Posts Tagged ‘article marketing’

Wow it was November 28th when I last did a Bring the Fresh review. Not good! So I’m nose to the grindstone to wrap up this review, then Dan Brock’s Deadbeat Super Affiliate and then we’ll find new products to review. I logged back in and the members’ area has changed quite a bit. I was going right down the page, scrolling along through each video tutorial.

Now, it’s organized in sections with a sidebar on the left. I was finished reviewing the 1st video of 1 article to rule them all, and this review will cover the last 2. Previously, I said there were 4 videos. Not sure if I was wrong or if they changed it but there’s only 3 videos for that now. So this one will cover the last 2 videos.

This video is over 58 minutes. While I do appreciate the look over their shoulder, sometimes I see the length and groan. If the content is worth it, that’s great – but you never know until you watch it.

Mike starts off showing us his search rankings that he’s achieved using his one-article-to-rule-them-all strategy. He’s using spinner tools I’m not going to invest in. I already like Magic Article Rewriter. I did a test with Unique Article Wizard before and wasn’t a fan of it myself.

He has a four-step process for getting this thing done. I like the 4 steps – they’re mandatory for those who use spinners, too.  Mike definitely does a great job with organization of the article. Many people who don’t know how to write or get a good flowing article ready will enjoy seeing how something like this unfolds.

He covers everything from headline grabbing to stickiness of the article to credibility and conversion. It’s comprehensive. I wish I could tell you the strategy but it’s not my product. If you’re already a member of Bring the Fresh Full Disclosure, re-watch this from time to time!

I like how Mike differentiates between what’s boring (and SO common) and what makes this article stand out – controversy! This is SO true! For me, as a fluent writer, it’s a long video to watch because I already do this, have my system, etc. But it does help me remember to add certain ingredients.

I like how Mike keeps the reader in mind. It’s like he has a perfect balance between his OWN needs (traffic and conversions) and that of the reader (keeping their interest, providing good info). Few marketers really even teach that – they just slap some keyword content up there and that’s that.  He also pays attention to all of the technical details – SEO, keyword usage, and length.

Mike gives lots of good examples for each element. Let me give you an example without spilling the secret. On the credibility factor – many people always email me worried about writing about something if they don’t know it. Mike addresses this issue.

The second video is all about the actual article writing, while the first was his research and organization of the article ideas. The next will probably be the spinning portion. The spinning portion is where he applies most of his research from video 1.

I’m going to include video 3 in this blog post review. Oh no. Video 3 is over 90 minutes long. It’s good info, don’t get me wrong – but I’m so used to speed reading and I still have a disdain for video tutorials because you can’t forward past things without knowing if you’re missing something like you can with text.

This definitely blows the lid off the whole “turnkey” and “make money easy” concept. It takes work! Mike could have shown a simple paragraph or sentence but he didn’t – he does the whole article on video, and that’s good for people who need it and don’t know how to do it yet.

Mike’s very thorough in explaining the technical “how to” of spinning – down to the nitty details of where you put spaces and where you don’t.  I almost wish he’d put this out as a separate product because this one tutorial is a really good combined course on how to write articles and how to spin them. It covers idea generation, research, organization, creation, alterations, and proofing. Really comprehensive – and pair that with the SEO Kelly teaches and it’s like knocking one out of the ballpark!

He doesn’t just rely on his mind, as he puts it. He researches – so you see how to do that – perfect for those who worry about not having a degree in Journalism or who aren’t naturally gifted writers. He does NOT use an automated spinner, by the way. Lots of elbow grease going into this. And when a word pops up that others might stick in there, he explains why you SHOULDN’T use those words, too.

One thing I dislike is the niche he uses as an example. Just a nit picky thing. I’ve written in that pick up niche myself, but it’s a huge turn off for me. Maybe that comes from my ancient bartending days of seeing this stuff in action. Who knows? But it’s his niche and he’s exposing it and for that, students should be grateful.

Okay this lesson was a really good one from Bring the Fresh. Mike said it would be – and it was! I’m still not a fan per se of spinning, but it’s doable and probably what makes people rank really well. I’ve done it, and it’s worked for me, but it’s just a task that I hate. So maybe you learn from Mike how to do it RIGHT and then offer a service doing this for other marketers like me who hate it? Sounds good! lol

Tiff

Two things you’ll want to check out:

1.) Lewis (my business partner from BuildMyLens.com) and I launched a tips blog for social marketing on Hub Pages: http://www.hubpagespro.com/blog/.

2.) I’m really excited about this: http://www.warriorforum.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=245958

Nobody else is doing this that I know of. It’s a self promoting, affiliate marketing, AdSense revenue wielding thingymajigger. Everyone will want one. Few will be fortunate to get it. Well in this case, only ONE marketer will get it. lol But few for future ones.

Thoughts? Opinions? Gripes? Compliments? Spill it….

Tiff

Whenever I recommend anything to my list, I always worry and wonder, “Will they find it as valuable as I did?”  It’s one of the reasons I refuse to promote anything I don’t believe it – because I’d be humiliated if I got a lot of emails saying, “Tiff! Why’d you mislead me?”

But I was pleasantly not surprised when I started getting feedback on the 7 Minute Article guide I recommended here on the blog and in my emails to my list.  People loved it! And the feedback was the same – everyone liked the 1 into 8 idea like I did (this is where he shows you how to take 1 article and turn it into 8 unique ones).

Here’s one email I got this morning:

“Jason certainly produced an eye opener here. Plenty of great tips, and the ’8 articles in 1′ idea is absolutely wicked!

Thanks, Tiffany, for a brilliant report.

Viviane”

I got more from other people, but I won’t post them all here. Point is – it feels good to help people discover gems. Make sure that before you promote anything, you always buy a copy of it first or if they approach you, insist on reviewing a product and then don’t just promote it because they gave you one. If you feel it isn’t worthy, don’t put your name on it!

Jason’s 7 Minute Article (which will really take you 10) is a great buy. And I put MY name on the line for that.

Tiff

If you’re a lover of free marketing tactics, as I am, then you’re probably using articles to help drive targeted traffic to your domain – whether they’re on EzineArticles or Squidoo or wherever.

But article marketing isn’t being used by everyone. Why? A LOT of people don’t feel comfortable writing. I know – I’m the one they come to asking me to ghostwrite for them.

It’s either too time consuming or they can’t eek out a well-organized, effective article.  From time to time someone on my list will email me asking for tips on how to write.

That’s been hard for me to convey because it took years in Journalism courses in college for me to master. But someone else created a guide to writing a 7 minute article (personally I think it’ll take a non-pro 10 minutes, but that’s still a great pace).

http://www.tiffanydow.com/7minutes.html

I don’t know the guy – Jason Fladlien – but I did get his product just to see if it can “help me help you” (in the words of Jerry Maguire).  I really liked what I read. Read the rest of this entry »