happening when you utilize an embedded command is you’re circumventing the scrutiny of a person’s logical “left brain,” and thus appealing directly to your reader’s intuitive and subjective “right brain” mode.

It is a very powerful tool, but like I said a couple weeks ago, it can be dangerous and unethical (if not illegal!) if used incorrectly, so be careful and do it right.

Crafting an Embedded Command

Start by constructing your command. This is usually expressed in three to seven words in the imperative voice and begins with an action verb. For example:

Pick up the phone…

Learn the secret to…

Act on this now…

Purchase (product name) today and get…

After you’ve constructed your command, simply incorporate it into a full sentence, such as:

Pick up the phone today and speak to a knowledgeable representative who can help you pick out the perfect pattern to compliment your home décor.

Learn the secret to a longer, healthier, and better life through meditation.

An additional bonus report will be sent with your order if you act on this now.

Purchase this widget today and get three more widgets for the just the cost of shipping and handling.

Take a look at some of the projects you’re working on and see where you might be able to edit your copy in order to insert an embedded command. It will make the copy more powerful, more compelling, and elicit your reader to take the action you want him to!

Oh … by the way … knowing where we were going with this post, I embedded a command up above when I was talking about the shore. Can you find it? (It shouldn’t be too hard to spot!) And for that matter, there’s one in the headline. Let me know what you think.

Till next week, and as always …

Good health and good writing!

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Now, if that don’t help you out, I don’t know what will. This is one of the most effective tools in your copywriting tool box. Learn what the masters do and jumpstart your career as a copywriter:

The Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting

Until next time,

Mike Lawson,
www.BluegrassSolutions.org

PS: This article appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI) Writer’s Blog. For a complimentary subscription to AWAI free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers available, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/.

As a professional writer, editor and article directory publisher, I hold the qualifications to speak on this topic with some authority. I am sure every publisher has their own quirks that annoy the bejeebers out of them. I know I have mine and tend to believe they are common among many editors and publishers.

Here is a list of my biggest pet peeves from article authors that I encounter daily that guarantee exclusion, and possibly banning, from my directory:

Failure to Use Real Name/Proper Pen Name

I write and submit articles around the Internet all the time and I only use my real name. It’s not right or wrong, I suppose, just a personal preference. I write so much for others, I find time at a premium to write under my name much less for a collection of pen names. But to those of you who do use pen names, I say wear it out. I have no problem with pen names when used properly.

What I do have a problem with are those authors that submit articles to me using ridiculous pen names. So, you might ask, what constitutes a poor pen name? Well, it’s hardly believable that anyone but the cruelest of parents would name their child something like, “Top Articles” or “Buy R Stuff” or simply “H”.

These authors are deleted on sight; as I feel they cheapen the quality of my directory. I have an obligation to my other authors to offer them the best quality and environment for their content.

Failure to Properly Use Title Case for Titles/Sub-Titles

My thoughts run along the lines: “Well, if they don’t even care enough about their piece to use proper title case in the headline, I am sure the rest of the article is a train wreck as well.” Sometimes I will message the author and explain to them why I declined their piece, but more often than not, I simply delete it and move on to the next article.

I have that option, you see, because I get hundreds of articles daily from which to choose. Of those hundreds, maybe 20 percent are selected on average. I don’t think many authors realize how competitive article marketing is and that quality does count. At least, it counts at the better, more high profile sites.

Poor Grammar and Spelling in the Article Description

Once again, we’re back to the notion that if it’s wrong here, the rest is probably even worse. Most publishers simply don’t have the time or resources to evaluate each piece in its entirety. I can tell you first hand that most publishers won’t do edits for free. The cyber landfills are full of these types of articles and the heaps are growing daily. It’s easy to avoid with a little attention to detail.

Redundant Articles with Different Titles

I’m not referring to five different articles on the same topic here. What I am referring to is articles spun from the same article with a slightly different title. I have nothing against PLR articles as long as they are re-worked and used as a guide to write a mostly original piece. But when the same article is re-worked two or three times, it quickly becomes obvious and redundant.

Publishers want new, fresh material for their visitors, not the same story told slightly different a dozen times. At the very least, spread them out over time and not submitted one on top of the other the same day. This brings me to another article killer.

Submit Too Many Articles at Once

I really hate to see authors do this because they are wasting so much potential in their article marketing program. Many of the pieces are really great works and would be published if they were spread out a bit over time.

But the simple fact is this: Most publishers are not going to publish 10-20 pieces from the same author in one setting. Publishes want new, fresh and diverse pieces as well as a selection of authors each day. I rarely publish more than 3-4 pieces from the same author on the same day, unless they are across a wide variety of categories.

