Yes, if you become a guest blogger you will benefit from increased credibility, branding and exposure. And, yes, becoming a guest blogger offers you SEO benefits so you can be found on top of the search engines for your keywords.

But, with that being said, guest blogging is not for everyone. In fact, out of the last 10 people who asked me to publish their article on my Article Marketing Experts Blog, 8 were rejected. If you are breaking any of the rules below, you should not be guest blogging until you decide to change.

Guest Blogging Rule #1: Do Not Offer the Same, Old Regurgitated Content

Blog publishers, like me, look to give their readers value so they’ll want to keep coming back for more. If you are offering the same old content that can be found everywhere else (in books, magazines and all over the web) without a unique spin, then where is the value? Why should we publish your article on our blog?

Us, blog publishers, are looking for thought leaders – not followers. Set yourself apart from your competition and “wow” us with your information and expertise.

Guest Blogging Rule #2: Do Not Offer the Same Article That You Submitted to Thousands of Article Directories – And Don’t Use Article Spinners

Now, even if you are submitting content that no one else is talking about, if you submit the article to thousands of websites, ezines, article directories, blogs and forums – then it becomes regurgitated. Even if your article is on worthless sites that no one is reading, your content is all over the place already – so why should we publish your articles on our blogs. I’m not saying that you need an exclusive article for every blog you submit articles to (unless the blog specifically asks for one.) I’m saying that you need to be selective and only submit your articles and blog posts to the top websites, ezines and blogs where your audience is going to every day for information you can provide.

And, don’t think about trying to trick us by using article spinners. We can tell the difference as the article spinners do not use natural language.

Guest Blogging Rule #3:  Do Not Provide a Lame Bio That Puts Readers to Sleep

If you’ve made it past the first filter that us blog publishers use and have given us an article with good content, then please don’t blow it by submitting it with a horrible, boring and lame author bio. Your bio should be clear, concise, and compelling. Make it unique in a way that gets people interested in learning more about you. For example, I would never publish an article on my blog from someone who has this type of bio box:

“John Wrong is the Author of “Article Marketing 101 for Dummies”. Check out URL for more information”

To see what a bio box, should look like – check out my bio at the end of this article. And, don’t forget, I offer Bio Box Templates with my 40+ Instant Article Writing Templates at http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

Guest Blogging Rule #4 – Do Not Forget to Show the Readers Why They Should Listen to Your Advice

If you want to build a relationship with our readers, which is what we want you to do when we publish your articles on our blog, then you cannot just lecture your readers. You can’t just tell then what to do – you have to explain why and most importantly why they should listen to you. Showcase your results, talk about your experiences and successes and add credibility elements to your articles.

This is why I love when guest bloggers give me a case study article. You can get my case study article template plus my complete collection of article templates at http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

Guest Blogging Rule #5 – Do Not Submit Articles That Do Not Match the Blog’s Specific Audience

One of my article marketing coaching clients, a career coach for $100K+ executives was trying to submit his articles to blogs for his targeted audience. No matter how hard he tried, his articles weren’t getting published. I explained to him that you are offering tips that anyone including recent graduates can use. You have to write to your specific audience, provide tips just for them and offer examples that resonates with the particular audience.

Now, this may mean that you have to tweak your articles and blog posts for different websites and blogs, but it will greatly increase your chances of getting your articles published.

Guest Blogging Rule #6 – Do Not Submit Articles That Are Written Specifically For the Search Engines

Now, I am not saying: “Do not optimize your articles and guest blog posts by adding your key words.”  In fact, optimizing your articles and blog posts is a must. If you take a look at this article, you will notice it’s optimized for “become a guest blogger” and “guest blogging.”

However, providing value to the readers was my first priority because I know that’s what website and blog publishers are looking for. As I mentioned before, providing value is their one and only priority. The blog publishers are not interested in helping you in your quest to trick Google, especially since Google has been cracking down on low quality content that’s only created for SEO purposes.

