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Do You Have a Content Plan?
by Jim Daniels ©Copyright 2004

Do you have a plan in place to grow and share content at your
website?

You'd better.

Because content is what drives the web. And it drives web
business as well. If you have a plan to grow and share valuable
content with your niche, you'll benefit in many ways...

- Increased Visibility
- Instant Credibility
- A Stickier Website
- More Inbound Links
- Better Search Engine Ranking
- More Website Visitors
- Increased Sales

Would you like to see benefits like that?

It's not as difficult as you may think. Here's a simple 4-step
plan you can copy and use, starting today.


Step 1: Write or acquire content

The first thing you must do is continually create content. You
can do that by simply writing articles or tips about your niche.
Think of all the things people ask you regularly. Then answer
those questions in a weekly or monthly article.

The key here is to stick strictly with your niche. If your site
is about lumberjacks, write about lumberjack stuff. Every niche
has endless possibilities. Lumberjacks could write about
training, exercises, competitions, etc.

If you hate writing or just cannot do it, hire someone to ghost
write for you. There are thousands of aspiring writers looking
for work. These writers are more than happy to make money doing
what they love, and will willingly churn out great articles for
you. You may be surprised at how affordable this option can be.

A few websites where you can find writers include...

http://www.freelancewriting.com
http://www.guru.com/category.cfm/511
http://www.elance.com (In the Elance Online section.)

Just make sure if you hire a ghost writer that YOU will own the
content when they are done. Make that clear before hiring them.


Step 2: "Tag" your content with re-publishing rights

Before you publish your content, take this important step. Add a
small note with each tip or article, that invites all readers to
re-publish your content. This gives them the right to publish
your content on their related website or in their newsletter.

I call this "pre-licensing" and it is done by simply adding a
small tag, or footer to the end of each article. The footer looks
like this:

* Need content? You may use this article at your website, or in
your newsletter. The only requirement is inclusion of the
following sentence: Article by Paul Bunyon of
Lumberjack-Training.com - the definitive source for lumberjacks
of all ages.

In your footer be sure to include a live link to your website.
The link should contain your best keyword phrase as the anchor
text. In other words, the sentence should contain a keyword based
hyperlink to your website. This will help search engines
determine what your site is about. As the links grow, your
ranking will continue to improve for that keyword phrase.

Step 3: Publish your content internally

Don't let the word "publish" scare you off. Dictionary.com tells
us that "publish" simply means...

- To prepare and issue for public distribution or sale.
- To bring to public attention; announce

So the first place to publish to is internally. This means to
your own resources.

The first place you start is with your own subscriber list, if
you have one. If not, I suggest you grow one! Starting a
newsletter is really as simple as signing up with an
autoresponder service that offers newsletter publishing, such as
this one... http://www.bizweb2000.com/arservice.htm

The other "internal publishing" task is simply publishing your
content at your website. Yes, every new article or tip you write
for your niche, deserves a web page of its own. It takes
literally five minutes to paste your article, with footers, into
a web page template and upload it to your website.

Be sure that when adding your content to your website, you
maintain a single web page that lists, and links to all your
articles. This listing page, or archive makes navigation easier
but more importantly it helps search engine spiders find your
valuable content.


Step 4: Publish your content externally

Finally, publish your content externally, or outside of your own
site. You can do that by submitting your content to other
websites and newsletters.

No matter what niche you are in, chances are there are other
sites and newsletters about that topic. Seek them out by spending
some time at a few email newsletter directories. A few of the
better ones include...

http://www.ezinehub.com
http://www.ezine-dir.com

An email newsletter (also called ezine) directory can help you
gather and grow a list of email newsletters, including editor
names and email addresses. Contact editors in your niche once a
month with your content. Let them share it with their readers. Of
course, you'll include your footer with URL after each article.


Some final tips about your content before you get busy...

- Don't publish self-serving content. Keep it strictly
informational.

- Always proof-read your content 3 times. If you have another
pair of eyes available, have them read it too.

- Include references to clever and helpful websites when you find
them. If readers find useful sites they'll be sure to read your
content every time they come across it. (It's OK to use affiliate
links sometimes, but not always.)

- Keep your footer short and to the point, especially when you
are sharing your content with editors in hopes of getting it
re-published.

That's it! Four steps to an effective content growth and sharing
plan. I've been using this very plan for 7 years so I know it
works. I suggest you implement this plan or a similar one right
away. It will pay huge dividends over time.

To your success,
Jim Daniels
http://www.make-a-living-online.com

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Jim Daniels is currently the 3rd most popular Internet
marketing guru on the Internet, according to the GuruDaq Index -
http://www.gurudaq.com/internet_marketing_guru_index.php
He is author of five Internet Marketing books and one of the
few marketing experts that will consult with you personally.
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