Blatant Spammy Articles Bite the Dust

Think back to the last time you got your favorite beverage and a snack and sat down in front of the television to watch the commercials. It’s the same thing with articles, folks. People surf the Net for two reasons: to learn about something or for entertainment. No one, at least no one in their right mind, sits down to be pitched by a huckster.

Phoney Email Addresses in Profile

Here’s the bottom line. Publishers are in business to draw traffic to their sites with content and hopefully sell visitors something while they are there. Many authors feel publishers are obligated somehow to provide a quality, high traffic site for them to publish their articles on for free. Most publishers don’t see it that way at all.

Publishers, by and large, expect to email occasional offers to authors in trade for maintaining a site that publishes their work. I don’t feel that’s an unreasonable expectation for a publisher to hold. An article directory, after all, is a business and must show a profit or fold.

When I make a mailing, the very next thing I do is check for undeliverable emails and delete those author’s accounts and articles from my database. If I can’t market to them, they can’t market to others on my site. It’s a simple tit-for-tat thing. Everyone has to make a living; even publishers.

I am sure this is not a comprehensive list of all drop-dead deal breakers for publishers at large. It is, though, representative of a large portion of the article directory market. This article will enlighten some and anger others, I expect, but there it is either way. Do what you will with the information to use it to your best advantage.

One of the benefits of submitting video to YouTube is the search result is different. Video results at Google are the only ones with a picture on the left and appear like paid advertising, but for free!

For example; try search Google for the keyword “top motivation tips”

Can you see the video result ranked at #1 has a picture on the left? Don’t you think People are more likely to CLICK that link, WATCH the video and VISIT the owner’s website. Now that is powerful. Nothing can beat video marketing.

Now imagine if you could turn your articles into such videos.

Same content, just a different mode of delivery.. instead of people reading a bunch of text imagine people watching it interactively in a video. Research has shown that people prefer watching and hearing videos than reading a bunch of text. That means your videos will have a much greater impact to your bank account. Much more profit.

So, if video marketing is so powerful why don’t more and more people use it? It’s because video marketing as powerful as it may be has always been expensive and difficult, making it a little out of reach for the average guy.

I introduce to you a Never-Before-Seen Technology called The Article Video Robot. A software that will convert your articles to LIVE and TALKING videos in minutes.

Go check it out here:

Article Video Robot

This is powerful stuff – don’t miss it.

Regards,

Mike Lawson
Bluegrass Solutions

Learn More at the Article Video Robot Blog

Fast forward to the 21st Century and you quickly see that not much has changed in the fundamentals of the written word. Writers still write one word at a time. Readers still read to obtain information or amuse themselves. Of course, the craft has been honed, polished and refined a good bit, but essentially it remains the same. Simply put, it is the main way humans disseminate information.

Articles have many uses and purposes. Our focus, however, targets their importance as an internet marketing tool.

This article answers these questions:

* What is article marketing?

* How and why does it work?

* What benefits does it offer the internet marketer?

What Is Article Marketing?

Article marketing is a practice used by internet marketers to enhance their expert status in their particular field and to improve their ranking in the search engines. The intent is to increase exposure and attract pre-qualified targeted traffic back to a specific web page.

Articles written for distribution should not be confused with web copy. Web copy is more akin to direct response sales copy in the print world. Distribution articles, written for submission to article directories and publishers across the Internet, have a different focus and purpose. They don’t sell products or services directly but rather sell the expert status of the author.

This is usually the hardest concept for new article marketers to grasp; “how can I make sales if I don’t push my product?” The answer is you can’t and you will pitch your product or service once you get the reader to your web page. That’s the whole idea behind article marketing: get the reader off some obscure article directory or blog and onto your web site where actual conversions take place.

How And Why Does Article Marketing Work?

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Envision what their shopping experience is like before they ever see your article:

You’re curious about a new widget. The one you have now has been a lifesaver over and over again. But alas, like everything else in life, it’s getting a few years on it. The power cord is frayed, half the attachments are lost or broken and it simply doesn’t get the job done anymore. You hate to let the old guy go but you just can’t suffer through his poor performance any longer. You need a new widget.

You’ve heard the gossip at work about a new type of widget on the market that does everything but make the bed. It’s all the rave on the radio and ads for it are popping up everywhere. Ever the skeptic, you need more information before you’ll be sold on hearsay. The man who sold you the old widget has retired, so that option’s out. It’s time to pound the pavement again.

You drive over to Gadgettown, park the car and start down the street on foot. By the time you get to the far end of the shopping district, you’ve been pinched, poked, prodded and pitched to in every way possible. Everyone will sell you something but no one will tell you anything. You sit down on a bench to rest a bit before you fight your way back to the car and home. Empty-handed.

