Mark Twain is a favorite writer of many. He can turn a phrase like no
one else; and he’s especially known for his clever, amusing, and ironic
sayings.
Much of his advice is timeless and truly can apply to many
situations. What kind of advice would Mark Twain give if he were
indoctrinating someone in the art of article marketing?
1 – “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”
Business owners often choose to do article marketing to attract
visitors to their websites. Often, however, online marketing is
completely foreign to them, so undertaking that task is a bit scary.
Article marketing is one of the most accessible forms of online
marketing, because almost anyone can do it. There is still a learning
curve, however. I run into people all the time who get frustrated and
overwhelmed at the thought of having to learn the ins and outs of
something they’re totally unfamiliar with, such as writing and
submitting articles. They give up almost before they begin.
I think Mark Twain would tell them this situation is an opportunity to show courage in the face of fear.
2 – “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first
thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best
to eat the biggest one first.”
This is great time management advice. One of the biggest hurdles beginners face is writing articles on a consistent basis.
Take Mark Twain’s productivity advice to heart: schedule your article
writing as your first task of the day. Don’t put it off. The longer you
procrastinate, the bigger and harder the task will seem.
3 – “The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like and do what you’d rather not.”
Unfortunately, what he says is true. We would all be pleased if life
were easier, if there was an effective shortcut to getting the outcome
we want – one that didn’t require much discipline or effort.
When you start marketing with articles, you will eventually run into
some issues. Not that article marketing is hard. It isn’t. But, as human
beings, we love to see immediate results. It is wishful thinking,
however, if after submitting a handful of articles you believe you will
be ranked at the top of Google.
Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way. You need to put in the
work to see the results. That means writing quality content and
submitting articles consistently month after month.
4 – “A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.”
The same could be said of the sentiments you habitually express in your articles.
Your articles are a key communication tool between you and your
potential customer. Your readers will deduce things about you and your
business both from the way your articles are written and your attitude
toward your niche.
5 – “A round man cannot be expected to fit in a square hole right away. He must have time to modify his shape.”
So true. Often, people want to start writing articles and be like
Ernest Hemingway right out of the gate. There is also the common desire
to do just a little bit of website marketing to hop up Google’s rankings
by leaps and bounds.
That can happen, but usually it takes time and consistent effort. You
must work long enough on your article marketing to give your website
time to “modify its shape” in Google’s eyes, and you must give yourself
time to learn how to write articles. You will increase your skill over
time.
I really appreciate the sage advice of Mark Twain. It’s so practical and said with a lot of truth, tenderness and humor.
As you begin article marketing, consider what Mark Twain has to say and let it bring out the best in you.
Steve Shaw in SiteProNews