The benefits of becoming a “thought leader” are clear: Prospects will prefer you; you will be recognized as a central source of information; and you can dominate search engines. The question is, how do you attain that lofty position? One of the most effective ways is through article marketing, says Eric Grube, an article marketing expert. He offers the following tips for becoming a thought leader by writing and submitting articles online:

• Write articles on a consistent basis. You should be writing articles — if not on a daily basis, then on a weekly basis, says Gruber. “These articles should be used for article submission; they should be on your blog, and they should be put into an auto-responder series,” he advises.
• Give away your best tips and advice. “Truly insightful information is a rare commodity, so if you reveal some of your best secrets that no one else is sharing, you will automatically become a thought leader,” says Gruber.
• Be motivated by generosity, not by self-interest. People are more likely to follow altruists – and they instinctively know the difference, says Gruber. “Don’t ruin your article marketing efforts by writing an amazing article — and then try to sell them in the bio box,” he warns. “Earn your prospect’s respect first by telling how you can help them.”
• Be different. If you are writing the same thing as everyone else and just using different words, how does this make you the expert? This fails to “build a foundation of expertise,” says Gruber. “Quantity your experience,” he advises. “Record what you currently know about your industry that others may not know; focus on uncommon expertise and wisdom.”
• Use proven article templates that will help you write articles and content that prove you are a thought leader. “For example, a case study template will help you write an article that shows prospects that you are the expert – and that you have gotten the desired results,” Gruber explains. (Gruber offers his own templates at http://www.TryMyFreeArticleTemplates.com.)
• Submit your article to the top websites, e-zines and blogs. “Submitting your articles to article directories like EzineArticles.com is good for building links and improving your search engine optimization, but it [does not help] you become a thought leader,” notes Gruber, “Anyone can get published on article directories (including kids) as long as you follow their editorial guidelines.” The key to success, he says, is to get your articles published on top, credible sites. Gruber says his articles appear, for example, on sites like MarketingProfs.com, About.com, and SiteProNews.com.
• Turn your articles into videos and submit them to the top video sites like YouTube and Viddler. “As a thought leader, you want to get your message out to as many people as possible in as many formats as possible,” says Gruber.

Source: PowerHomeBiz.com

Posted December 29th, 2009 under Intellectual Property Marketing

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