by review

Created on: December 21, 2006   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

While some writers (bloggers, etc.), always go for the gold (massive hits) in their internet marketing efforts, online content and its authors are a word-of-mouth enterprise.

When your content is recommended, or even exposed, to just one person, if they like it enough they may pass the word on to a few, or a few thousand, depending on how they promote you. (e.g., e-mail, Web site link) This is the backbone of internet marketing in its truest and sometimes most effective form.

If you are skeptical about small-time internet marketing, my first Web site (circa 1995) is a good example. By the year 2000 it had one million hits. That may not sound like much these days, but we are talking about a time when both blogging and Google AdSense, among other tools, were non-existent. The topic was rather narrow, it was a non-profit site and I didn't spend a dime for it on advertising.

I did do a lot of SEO (different in those days) the first couple of years, but I didn't really need to after the first year - the viral internet marketing process was well established. From that site, the domino effect continued, as it enabled my business Web site (circa 1997), hosted on the same domain, to be successful from the get-go. It even generated a Small Biz Success review from Microsoft. Most all of this exposure was due to free word-of-mouth advertising.

With that said, here are some simple, but important, ways to promote your articles:

E-mail Signature File: Your signature file is perhaps one of your best free internet marketing tools. You should give as much thought to what is put in the signature file as you do for a paid ad on Google, if not more. And like Google Ad sense, you may need to alter your words for maximum benefit. While a company or Web site name might pique interest, a great tagline is what grabs the reader.

Contact Your Subject: When writing a review or OpEd, whether it is about Oprah or hand-made Christmas ornaments, let the person/company know you published something (positive) about them, why and where. While the big names might not care, you never know as generally PR people like to check reviews out. Moreover, when it's an individual or small business Web site, the owner is generally very appreciative and may even link to your work. Be sure and encourage them to do so. Just don't sound like you are engaged in internet marketing, think more along the lines of a fan or a critic.

Keep Your Profile in Action (even while you sleep): This is one of my more shameless and

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