Article marketing - old is new

Article marketing may be a hot topic among Internet marketers, but it's really just an old idea. One of the best ways to showcase your expertise in an authentic way is to write articles and place them where your clients and your peers are likely to read them.

This is one area where everything old is new again.

Professional services firms, academics and businesspeople in nearly all sectors have been made article marketing an important part of their marketing practices for years. It's such a tried-and-true method than many don't even call it "marketing".

Journal articles. Trade magazine features. Important business publications. Association publications. Op-ed opinion pieces. Regular columns. Now add web sites, social networks, blogs... The ways to get your name out there just keep multiplying. The trick is to do it effectively.

Here are four things to keep in mind when writing (or hiring a professional to write) your next bylined article:

Be strategic. Which hot topics offer you a chance to add to the discussion? Where would it make the most sense to be published? How does this topic and this media outlet advance your business objectives? Is your goal to inform or to offer opinion? Think carefully about the topic you choose and how you plan to approach that topic.

Map it out. I am always amazed at the number of people who start writing business articles without knowing what their key message is. A professional writer can help with this. Whether you need help or go it alone, be sure to draw up an outline in advance and get buy-in all around before going forward.

Contribute meaningfully. In most cases, the gatekeepers -- editors, association directors, bloggers -- don't have an interest in marketing your business. This can be hard for some marketers to accept. But it's time to take off the marketing hat and practice your best informative writing. Share your lessons learned, use your experiences as a case study, investigate a topic that keeps your audience up at night. Offer solutions, advice, experience. The options are endless.

Use your brain trust. Rather than sitting down and attempting to brain-dump everything you know about the topic at hand, tap the knowledge of your colleagues. Unless you are the only person in your business, chances are good that someone else has valuable information to contribute that will make your piece stronger. If you're writing it yourself, send out a quick note to colleagues you think can help or call a short brainstorming meeting. If you're hiring this work out, be sure to consider alternate sources and resources for your writer to tap. A professional will ask for this. Be prepared.

Everyone is an expert at something. What are you writing about?