Lately, there seems to be some confusion between Article Marketing and regular article writing. People wonder why I would write articles when I'm not getting paid for them. Paid, of course being the traditional way where money is exchanged for labor.

Article Marketing is not "article writing" as you may know it if you're a writer or reader of magazines, journals and such.

Article Marketing is a new concept that's being used by web experts to help spread the word about their businesses. It's a tool that's meant to increase your website's visibility.

If you're familiar with link exchanging and link distribution, you know that the more websites who include a link to your own website, the more exposure you get and the more chance you have for making a sale.

Of course, the drawback to Link Distribution is that there's nothing about your link that stands out in a crowd. But what if I told you that you'd be able to include information along with your link? And that information could be written in the form of a short article?

That's it, that's Article Marketing. It's not *really* about fantastic writers creating amazing and life-changing articles that took months of research and development.

It's about marketers and savvy web entrepreneurs who want to increase their popularity on the web while at the same time using a personal touch - an article - to draw in a loyal following who will be interested in purchasing their products.

Imagine what you could do with a little space to add some words and warmth and compelling copy to that website link of yours! Imagine no longer. Kids, the dream is here and it's Article Marketing.

Article Marketing Explained in 4 Points

1. Article Marketing starts with an article syndication site.
2. The site collects articles written by marketers and writers.
3. The article authors are asked to include a personal bio and link to their website.
4. The articles are then picked up by other websites who want to showcase fresh, relevant content in a specific niche.

As I mentioned in the first paragraph, I don't get paid cold hard cash to write articles for my own company (although you're welcome to pay me cash to write yours!). My payment for article marketing is exposure.

Exposure comes in the form of your articles that make front page search engine headlines. What do I mean by that? Well, let's say you're in the car wash business. If you write several articles about breakthrough conveyor belt technology, those articles will come up in the search engines when web surfers go hunting for that information. The more articles you write, the more frequently your website link and your name will come up... and then, the more interested prospects will come to your website. You want to sell that technology, right? Then start writing those articles.

So: who should think about using Article Marketing as a way to become well-known, respected, and potentially rich on the internet?

Anyone who wants to create a product.
Anyone who has a website.
Anyone who wants to build a brand.
Anyone who wants to start a web-based business that will be profitable for the long term.

Characteristics of Web Articles:

- Short and to the point
- Broken up into easily digestible sections of text
- Helpful, informative copy
- Light promotional tone
- Should always, always point to your URL

You can hire someone who works relatively cheap to write your articles. But a better strategy, if you really want to be a big brand name, would be to find someone who is willing to "concept out" your articles.

Get a real copywriter to streamline an aggressive marketing campaign to pitch a product that you will sell by way of that "gateway" - the link at the end of your article.

Article Marketing is Link Distribution plus Useful Information to lure in your reader. It is not meant to bring you the Nobel Peace Prize for your writing achievements. It's good old web marketing with a creative writing twist.

Want to join the article marketing craze and get your website noticed? Well then, go warm up with a few web articles! They're quick, painless and even fun to write.

What are you waiting for? It's time to write that article.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Dina Giolitto is the author of ARTICLE POWER: Create Dynamite Web Articles and Watch Your Sales Explode... a 49-page manual covering every aspect of article marketing on the web. Learn about article marketing, copywriting and more at http://www.wordfeeder.com