Although sites that offer video and image content are more popular these days than sites that offer written content, that doesn’t mean that written content isn’t an effective way to market your business. Sites like Craigslist (a free classifieds site) have thrived despite being simple because they fill a need for those who use them.

The important thing to remember here is that your potential customers consume content in different ways. The best way to help your potential customers and show them how you can help them solve their problems is to create your content and then offer it in different formats depending on your audience.

Article writing can give you a solid foundation for creating this content. It only takes a good 400-500 word article to get your message across and make your audience want to learn more about what you do and how you can help them. Once you write that article, you can convert that content to other formats that will help your audience consume that content.

To get started, you need to decide what topic you will write about. Once you’ve chosen your topic, the next step is to do some keyword research so you can pick the keywords your search engines are looking for. Focus on writing good content. Although including your keywords in your title, article, and tags is important, you want to make sure that you offer content that is useful to your potential customers.

One way that makes it really easy to write articles, and you will find these articles quite popular, is to create lists. Readers love lists because they are easy to read and implement. Tips are quite a popular form of list articles because tips will help you show your readers how you can solve their problems without giving away all your information.

Once you’ve written an article, you’ll want to sign up with several high-traffic article writing sites. Some of the best places to submit your articles include HubPages and EzineArticles. Personally, I like EzineArticles because they offer a lot to help you with article writing, including a blog, an article writing course, and a post your article tool that will help you generate better article titles. You can also create a complete profile that will allow you to promote your books, as well as share your websites and demonstrate your expertise. Take advantage of profiles on article sites you trade on because this helps you establish credibility.

When creating your profiles, be sure to use your real name. Include a picture and use all the space to write and post your profile. The more information you include, the better your ability to show others what you can do and how you can solve their problems. Potential customers don’t come to you because they want to buy something. They come to you because they are looking for a solution to their problems. Provide a solution, and you’ll make the sale.

To get the most out of your article writing efforts, recycle your content into different formats. Submit regularly to the different article directories to help you build an audience.