Across the street, a scholarly looking man is standing back in a recessed doorway quietly smoking a pipe and gazing upon the street hawkers up the way. The subtle blue neon letters in his shop window spell out “Widget World.” The smaller red ones underneath reveal that he is an “Authorized Factory Dealer.”

You stroll over and strike up a conversation and quickly discover this is a guy that really knows his widgets! He answers your questions in a friendly yet knowledgeable way. He tells you he has some additional free information in the office from corporate. He also has some floor models of the new Blue Fuzzy Widget if you would like to step inside and see for yourself. Thirty minutes later, you’re out the door with a new widget under one arm and a box of attachments under the other.

The shop owner (article) didn’t sell you a widget. What he sold you was trust in his expert status. He gave you answers to your general questions and offered the rest of the story inside the shop. His signs (links) gave credibility to his status and told you exactly what you could expect from him: he is an authorized dealer.

That’s how article marketing works. You have to get the customer off of the street and into your shop in order to conduct sales. It’s a pretty simple concept.

What Are The Benefits Of Article Marketing?

* It builds your reputation as an accepted expert in your chosen field

* It brands you and your product

* It improves your value to search engines by creating large numbers of backlinks

* It’s 100 percent “White Hat” and won’t get you in trouble with the search engines

* It provides you with content you may recycle through blogs, forums, newsletters and emails

* Depending on niche and quality, articles continue to drive traffic for years

* It’s very cost effective. Once a piece is distributed, that’s it, no more financial outlay regardless of length of effectiveness

No doubt you will think of many more benefits, but you get the idea. In a nutshell, article marketing is about building your expert status, generating traffic and leading qualified prospects to your website.

About the Author:Brad McGovern is the Marketing Manager at Article Marketer, and offers advice and news of note to article marketers. Watch for more from Brad in the coming days!

Find more help with your article marketing program here: Custom Articles

This new service, Article Video Robot, converts text articles into speaking video pieces ready to be distributed to over 17 major video outlets across the Internet. At $0.97 each, you can’t beat that price anywhere.

Introduction to the Article Video Robot

Mike,

Bluegrass Solutions

As the owner of Bluegrass Solutions Article Directory, I’m glad to know that my fellow publishers are also holding author’s feet to the fire. If you want quality, you have to accept nothing less. Poorly written, cobbled up work just doesn’t make the grade. It’s like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

I’m glad to know there are a few of us left who still require at least a modicum of quality before we will publish an article. The thing that always perplexes me is why someone who is trying to impress you enough to do business with them represents themself so poorly? I bet their competitors just love it when they see they have posted another article.

Article Writing…You Cannot

By: Echievements

Article Writing: You Can’t “Do It” in 15 Minute

Did someone tell you that articles could be written in 15 minutes? Do not believe it! Writing, even the simple act of letter writing, involves your personality, intelligence, and commitment. Most of us do not have the capacity to deliver the goods article writing demands in 8 to 15 minutes.

My laptop’s “Start” menu points me to the “No Nonsense Article Creator”. Kim Haas’ software sets a pattern of progressive and simple steps that could produce an article in 15 minutes. To finish that quickly, you have to think and work pretty fast. I am sure someone bangs out 4 articles an hour, but I have never succeeded. I outlined this article using “No Nonsense Article Creator”. My 15 minutes of article fame passed an hour before writing this sentence.

During a teleconference, I heard an Internet marketer, whom I respect say, “Just write the article; don’t worry about grammar or length. Just write it.” I say, write it right or not at all. Every word reveals you, your ability, and your commitment to your article topic. If you believe this fact, then your effort is worth more than 15 minutes.

If 15 minutes of article writing takes too long, Article Marketer offers an 8 minute article software. That strikes me as odd since Article Marketing holds authors to high levels of content, grammar, and spelling standards. Article Marketer’s “Article Writer” will show you how to write the most popular type of article: lists. You will also learn how to write your article so that it is correctly formatted, and your articles submissions will be a snap!” Sometimes we can “do it” in 15 minutes, but most of the time you should not.

I use the “No Nonsense Article Writer” to capture article ideas. At this time, I have 40 articles with titles and basic outlines to finish. Using the software helps organize my articles, then I copy them to PSPad Editor. Whitesmoke can help you write better too.

Article writing requires an idea, thought sequence, research, proof, and justification for any recommended action steps. If you can do all that in 15 minutes, I am impressed. Here is what I think article writing requires. Admittedly, the “No Nonsense Article Creator” and “Article Writer” will get you started.

You can write about any topic. You’re not bound to your highest level of expertise. If you want to become an authority on a specific subject, then write only about that subject. A primary rudiment for writers is to “write what you know”.

