Mark Twain’s Guide to Article Marketing

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.

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Steve Shaw in SiteProNews