Seven tips on how to write marketing articles

Blank paper In a previous article, Promoting your business using article marketing we looked at the benefits of writing marketing articles to generate new business. Which is all well and good as long as you have something to write about – right?

These seven tips on how to write marketing articles cover some areas you can look to for inspiration:

1. Client questions

Any client who has ever asked you: "How would I ...?" is giving you the basis for an article. Answering 'how to' questions provides real world solutions to real situations, which is exactly what the reading public want to know about.

To turn a short answer into a longer article, simply:

begin with the background or context to the situation;

describe when and how the situation occurs;

describe how to address the problem (your ‘how to’ response);

and describe how to ensure the issue doesn’t recur

2. The problems you solve

Write a list of the five to ten key problems that you solve for your clients. Every one of these can be used for the basis of one or more articles. If the problem is a complex one, break it down into its components and use each component as the basis for an article.

Often the process for resolving one complex problem can become a series of related articles that you can publish over a series of weeks or months.

3. Workshops or seminars

If you are running workshops or seminars then you have enough article content to last you a long time. Break your seminar down into manageable pieces and create one or more article for each piece.

4. Processes you follow

Do you use a proprietary process in your business? Or a clearly established series of steps that you follow? Again, use these as the basis for an article on how to approach a problem.

5. Industry trends

Keeping abreast of the latest happenings in your industry is extremely worthwhile, not least because you can demonstrate your expertise and share this knowledge in an article. Keep people updated with the latest news or innovations and discuss how these might affect your readers.

6. Case studies and success stories

Probably one of the easiest ways to identify content for articles is by using case studies from your own experience. Share with readers:

the background of the situation;

the problem the client was having;

what the problem was costing (in terms of lost productivity, dollars, etc.);

what you or the client did to resolve the problem;

the benefits the client experienced after the problem was solved.

7. 'Top Tips' in lists of seven

People love abbreviated and to-the-point information, which makes a list of top tips the ideal basis for an article and research has shown seven is the optimum number.

There are numerous ways of creating these sorts of lists. Here are a few ideas:

Seven ways to avoid ….(experiencing a certain problem)

Seven things to do to ensure ….(success at something)

Seven ways to improve your…(hit rate, leadership skills, writing skills, productivity, etc.)

Seven tips for …(becoming healthier or wealthier, designing a better extension, getting better results from your accountant, choosing a solicitor etc).

Hopefully you are now confident of creating months of content for articles without having to research any new information, just by accessing what you already know. So, no excuses now. It’s time to get that article marketing strategy off the ground!

Want to send an article to Flying Solo? Take a look at our guidelines. - Ed

Megan Tough runs Complete Potential, a company that helps businesses solve their strategy and people problems. She loves being a solopreneur, and when she doesn't have her nose to the grindstone, is fulfilling her other passion of fitness and health.

7 comments | Add your own

This fits in nicely with my company name (Signal 7), and my recent post on "7 ways to measure the success of your website"! at www.signal7.com.au.
I think I will have to revisit these article writing tips for more ideas. Thanks. Mathew Patterson from Cronulla, NSW
Hi Megan,this is the 2nd of only 2 articles I have printed and placed on the wall next to my desk, as this article will help to keep me on track with a book I'm writing ! The other article is your Ten strategies for beating overwhelm. Thank You !
Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
As one who has had articles published by business magazines I found it interesting and to the point. But, it missed a most important couple of points, editing and proof-reading, as demonstrated in this article itself.
The very first line should read "...we looked at..."
Point 2, second line should read "Every one of these can be...."
Point 7 said the optimum number of points is 7, but then fails to back this up by only having 4 points of action.
If our articles are not free of typos and grammatical errors then we'll have less chance of making it into print. As authors we must minimise the work that the publisher's staff have to perform on our submissions. Mention also of sticking to publisher-imposed word count limits would have been useful - we don't want the editors pruning our articles by chopping out what we thought were the most important and insightful paragraphs just to fit the space. Bob Ronai from St Ives, NSW
Bob! You don't fancy a job proof reading for us do you? Thanks for your suggestions, however I must point out the author was not at fault, I was. Proofreading is one of my numerous roles and occasional errors are inevitable, particularly if editing gets performed in haste as was the case here. I have fixed up as per your suggestions. Bear in mind point 7 may only have 4 points but the main article did encompass 7 altogether. Thanks again for your vigilance. Sam Leader from Sydney, Australia
Thanks for pointing out that everything I need is right under my nose and I just have to compile it succinctly to make it readable! Joanne Terrans from Milsons Point
I have had nearly 1000 articles published and although your tips were useful, the first thing a person should do is select the publication that he/she intends to write the article for. [Unless it's your own newletter of course - Ed.] Every publication has a particular house style and if you want to have your work published you must ensure your article fits that style. Quite simply if your article doesn't fit you won't be published. There is more to writing articles than coming up with the ideas. I agree that you can create months of content but without a suitable outlet or an editor to work with you could be wasting your time. Barb Clews from Leschenault Western Australia | Read my articles
Hi Megan, your article has become an invaluable tool. A copy of it travels with me at all times. Whenever I am stuck on what to write next, or if what I have written "just doesn't seem right", then I refer to it again. It invariably helps. Thank you. Les Bollenhagen from Adelaide

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