Guest Blogging Rule #7 – Do Not Waste the Blog Publisher’s Time

The minute that you waste a blog publisher’s time, you get blacklisted. All future emails will go directly to trash folder. That means you need to:

1)      Tell blog publishers in your email to them why this article is for their audience – this way blog publishers can determine if an article is for them before they even read the article

2)      Edit, proofread, format and optimize your articles as blog publishers do not want to do this for you

3)      Know the editorial guidelines and stick to them

Guest Blogging Rule #8 – Do Not Forget to Use Article Templates

Many of the popular articles and blog posts found on the top websites and blogs follow a proven article style and formula. By using article templates, you’ll be able to duplicate their success for your own industry. Plus, the article templates will provide you with structure, format and organization – exactly what website and blog publishers are looking for.

Check out my article templates at:

http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

Guest Blogging Rule #9 – Do Not Go M-I-A Once Your Blog Post Gets Published

Nothing infuriates me more than giving someone a guest post slot and then watching them disrespect my audience by ignoring their comments. Also, when I introduce you to my following by publishing your articles, I do not expect it to be a one-time thing.  By accepting your articles and blog posts, I’m giving you a third party endorsement. I’m telling my readers that they should listen to you and trust your advice and that they should build a relationship with you.

Guest Blogging Rule #10 – Do Not Forget to Share Your Published Blog Post with Your Followers

Us, website and blog publishers, are not expecting you to bring all of the traffic, but at least make an effort to share your guest post with your social network. Want to really impress? Send an email to your email list too. It really doesn’t take a lot of effort to do this, but for some reason if often goes overlooked. We are publishing your articles and giving you additional exposure – the least you can do is reciprocate by giving our blogs exposure to your followers. By the way, in my Article Marketing Persuasion System, I show use how to use the 4 universal laws of influence (including reciprocation) to persuade, motivate and inspire publishers and readers.

Get this system now at:

http://www.articlemarketingpersuasion.com

Now, if you are not breaking my guest blogging rules – then great! Keep on guest blogging. In fact, you should be creating even more content using my Instant Article Writing Templates. If you are breaking my guest blogging rules – then stop guest blogging this minute until you decide to change.

About the Author:

Content marketing expert Eric Gruber creates marketplace opportunities for authors, speakers, small business owners and business leaders who want to double their website traffic, generate more leads and close more sales. And, he does this through article marketing. Now, you can grab 3 of his free article templates that will help you write articles in 30 minutes or less (including one that made Eric more than $10,000 in 2 months!). Get Eric’s 3 Free Article Templates at http://www.TryMyFreeArticleTemplates.com

Since I started Article Marketing Experts in 2005, I said that small business owners, business leaders and marketing executives should stop worrying about link building and SEO and start focusing on great content (articles, videos, special reports, ebooks and teleseminars.) Everything else is secondary to your content!

You see, I can’t wait til reader engagement surpasses Google search engine rankings as the number one concern for publishers. Ten years ago this would have been unimaginable. However,because of social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook that enable consumers to more easily discover great content, the time has come for content creators to stop obsessing over search rankings.

After all, search engines can drive people to content that they’re already on the hunt for, but if the content isn’t up to par, the reader will abandon the site after the first page view and head elsewhere. And, as Outbrain CEO Yaron Galai said, after his presentation at Digital Media Europe: “That second page view is magical.” Watch his post-presentation video that I found online to see why marketers, small business owners, business leaders, marketing executives and CMOs need to stop preoccupying themselves with SEO.

To help you create great content so you do not have to focus on SEO anymore, check out my Instant Article Writing Templates now at http://www.InstantArticleWritingTemplates.com

When prospects, referral sources and the media go beyond LinkedIn marketing expert Kristina Jaramillo’s LinkedIn profile – and do a search on Google, she automatically builds credibility.

Why?

Because she has articles and press releases published and featured on top websites and blogs. Watch the video below that Kristina created for her website (http://www.GetLinkedInHelp.com) and see how she’s using articles to build instant credibility…

Grab my Instant Article Writing Templates and start building credibility today!

Marquesa Pettway from SpeakerTalk Radio recently interviewed me on how to consistently attract clients, get exposure and land speaking engagements by writing articles! Listen to the radio interview below!

Click here to grab the article templates that I discuss on the radio show!

