Jeff Herring – Master of Article Marketing

NB This is the author’s twelfth teleseminar report in the “Seminars with the Experts” series hosted by Hilary Stewardson.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, article marketer Jeff Herring has used the power of words to build an information empire. His resume includes a nationally syndicated column, several telecourses and training programs and, of course, his own traffic generation articles. Jeff specializes in café-style live video recordings and is a strong advocate for audiovisual promotion of writing services.

The Accidental Internet Marketer?

In his previous life, Herring built a thriving family therapy practice over two decades. So how does a successful marriage therapist/relationship coach migrate to the forefront of internet marketing? In Jeff’s case, the seed was planted in 1994 with a first look online while he was writing his newspaper column. In 2005, he decided to bundle collections of his columns and sell them in e-book form. The initial success whetted his appetite for e-commerce and Herring proceeded to systematize a list of subscribers ready to offer motivational quotes. A few months later, after setting up his first websites, Jeff became a full-time internet marketer and has never looked back.

Jealously guarding your own voice.

Consider Herring’s clever wordplay that reveals his philosophy:

“Write with your mouth, not your hands.”

Jeff says NO to Private Label Rights (PLR) articles, due to massive duplication and their general lack of quality and relevance. By succumbing to recycled items, he loses his voice and is no longer credible with prospects and customers.

Does the same apply to outsourcing; i.e. ghostwriting (also known as writing in someone else’s voice)? Herring agrees that outsourcing is acceptable when you’re not an expert in your chosen subject, but he points out the inherent risk of abandoning original, personal work.

Jeff Herring agrees that we can use article marketing to drive readers to affiliate websites. However, at some point you have to look beyond other people’s products and claim full ownership of their words. After all, you’re doing all this work by writing articles, so why not promote yourself first?

Common mistakes, pitfalls of new item sellers.

Becoming an article marketer like Jeff Herring takes practice, plus avoiding a few pitfalls:

• Delay
• Belief that you have nothing worth saying; lack of confidence in writing and self-esteem.
• Trying to say too much at once.
• Listen to the wrong people.
• Get into a buying spree for item generators, shipping software, outside help, etc.
• Hang on the word count, especially at the low end (250 words).

To generate writing prompts, Jeff Herring recommends that you create “Tips” articles, in which you list 7 ways to solve a specific problem. Then take each tip and create a more specific article. As a result, one theme will allow you to create a total of 8 articles.

A perceived weakness often cited by beginners, that their article category is too crowded, actually indicates their great potential. Competitors, potential clients, social media users, and joint venture seekers are looking for quality writers, even the next superstar.

Spread your articles to the world.

Jeff Herring believes that article marketing is the best “free” way to generate traffic. However, being a great writer is not enough. His goal is to plant “evergreen” articles, articles that will drive traffic to his sites over and over again on autopilot. Therefore, he must have a solid and systematic article submission strategy. Jeff offers an article submission hierarchy to follow:

1. The best 1-2 article directories.
2. Other Top Article Directories.
3. Niche article directories.
4. Your own article directory or blog.

Jeff Herring’s 3 Power P’s.

Every article marketer is looking for the winning items that will lead to a life-changing breakthrough. In short, we need:

1. Prospects: Generating targeted traffic through articles to get attention in front of your website. Now it’s your turn to encourage action!
2. Advertising: High page positions (PR), ideally the first page of Google for your keywords and key phrases.
3. Benefits: The money is great and justifies your hard work. However, there are other indirect (ie backlinks) and direct (eg article reuse) benefits of publishing a steady stream of quality articles.

How to make more money with an article than with a book.

On the surface, it may seem far-fetched that individual articles could be a catalyst for recurring revenue. However, consider some of the possibilities:

• Turn a 7-tip article into a 7-part autoresponder or e-course.
• Creation of video and/or audio articles from the written word.
• Teleseminar series based on tips from articles.

Also, consider the possibilities of combining article marketing and joint ventures. Many of the best entrepreneurs exchange lists and cross-promote. To make these partnerships work for you, look for people in your niche, not necessarily big ones, who are doing similar things and share your marketing perspective.

To work once and get paid again and again, you need to optimize every part of an article, that is:

• Title: Start with keywords that highlight the benefits of your article for the reader.
• Body: Manageable bits of information that draw readers in and leave them wanting more.
• Resource Box: Leverage your audience’s heightened sense of awareness to promote yourself. It should flow easily from your conclusion and not feel detached from the body of the article.

Conclusion.

Writing is a basic communication skill that is cultivated from the core of your personality. The beauty of article merchandising lies in its simplicity, no matter what technological advances are in store for the world. Jeff Herring embraces Internet technology, but he hasn’t forgotten the essence of success: keeping things simple. To do this, it does not hurt to have guts, that is:

Go wear these things!