September 5, 2004
Successful webmasters and marketers agree: words rule the web!
Nothing beats fresh, keyword rich content for attracting search engine spiders, live visitors and repeat visitors. But there's just one obstacle for the newbie web publisher though...
It takes a lot of work to write all the content on your own.
Well, the good news is that you don't have to create all of this content yourself!
In fact, you can load up your web site with top notch articles, news, cartoons and a whole lot more when you simply outsource your content.
If you've ever wondered how the experts load up their web sites so quickly, then today is your lucky day...I'm about to show you their top 5 secret resources...Act on this information right away and you'll have quality content published before dinner time, guaranteed!
Secret Resource #1: RSS Feeds
RSS Feeds are currently the hot commodity on the web. RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and describes a technology that allows web sites to syndicate, or distribute, their content among other sites. Maybe you're already familiar with news syndication sources like Reuters and the Associated Press? RSS parallels this concept and brings it online.
Content syndication provides an ideal solution for the cost and time conscious internet marketer. You can load your site with relevant business and marketing articles and reap significant rewards.
Syndicated articles attract the search engines to your site in two important ways. The first and most obvious fact is that more content and more keywords = better rankings, period. Second, you boost the value of your incoming and outgoing links - a very important element in the eyes of Google's page rank algorithm.
Secret Resource #2: Static Article Syndication Sites
One of the tried and true methods for building a name online is to write and publish your own articles. Thousands of writers submit articles each day to article syndication sites.
The trade off is simple: web site and e-zine publishers are granted permission to re-print these articles as long as they remain unchanged from the original and the writer's by-line is kept intact. The publisher wins by getting frëe content, and the writer wins whenever someone new sees their by-line and clicks on their URL.
Secret Resource #3: Paying for Premium Content
You know the saying, "You get what you pay for". By far, the most comprehensive database of premium marketing and business content comes from this one source: Marketing Sherpa
Content is divided into two specialty libraries: the Case Studies Library and the Practical Marketing Knowledge Library. The Case Studies Library profiles both large and mid-sized businesses and dives into marketing experiments on such topics as email marketing, business-to-business marketing, branding, subscriber base conversion and a whole lot more.
The Practical Marketing Knowledge library features over 250 articles and interviews with experts sharing step-by-step marketing plans.
If you would like to license Marketing Sherpa content for re-distribution, you'll need to contact OSKAR Consulting courtesy of Elizabeth Karolczak. She can be reached via email at info@oskar.com, or via telephone at 1.650.625.1780. If she's unavailable, simply ask to speak with an Electronic Licensing Representative.
Secret Resource #4: Hire a Ghost Writer
When you hire a ghostwriter, or freelancer, you can have custom content created for your site. Your writer will pump out articles on any topic you specify and you get to put your name on the finished product!
The best way to hire a writer is to bid for his or her services. This allows you to negotiate the best deal for your budget if expense is an issue.
Secret Resource #5: Your Own Web Visitors and Ezine Subscribers
What better way to generate content and develop a sense of community among your visitors than having them contribute to your site or ezine?
One shining example of this tactic in action comes from my friend, Willie Crawford, owner of Chitterlings.com. The site focuses on southern cooking recipes, but this tactic should work for internet marketing based sites as well.
Each week, Willie's ezine subscribers submit dozens of recipes. He takes the best of the best and highlights them in each issue of the newsletter. You could do the same by soliciting your subscribers for articles, tips, product recommendations or even case studies on their own marketing efforts.
You simply edit the content for style, grammar and length, then toss a few of your own comments to add some flow to the presentation. This takes a minimal amount of effort and you produce a great publication that people want to read because they get to see themselves in print.
These 5 secret sources represent just the tip of the iceberg.
Content is plentiful if you know where to look. The best part is that it takes about half the time and effort to track down quality sources as it does to produce the content all on your own, meaning...
...Be a smart marketer and outsource!
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