Article Marketers - How do You Monetize Your High Quality Articles?

HEy,

Just saw your question and I think you may be asking the wrong question to begin with. I wouldn't really approach the article itself as something to monetize, that is unless you plan to sell it as is or as PLR as you noted in your question. The content or article in this case should drive people to a site (preferably a squeeze page) with a call to action in the resource box of an article directory or from the content of a blog post there again with a call to action. It is actually a great way to build your list if done correctly, the affiliate route is to direct the traffic to an affiliate offer but I wouldn't encourage this as you would be missing out on the opportunity to build your list. One you have the article I agree with TiffLee syndicate it like crazy and direct traffic to to your site or offer.

Hey Palusko,

You starting with the wrong question.

If you are just putting banners around content your
going to get a really low conversion rate.

What is the goal for the post?
What are you trying to achieve?

If it is about a specific product a great structure would be
- Picture of product at the top (with affiliate link)
- Call to action around the first 1-2 paragraphs
(benefit call to action text link)
- Benefit call to action at the end of the article

The best sales pages are when you don't even know you are being sold too.

Palusko

Good question but you have to change your approach, Nathan is right if your content is that good you need to take a look at how you use that to generate more content.

The overall goal of any article is for the next line to be read. With good quality content like that it makes it easier.

It would be easier to have your article end up with a good call to action that requires an optin page to be completed. That way you can keep on communicating with the reader on your terms.

You can also take the information in the articles and write more in depth pieces on specific topics. This means you create more content around that topic and with related keywords that are used in the articles and wit this content you can boost your traffic. Use this expanded content in e-mails to drive them back to the rest of the post on a blog.

The other warriors are spot on and I would suggest going to article syndication sites to submit this length of articles. I would get more of them to expand and increase your exposure but do drive them to a squeeze page as mentioned.

I am going to be a bit cheeky and promote my WSO which I do cover how to get related keywords and use them to build content. But if your content is that well written go back the person that did it and ask for more.

PM me a link as I would like to see what was done as I am curios to see how the content was structured if you dont mind.

Lance

The trick is to have a purpose in mind before creating or commissioning the articles. Do you want to use them to draw people to your site? To generate organic backlinks? To presell a particular product or service? To build authority or reputation? Or to generate some commercially desirable action, such as an opt-in, sale or click-through?

Once you have the purpose firmly in mind, you create or commission content that creates an experience for the reader, one they wish to extend. Your desired outcome should be the logical, natural way to extend the experience.

The short version?

Have your monetization model in mind before writing/buying high quality articles...

Every article should be written for a reason. It could be anything like pushing an affiliate offer, driving your visitors to a squeeze page or promoting your own product. Once you decide what your target is only then you should work on your article.

Basically before you write an article you should know how you plan to monetize it. For me the best kinds of articles are the ones that provide information about solving a problem. Your article should explain how a given problem can be solved and you need to have a clear call to action where you tell your prospect what to do next to solve the problem (this will be your affiliate link or squeeze page link to get a free report or something).


If you have a well written, engaging article it projects you as an expert in your field. And once your prospects see you as an expert they are very likely to buy what you are offering.


So try and search for offers relating to your article and promote those and the next time before you think of getting articles written make sure you have a clear plan in mind on how to monetize them and get your articles written accordingly.

Thank you for replies. Just to specify: The articles are not about products or services, although I do promote products that use the information that the articles have. Basically, each article is an advice how to handle a problem. But not a quick generic advice, but rather an advice that is well formulated and based on solid research. In other words, there is quite a high level of authority build into it. These are not some secret information, but they are less known yet searched for (hence the traffic).

As for monetizing the articles - the marketers in the thread I mentioned in my OP mention many times ROI on an article, how much money each article made etc. That's why I asked about monetization, as there seems to be a way to track the money each article brings in as a result of some action. Personally, I have no idea how you'd even measure that, but like I said, there seems to be a consensus that there is a clear ROI, when it comes to each article.
So far, I basically used the articles to drive the traffic and to make some money through the affiliate links. I certainly need to look into ways of syndicating them as well as re-purpose them and also to define a clear call to action. Because you are right - currently these articles are simply there, for people to read. There is no real marketing purpose or call to action in them.
Thanks again.

Edit: One of the ideas I had was to publish some of them on Facebook, but make them (or some of them) available only if the page is liked. I figured, since there is no core call to action, this way I could at least gain some fans interested in the content (thus people, who may be fairly interested paid-for product in this niche). But the problem of course would be, that I would now have to drive traffic also to my Facebook. Any ideas how to further drive traffic from my website to my Facebook page without making them feel like they are being pushed all over the place or felt like they are being switch and bait-ed?

I totally agree with TiffLee... The key for me has always been credibility. So, you can use those high quality articles to generate traffic to establish yourself as an authority. People don't like rehashed content, and it seems that your articles are giving them fresh information and they feel they are speaking to an actual person. Because you have them engaged, continuing to provide that quality to them will make them trust you. As stated above, giving them value and "slow marketing" allows you to provide them with offers later that will convert better than someone who hard sells from the beginning.

Pretty obvious today if you look around people are starting to wake up to article marketing...its a changing landscape. And someone really needs to write a good book on it.

A well researched article that you post infront of the right prospects, will give you insane results.

Writing spam, spun crap will give you bad results, but people will still do this, even after teh panda pants slap from google.

Your first goal is to write something that is high quality, and leave out some pieces. Like Jimmy D brown tactic suggests. Still make it inviting, and actually help your prospest. After all our testing, a good article to an optin page works best. WHY? Well they think, wow, nice...what else does this guy have on tap. Then whamo, they are on your list and already WARMED UP!, and I say WARMED UP in big block capitals.

They are more likely to buy your stuff, or read your auto responder sequence, and whamo......more likely to become a buyer again and again. Simple stuff really. But I reckon about 2-3% of good article marketers are doing this right now.

But your first two things that are a must. HIGH QUALITY.... and puttting your article in front of the RIGHT PEOPLE....not just article diretory spamming. That is not how you will win the article marketing race in 2012.

Taking OFF my 'article syndication' lenses (which is an area comprehensively
covered by the earlier replies), here are some more ideas:

* Publish it to a blog and run ads around/within it

* Publish it to your email list, tie it in with an offer

* Offer it for wide syndication by publishers - for traffic and back links

* Offer it as a guest post on a popular blog in your niche

* Offer it as a stand-alone web page (hosted marketing page) on an authority site

* Submit it to a print magazine or newsletter that reaches your target audience

* Sell it to a publication that accepts freelance writing

* Convert it into a PDF, embed it with affiliate (or your product) links, give it away

* Share the PDF on document sharing sites like Scribd

* Turn it into a slideshow and distribute it

* Record the slideshow as a video and post it on YouTube and other video sites

* Make it a part of a PLR content pack and sell it

* Sell it to another content publisher for a profit on what you paid

* Licence it to a group of publishers for a 'user fee'

* Combine it with other similar articles into an ebook for sale

* If relevant, turn it into a printed book too

* Read out the article, record it, create a podcast episode

* Record audio CDs and sell or give away the recording

* If together the articles cover a topic, make them into a course

These are off the top of my head.

Want more?

All success
Dr.Mani

Hi Palusko,

can you share the awesome writer that you find here or any other awesome writers than write high quality and converting product reviews (affiliate products).

Thanks.