by David R. Michaels

Created on: April 15, 2009   Last Updated: April 16, 2009

An Overview of Article Marketing

If you're an experienced freelance writer, an internet marketer, or any other form of online entrepreneur, you've most likely heard about "article marketing." Perhaps you've even used the technique in order to brand yourself and your products. However, if you haven't, then this content was designed for you not only to define what it is and how it works, but how you can benefit from using this powerful marketing tool as well. So what exactly is article marketing?

According to Wikipedia, Article Marketing is a form of advertising wherein "businesses write short articles related to their respective industry." These articles are then made available to the marketplace by virtue of distributing and/or publishing them. Typically, there is a byline and a short biography of the author, known as a "bio box", which includes pertinent contact information and links or references to another site namely the author's blog or website.

For the online entrepreneur, this not only builds market awareness, it is the ideal way to increase the credibility of your business. Additionally, well-written content will attract more traffic to your website. Interestingly enough, even before the internet came into being, industry professionals had been using article marketing in print media. Business owners employed article marketing as a means to gain exposure in print media.

Local businesses oftentimes provided newspapers and tabloids with a storyline or useful content about the business at no charge, wherein the newspaper would publish this and include pertinent contact information about the business in the article. Economically speaking, this was a win-win situation for both sides because newspapers have always been expected to print content on a limited budget and the business receives free press.

Why does Article Marketing Work so Well?

Article Marketing has become a major player in the branding arena due to the onset of e-commerce and the growth of internet marketing. It is now a part of traditional online media because it plays the dual role of providing businesses with free advertising while at the same time providing publishers with free content. However, the major difference between the offline and online venues is that marketing articles on the internet adds some additional dimensions that are not present in the offline technique.

The major difference between the two types of article marketing is that the online venue uses articles to enhance Search Engine

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