So, you've done the research and decided that you want to get started in Internet Marketing. I'm going to assume that you already have your website and are familiar with the monetization methods available. If not, I recommend that you stop here and go check out Hubs on getting started in general. 

Article Marketing is one of the most effective ways for new Internet Marketers to get started with out spending a fortune on marketing. Instead, Article Marketing focuses on using content valuable to potential customers/readers to generate interest in your website/blog. The biggest benefit to this type of approach is that it helps establish you as an expert in your chosen industry, and as such, makes it easier (at least in theory) for people to buy your product or service. 

Now, let's take a look at how to get started...

Knowing the dangers in making assumptions, I'm still going to make a few. At this point I'm going to assume that you already have; a topic to write about, a "short list" of keywords you want to focus on, and an idea of what kind of follow up marketing you will be doing. If any of these assumptions are wrong, then I would suggest you start at the beginning and bookmark this page for another time.

Moving forward, once you have a topic for your article, and your list of keywords, it's time to get started on formating your article. Until you develop your own writing style, I recommend a standard (and what I like to call "scientific") format:

• Introduction
• Body
• Summary
• Closing

This is the easiest format to use in the beginning, as it helps not only you, but also your reader stay focused and on track with the article. There is a definate pace to the article and information is easy to find. Think of this as a type of "short story" format. We'll go over each section a little more and give you a better idea of how to construct your articles. Remember, the goal of any article should be to get your readers interested in reading more of your content. Regardless of how great your content is, a poorly structured article won't get the job done.

Introduction: This is where you grab your readers attention. You give them a brief overview of what the article will cover, hit key points and topics and then move on. This is not the place for details. This is simply where you let them know that they are in the right place for the information they're looking for.

Body: This is the meat and potatoes of your article. This is where you give them all of the content you talked about in your intro. Don't hold back, but don't ramble. Save the superlatives for your term papers, here all you want is the distilled information. "Just the facts". Remember, you want people to want to read more of your work, this is the place to hook them.

Summary: This is where you recap what you just told them. I know it sounds redundant, but there is method to this madness (ok, go ahead and make your "this is Sparta" joke). You want to reinforce your message with your readers, and this is the place to do it. You use the intro to wet their appetite, then give them the main course with the body, and this is the dessert. This is your last chance to get them hooked on your content. Like with the intro, keep this part short and sweet. Hit the highlights and then move on.

Closing: This is where you tell them what to do next. Plug your website/blog, pitch your service, offer your free bonus, whatever you have planned. This is the place to do it. Do Not however ruin a great article by getting too pushy in your closing. A perfect close will give them information on how to proceed by giving them their options ("follow me on Twitter", "subscribe to my blog", etc). Don't come off sounding like a cheap salesman here. Keep it light and informal.

One of the biggest questions that my clients ask me, is "Do I need to do Article Marketing if I have a Blog". The answer is without a doubt, yes.

Article Marketing and Blogging are not interchangeable!

More times than I can count, I talk to people who try to use old blog posts to start an Article Marketing campaign. An effective blog post is the antithesis of an effective article. Blog posts should be concise, hit-and-run style blurbs of information. They are the hors d'oeuvres of content, where as articles should be the main course.

Don't get me wrong, Blogging is an effective marketing tactic, and should be used in conjunction with an article campaign. However there is no replacing one with the other.

The Flow of Information: The other big question I get, is:

"Should my Blog promote my Articles, or should my Articles promote my Blog"

The answer is yes. I'll explain...

Your articles should all point to your Blog. In the resource box (and in the body if allowed and only if it fits the pace and tone of the article) you should have a link to your Blog. Every article, every time. You Blog on the other hand, should only point to articles that are relevant to the post you are linking from. For example, if you are writing a blog post on using herbal supplements to lose weight, you wouldn't want to link to an article about bench press exercises. This is cheesy, campy, and borderline spammy. However if you have an article about choosing the right supplements, then by all means link away.

Remember, to avoid sounding "pitchy" only link to one article per blog post. If you have multiple articles on a related topic (which you will in no time), choose the most relevant, and link to that one. The idea here is to build a readership, don't sacrifice that for the sake of a few extra clicks on your website.

The next step is to actually start writing. My Article Marketing site of choice is Ezinearticels.com. They are without a doubt the most loved by Google (for now), and will more likely than not help you get your articles ranked pretty high on the search engines.

There is also a new site that I have been trying out for the last week or so, Articlesbase.com is getting a lot of good buzz right now, and looks to be a pretty good alternative for authors in the future. If you are just starting out however, stick with Ezinearticles. Their approval system will help make sure that your articles are quality, and more likely to generate traffic for your site.

So there you are. You know how to write, where to write, and why to write. The only thing left now to do is... you guessed it... write! So good luck and happy writing.