I just received this email from Honest Website Marketing Founder Scott Harvey,

“Eric – I’m happy to say we got more than we expected! At last count, my article has been picked up by more than 25 websites, newsletters and publications, including some large and influential ones.  We got a mention in several more, including the New York Times.  We even appeared in a publication from South Africa!

The day the article hit alone we got 143 unique visitors and 24 leads. We now more than doubled our website traffic.

More to the point, we just closed a deal that came to us from the article.  We anticipate revenue of somewhere between $8,000 and $10,000 over the next twelve months from just that one customer, and we’re talking to several other prospects who contacted us from the article.” – Scott Harvey, Co-Founder of Honest Website Marketing

In order to achieve these results, you must start writing thought leadership articles that position you as the expert. And, you need to do this on a regular basis. To help you, check out my Instant Article Writing Templates now.

Attorney at Work is now offering a bonus downloadable collection of the best of the marketing posts from 2011. And, LinkedIn marketing expert Kristina Jaramillo’s post is included. The collection of articles used was selected based on those that received the most clicks and those that received the best anecdotal feedback.

Attorneys at Work is so proud to offer  such high quality content. And, they are doubly proud to have Kristina Jaramillo’s name associated with theirs..

 Click here to get the article collection download for free – even if you are not an attorney!

How LinkedIn Marketing Expert Kristina Jaramillo Received the “Best” Marketing Article Recognition…

• Kristina offers a strong article introduction where she uses statistics to prove to law firm partners and lawyers that they need to be promoting their practice on LinkedIn. Here’s how Kristina started her article:“LinkedIn is reportedly the most popular business social networking site used by lawyers. A recent BTI Consulting report shows that nearly 70 percent of corporate counsel use LinkedIn, and that 38 percent of them rely on LinkedIn for activities specifically tied to selecting and hiring attorneys. What’s more, executives from every Fortune 500 company are using it. So, how can your firm attract and retain more clients using LinkedIn?Here are nine different ways.”
• Kristina follows the strategies that I reveal in my article marketing persuasion system and in my online article writing course where I reveal that you MUST provide some of your hottest tips to prove that you are an expert. You can’t just offer the same information as everyone else. That doesn’t differentiate you. Inside the tips, found within Kristina’s article that you can read here, you will notice that she tells attorneys the audiences they should be connecting with and how they should be building relationships with the media as 92% of all journalists are now active on LinkedIn. She also shows how you can use LinkedIn to nurture relationships with your clients so you retain them longer and increase the lifetime value of your clients plus how to mix article marketing, press release marketing, event marketing and LinkedIn marketing to get maximum exposure and credibility. You can see this information plus much more here:  http://bit.ly/rRDl3v

• When you read Kristina’s article – you will notice that she has structure, format and organization. Kristina admits if she did not use my instant article writing templates – she would not be able to create article content that gets chosen to become part of “The Best Marketing Articles” collection. And, she would not be able to get published on top websites like…

To see even more places where LinkedIn marketing expert Kristina Jaramillo is published, check out her media page!

To start creating articles (in 30 minutes or less) with high informational value that get chosen to become part of ‘The Best of…Collection” or get published on top websites like the sites Kristina is published…Grab My 40+ Instant Article Writing Templates Now!  

Yesterday, I received in the mail a sneak peek copy of Home Business Magazine’s special New Year February edition  – and to my surprise, I found an article that we submitted for Karen Kobelski, General Manager of BizFilings – a leading online provider of incorporation services.

This is not the first time that she was published in Home Business Magazine. Last year they turned one of her articles, “Are You Incorporating Your Business in the Wrong State?” into a letter to the editor that you can find here:

http://www.homebusinessmag.com/blog/august-2010-letters-editor

Home Business Magazine is your “one-stop-shop” for Print, Digital and Internet/Online Advertising. While other competing magazines wither away clinging to declining print circulations, Home Business® Magazine is expanding circulation by combining traditional print with new digital circulations. HBM offers the largest newsstand, paid-subscription print magazine; and the largest web portals to specifically target the $1 trillion home-based business sector.

Want to get your articles published in top publications  like  Home Business Magazine and on top websites, blogs and forums? Then you have to start writing articles that are filled with content that’s high in informational value to your readers.

