Advertising and marketing campaigns cost money. If you are a small to medium-sized business owner, you may not have a lot of funds to market your business, particularly in the early years when time and cash are at a premium. Unfortunately, this is the time when it is most critical to build awareness about your company, products, and services.

Would you like an affordable marketing method, one that costs nothing except some of your time and effort? Try writing articles!

!

Here's a list of common marketing methods that many companies use:

- Television, radio, newspaper, magazine, and website ads
- Flyers and/or direct mail campaigns
- Setting up booths at trade shows
- Giving away promotional items

They're all great methods, but they have one big drawback: they all cost money. Some of them cost a lot of money which you could use for other parts of your business.

Doesn't FREE sound attractive at this point?

Let's look at some reasons why you should consider writing articles as an affordable marketing method:

FREE DISTRIBUTION

Web sites, newsletters, and trade publications can always use solid, informative content that someone like you can provide. Take a subject that you know very well, one that's integral to your business, and write the best article that you possibly can on the topic. Look for places that need that content and offer them the article. It's fairly easy to find outlets that will take your article at no cost to you. It's a win-win scenario!

POINT PEOPLE TO YOUR COMPANY WEBSITE

If your business has a website, you probably know about the value of having links to your web site. This helps to draw people to your company. Articles submitted to article directories or other web sites will often provide you with an opportunity to create a link back to your website. This makes it a bit easier for people to find your web site through Google searches.

ADD ARTICLE LINKS TO YOUR E-MAILS

Believe it or not, people do follow the links in E-Mails, particularly if the subject matter is important to them. It's a handy way to subtly promote your company a bit more. Also, if you belong to forums, include a link to your articles in the Signature section of your user profile.

The best part of article writing is that it's possible to distribute your articles very widely at virtually no cost. I would think that FREE is an affordable marketing method! Think seriously about using articles as a way to promote your business. Many businesses swear by it!

Learn more about this author, Mark Dykeman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Writing articles as an affordable Internet marketing method?
We want to hear your view. Write now!