1. Write a quick outline in your notebook (always carry a notebook to capture ideas). Let your thoughts stream. No need to edit a word, and avoid rereading. Just write.
2. Now read to create an outline or flow to your thoughts. Circle key words that prompt paragraphs. Organize your ideas.
3. Keep your paragraphs brief and your sentences short. Yesterday, I read a 74 word sentence written by a Town official. Strunk and Wagnall’s Elements of Style recommends 7 word sentences.
4. Don’t Write Like You Talk. Talk Like You Write.
5. Quote authorities or interview one.
6. Edit…Edit…Edit – No step matters more than editing. Sometimes we have to set an article free before multiple edits. If you can hold back submitting your article for a few days, you will see many ways to rewrite, but at some point set that article free.

John Updike died Tuesday, January 27, 2009. Updike wrote “essays, reviews, short stories, poetry and memoirs,” according to CNN. In genre and subject, Updike’s writing made the simplest idea poetic. There is not a wit of a chance he used a software program to write a book.

During an interview with The Academy of Achievement, Updike tells writers “.. to develop actual work habits, and even though you have a busy life, try to reserve an hour say — or more — a day to write. Some very good things have been written on an hour a day…So, take it seriously….”

Should a simple Internet how-to article aspire to Updike-like standards? Maybe if on line writers wrote fewer articles, and worked on them diligently, more articles would be worth reading.

Of course, that advice goes for me too.
Author Resource:-> Echievements Writers Community is the online article directory for publishers and authors. Articles answer questions with how to instructions. Echievements supports and encourages online publishing and article syndication for websites, ezines, and authors. The Echievements Writers Bin is Ray Randalls all about writing blog. Ask him questions here. Need help writing? Get writing help.

Submitted By ArticleUnited.com

Article From Bluegrass Solutions Article Directory

No longer are blogs restricted to personal online journals published for friends and family. Blogs are big business and are used by big business to enhance the companies that run them. There are quite a few blogs out there netting in the millions of dollars every year.

Forum sites, for example, are often affiliated with many blog sites; all inter-linked and mutually supportive of one another. Of course, the goals of many of those sites and blogs is not to make money except through residual advertising to offset the time and expense of running them.

The potential is there and limitless, however, to make a killing through this medium of communication. Where else can you publicly market, sell, ship and deliver your wares to a world-wide market for virtually no overhead? For about $300/year you can run a large variety of web sites, blogs and e-commerce sites that reach a global market. If you can reach and sell to 1/10,000th of that market, you will be living pretty high up on the hog; all done from the privacy of your home or off your mobile laptop.

There are probably as many marketing strategies to build a successful blog as there are blogs. The Internet is rife with sites that do nothing but teach you how to be a better, more successful blogger. I have reviewed several hundred of these sites and I have found what I believe to be the common core secret to them all. It’s so simple and obvious that a lot of people just overlook it.

People don’t visit blogs to look at all the pretty colors and flashing lights or hear the bells ring and whistles blow. They come because they are in search of content; the meat and potatoes.

Imagine, if you will, a fine five-star restaurant you have stumbled upon. They’ve had a cancellation and usher you in to be seated right away. Pretty good so far, eh? A whole staff of servants waits on you and flutters about while you wait on your menu. It finally arrives in the hands of a smiling server and you open it and are immediately perplexed!

It only offers one thing: PB&J Sandwich – $40.00 ($50 w/chips and a drink).

My guess is you would lose whatever appetite you had and let your feet do the talking as you headed for the door!

Blogs, or any other website for that matter, need to offer up the ‘meat and potatoes’ if they want return customers. And the way you do that is by offering a variety fine, delectable treats that they can’t wait to be served – each and every trip.

To sell something to anyone, you first have to get them inside your shop. Window dressing may catch their eye and get them to peep inside, but if they view empty shelves and cobwebs, chances are they will never be back again. You failed to offer the incentive to return.

If there is one truth in the business world, it is this:

“It is often very hard to gain customers, but it’s almost impossible to get them back once you’ve lost them.”

Content. That’s the secret thread that holds all successful online sites together. It is no easy task writing good, effective web content, but it can be done with a little study and good practices.

Many writers’ forums are available across the Internet to develop these skills in authors wishing to write articles for marketing. Blogs with good, well written articles and web content gets much attention and use. It is the wave of the future in all manner of commerce, whether you are selling a product, service or even yourself (as a writer). If you are looking to learn or improve upon your skills in this area, find a good writer’s forum to tutor you along the way.

About the Author: Mike Lawson is a freelance writer, entrepreneur and internet marketing professional. Learn more about effectively marketing your business here:

Cutting-edge internet marketing information, products and services: Bluegrass Merchants.

Custom web content, articles and copywriting from an established professional writing service: Bluegrass Solutions.