To help you create thought leadership articles fast, check out my instant article writing templates at:

http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

In my Article Marketing Experts LinkedIn group, Mark Brown (Chief Blogger and Owner of The Marketing Professional Blog) asked me…

“Which is the best article submission technique and why: manual submission, single site submission, outsourced submission, a software submitter or an article submission service?”

My answer…It depends on…

• Your goals
• Your needs
• Your wants
• And, what’s important to you

To help you decide how you should submit your articles online, below, I broke down the various article submission methods. And, I explained each method’s pros and cons.

The 5 Ways to Submit Your Articles Online – Fully Explained

1. Manually submitting articles yourself – If you submit articles yourself, you save money. You don’t have to pay anyone to market your business for you. You’re not paying to have your articles published. And, you’re not paying for a single click. This marketing method is totally free! However, it does take a lot of time to submit articles the right way. And, it’s boring. Ask my article submission staff who manually submits the articles for our clients. It takes them a good 10+ hours per 100 targeted websites, ezines and article directories.

2. Single-Site Article Submission – This is for those new article marketers getting their feet wet. You can become a guest blogger and submit articles to one site for now and then work your way up. But, remember, your articles are volunteer sales reps working for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They don’t take a vacation. The question is how many sales reps do you want working for you – for free? Don’t you want your articles published on as many targeted sites as possible so you get in front of as many prospects as possible?

3. Article Submission Software – If you are looking to just build links and increase your SEO and that’s it, then yes, feel free to use this article submission software or the low-cost article submission services that sends your articles to thousands of article directories (many of them don’t get any website traffic at all!) But, I must tell you that article marketing is not just about building links. It’s about becoming a thought leader and gaining instant credibility. You don’t get that from an article directory site where anyone can get published including kids as long as you follow their guidelines. Article marketing is about getting your targeted messages in front of as many targeted prospects as possible. That’s why you’ll find my articles on sites like About.com, MarketingProfs, SiteProNews, Home Business Magazine and many more.

4. Outsource your article submission needs to a virtual assistant – Most virtual assistants will just use the article submission software. Or they’ll just target 10 to 15 article directories. They do not have the knowledge nor the experience to format your articles for maximum readability. They do not know how to optimize the articles so you get found on the search engines. And, they do not know how to add direct response copy writing so your article packs a powerful, emotional punch. They’re just after building links. If that’s what you want – then great. However, I suggest you first read this article on “Why article marketing is not just about link building?”

Go to:

http://bit.ly/bES9y1

And, for even more reasons – read this article to:

http://bit.ly/ihcPns

5. Using an article submission  service – If you want to save time, become a thought leader and get the most bang from your article marketing dollars, then you want to hire an article marketing expert who knows how to get your articles published on top websites, ezines and article directories. You want someone who has an open-editorial-door policy with many editors. Now, you do have to be careful with the article submission company you choose, which is why you should read our “Guide to Choosing an Article Submission Service”:

Go to:

http://bit.ly/8z2UHp

Now, after seeing my analysis, what are your thoughts? Do you think you should be submitting articles yourself, outsourcing your article submission services or use article submission software.

Comment below and let me know!

P.S.  If you want help submitting articles, email me at: eric@articlemarketingexperts.com

Most internet marketers and small business owners spend more than 80% if their time generating new business – and miss out on the MOST PROFITABLE segment of their audience! This segment is the people who have already said, “yes” once.

Believe it or not – you must continue to educate clients with content marketing after they buy your products and service. You must integrate article marketing, video marketing, blogging, social media marketing, press release marketing and email marketing into your post-sale process.

Here’s why..

• Lack of education can create a mismatch between the value offered and actual delivery which leads to a lack of confidence. For example, before I started my content marketing firm – Article Marketing Experts – I had a PR firm with martial arts clients. I generated major press coverage in newspapers, magazines and even on TV. UPN 9 News (a major TV station in the Tri-State area) even did a story on one of the karate schools that worked with a student who has Down Syndrome – even though most schools would not accept him. Now, even though the martial arts dojos were getting amazing coverage, they did not see a ROI as no new students joined as a result of the press. The karate schools stopped using my services because they did not see the perceived value. I did not educate them on what they should be doing with the publicity they received as a direct result of my work.

