by Janette Stoll

With the recent changes to Google’s algorithm and its impact on search engine rankings, writing a quality article, is becoming more important than ever.
In this article, I’m going to share how you can use article writing to effectively promote your home based business online.

Apart from using article writing as a free resource to attract leads to your site, it’s easy to get started, and enables your articles to be distributed across multiple platforms. This not only gives your business added-exposure, but also positions yourself as a knowledgeable consultant in your niche business.

There are numerous topics in your niche market that can be explored and turned into a well-crafted, original article by you. The key is to choose the topics where you have the most useful knowledge and stick to one topic. Make your writing informal and conversational.

One of the most important aspects of writing is getting your reader’s attention, which isn’t always easy, and inspires them to do something once they’re done reading.
With this in mind, here are some ideas to get your writing process started:

1. Topics are everywhere. If you’re actively engaged on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, there are all sorts of topics that can be written. Recently, there was a discussion on the Direct Sales Women’s Alliance group on LinkedIn. The discussion was on why the turn over rate is so high in direct sales. Numerous direct sellers chimed in to share their viewpoints.

Some common themes were lack of beliefs, unrealistic expectation, not having the right mindset, and so forth. You could easily turn this into an article. For example, you can highlight the important points from the discussion, address the pros and cons, and add your point of views based on your own experience.

This is just one topic example from one group. You probably have topics in your head right now that you can write about. It’s a matter of organizing your thoughts, getting them down on paper or computer, then sitting down and writing the first draft.

2. Pay attention to conversations. The key is to pay attention to what’s being discussed online, offline, in your personal experiences, news sources, books you’re reading, and turn those ideas into articles.

3. Research and write. If you can’t think of anything to write, maybe there’s a topic you want to learn more about but haven’t found the answers? You can research the topic and write about it. That’s how I got started with article writing. I saw the importance of creating content and using social media marketing to build my business online.

Through the process of research and learning about article writing and marketing, I’m able to blog about what I’ve learned, and share it on my blog. My blog posts not only help other direct sellers grow their business, but my blog also has attracted hundreds of prospects from sharing my knowledge.

It’s a win-win. Remember: “You give before you get” is the best way to build your business.

4. Make it easy to read. Have you ever tried reading blocks of words on an article? It’s not easy on the eyes. Online writing isn’t the same as reading books and textbooks.

Make your content easy to read. Notice how this article is in short paragraphs (2-3 sentences). Use sub-headings, bullet points, and make your content easy to digest.

5. Short and sweet. A short article, in my opinion, is 400-500 words. I aim for 500 because it’s the right amount to provide enough nuggets for my readers without losing their interest. You can also break up long articles into series.

The goal of article writing is to use your knowledge to address a pain and provide answers to your target market’s problems. People buy solutions, not products. Think of article writing as a platform to provide solutions rather than selling.

Article writing, if done correctly, is incredibly effective in promoting your home based business online, for free.
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About The Author: Janette Stoll helps direct sales consultants generate targeted leads from article writing and marketing. Her blogs are visited by thousands of work-at-home professionals monthly. Sign up for your FREE 10-Part Mini Course on article writing at https://www.janettestoll.com.