Do You Have a Content Plan?

by Jim Daniels

Do you have a plan in place to grow and share content at your Website?

You'd better.

Because content is what drives the web. And it drives web business as well. If you have a plan to grow and share valuable content with your niche, you'll benefit in many ways...

Increased Visibility
Instant Credibility
A Stickier Website
More Inbound Links
Better Search Engine Ranking
More Website Visitors
Increased Sales

Would you like to see benefits like that?

It's not as difficult as you may think. Here's a simple 4-step plan you can copy and use, starting today.

Step 1: Write or acquire content

The first thing you must do is continually create content. You can do that by simply writing articles or tips about your niche. Think of all the things people ask you regularly. Then answer those questions in a weekly or monthly article.

The key here is to stick strictly with your niche. If your site is about lumberjacks, write about lumberjack stuff. Every niche has endless possibilities. Lumberjacks could write about training, exercises, competitions, etc.

If you hate writing or just cannot do it, hire someone to ghost write for you. There are thousands of aspiring writers looking for work. These writers are more than happy to make money doing what they love, and will willingly churn out great articles for you. You may be surprised at how affordable this option can be.

A few websites where you can find writers include...

http://www.freelancewriting.com
http://www.guru.com/category.cfm/511
http://www.elance.com (In the Elance Online section.)

Just make sure if you hire a ghostwriter that YOU will own the content when they are done. Make that clear before hiring them.

Step 2: "Tag" your content with republishing rights.

Before you publish your content, take this important step. Add a small note with each tip or article, that invites all readers to republish your content. This gives them the right to publish your content on their related Website or in their newsletter.

I call this "pre-licensing" and it is done by simply adding a small tag or footer to the end of each article. The footer looks like this:

* Need content? You may use this article at your Website, or in your newsletter. The only requirement is inclusion of the following sentence: Article by Paul Bunyon of lumberjack-Training.com - the definitive source for lumberjacks of all ages.

In your footer be sure to include a live link to your Website. The link should contain your best keyword phrase as the anchor text. In other words, the sentence should contain a keyword-based hyperlink to your Website. This will help search engines determine what your site is about. As the links grow, your ranking will continue to improve for that keyword phrase.

Step 3: Publish your content internally.

Don't let the word "publish" scare you off. Dictionary.com tells us that "publish" simply means...

To prepare and issue for public distribution or sale.
To bring to public attention; announce.

So the first place to publish to is internally. This means to your own resources.

The first place you start is with your own subscriber list, if you have one. If not, I suggest you grow one! Starting a newsletter is really as simple as signing up with an autoresponder service that offers newsletter publishing.

The other "internal publishing" task is simply publishing your content at your Website. Yes, every new article or tip you write for your niche, deserves a web page of its own. It takes literally five minutes to paste your article, with footers, into a web page template and upload it to your Website.

Be sure that when adding your content to your Website, you maintain a single web page that lists, and links to all your articles. This listing page, or archive makes navigation easier but more importantly it helps search engine spiders find your valuable content.

Step 4: Publish your content externally.

Finally, publish your content externally, or outside of your own site. You can do that by submitting your content to other Websites and newsletters.

No matter what niche you are in, chances are there are other sites and newsletters about that topic. Seek them out by spending some time at a few email newsletter directories. A few of the better ones include...

http://www.ezinehub.com
http://www.ezine-dir.com

An email newsletter (also called ezine) directory can help you gather and grow a list of email newsletters, including editor names and email addresses. Contact editors in your niche once a month with your content. Let them share it with their readers. Of course, you'll include your footer with URL after each article.

Some final tips about your content before you get busy...

Don't publish self-serving content. Keep it strictly informational.
Always proof-read your content three times. If you have another pair of eyes available, have them read it too.
Include references to clever and helpful websites when you find them. If readers find useful sites they'll be sure to read your content every time they come across it. (It's OK to use affiliate links sometimes, but not always.)
Keep your footer short and to the point, especially when you are sharing your content with editors in hopes of getting it republished.

That's it! Four steps to an effective content growth and sharing plan. I've been using this very plan for 7 years so I know it works. I suggest you implement this plan or a similar one right away. It will pay huge dividends over time.

Article used with permission from Jim Daniels. Jim's free guide to website marketing and his website promotion help site show you how to get low-cost website traffic and make money online.

24.04.2007. 23:11

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