• If you provide coaching or consulting, you need to motivate clients to continue taking the time and energy to perform your desired actions. If you fail to take this step – then it’s more than likely that your clients will quit – which means you have to look for another client to take that spot.

• If you fail to continually provide content that your clients find valuable – then you will be forgotten about. And, you are giving your competitors who will continue to market to your clients with content after you stop a greater chance of stealing your business.  But, if you continue to educate clients and show ways you can help, there’s a good chance that they will invest in your other products and services.

• If you fail to stay engaged with your clients – and provide extreme value that they were not expecting then there is a good chance your clients will leave your program because they do not feel connected to you.

Here’s How Some of the Top Companies Add a Sticky Factor That Guarantees Longer Client Retention…

1. Create an industry success system that all clients receive when they invest in your services. For example, when you sign up for PR LEADS at http://www.getprhelp.com , you receive a 2 month e-course (which he calls his PR LEADS Success System.) In this system, you get tips and resources that will help you better use his services. He shows you what to do once you receive publicity so you get a better ROI. He tells you about his clients that are just like you and the successes they are having so it motivates you to keep plugging away (and of course keep using his monthly service.) And, he lets you know about other ways that he can help you including distributing press releases for you, supplying you with media lists or providing you with internet marketing and publicity coaching.

2. Make sure you invite your clients to connect with you on social media. For example. You should connect with your clients on LinkedIn and invite them to your LinkedIn group. You may  even want to think about having a group just for your clients (along with a group that you use for prospects.) Inside your clients-only group, you’d provide exclusive content for them and create discussions based on their needs. By giving them additional value, you are creating a sticky factor.  For more LinkedIn opportunities – check out LinkedIn marketing expert Kristina Jaramillo’s report at http://www.GetLinkedinHelp.com

3. Showcase your successes. When you get your articles published in a top magazine or on a well-known website or when your press releases get published on sites like CNBC.com (by using services like the ones found at http://www.GetPRHelp.com) you should be sending these placements to your clients. It enhances your credibility with them, reminds them about you, shows clients that they made the right decision by investing in you and if you ask them to pass it on to their colleagues – you can get referrals. One of my clients who is a leadership coach (name unmentioned as he asked to remain anonymous) received a $50,000.00 contract by following this tip.

3. Start segmenting your list depending on who they are, what they invested in and what they opted in for. Then regularly create content in terms of videos, blog posts, articles and special reports for each segment. This way you provide the information your targeted audiences need and want – and at the same time, you are helping them take the next logical step. That’s why you need content for each step of the buying process.

By implementing retention and repeat business techniques mixed with educational content marketing that offers high-value to clients, you are almost guaranteeing and increase in revenue. Instead of always looking for new clients to replace old ones –you will be building your client list if you create sticky factors that keep your clients mind on you!

To help you create high-value, highly-informative content that will keep and retain clients, check out my Instant Article Writing Templates at:

http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

If you don’t want to get the complete collection of templates, at least grab my 3 free article templates at http://www.TryMyFreeArticleTemplates.com

Need proof that you should be mixing your article marketing efforts with LinkedIn marketing? Below is an actual  invite to connect that LinkedIn marketing expert Kristina Jaramillo received yesterday. The person read Kristina’s article that was published in Website Magazine more than 6 months ago!

Because Kristina created a discussion on her LinkedIn group and other groups that she belongs to based on her article content and then linking it to the article,  people are still discussing her information. And,  she is getting new prospects and clients from it almost every day.

Now, I can’t stress this fact enough – the article and discussions were created 6 months ago, yet she is still getting interest from prospects like the one below:

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Greetings Kristina:
I enjoyed reading your article in Website magazine
I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- Kevin Ferrasci O’Malley
twitter(dot)com/kfom

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

To learn how you can mix LinkedIn marketing with article marketing, check out Kristina’s Instant LinkedIn Marketing Templates Collection which also includes 40 of my top article writing templates: at http://www.InstantLinkedInMarketingTemplates.com