| It's that time of year again ... pages of backpacks, | | | | several paid speaking engagements. This new |
| notebooks and back-to-school clothing fill every | | | | marketing intrigue fascinated me, so I fine-tuned |
| circular that hits your mailbox. And you're off to | | | | my article submission process creating logs and |
| the races ... the races being the mall, plus every | | | | checklists, and within a few months, my boss had |
| other store in between. | | | | accomplished his goal of publication in every |
| You're in the same spot you were last year this | | | | magazine on his list! |
| time, getting ready to head off to work while | | | | Even online and in-print publications we hadn't |
| your kids head off to school. Back to hugging | | | | contacted began calling and e-mailing in request of |
| them goodbye in the morning and seeing them | | | | articles. The results of writing and submitting |
| just long enough in the evening to say I love you | | | | articles was so successful that we put other |
| and tuck them in. | | | | major marketing techniques on hold so my boss |
| Wouldn't it be fantastic if the easier schedule of | | | | could travel to his paid speaking engagements. |
| the summer lasted all year long? No more | | | | As my interest and experience grew in this area |
| spending all your hours away from your kids just | | | | of marketing, I knew that if it worked for my |
| to earn enough money to cover the essentials | | | | boss that it would work for other professionals as |
| and pay daycare? | | | | well. Soon, I was earning over half my income |
| Take it from someone who knows both sides of | | | | handling article submissions for other professionals. |
| the deal here and believe that there's no time like | | | | Then I realized that if this technique worked for |
| right now to make the transition from the regular | | | | other professionals that it would work for me too |
| grind to working from home. As the proud Mom | | | | in building my own business. And it has worked |
| of a 2005 honors graduate who's heading off to | | | | for me! |
| college soon, I know first hand what a major | | | | This same marketing technique, which I call |
| impact working from home has had on his | | | | marketing with articles, has been the success |
| success. | | | | behind my own business. I've used it to expand |
| When my son was very young, I worked a | | | | my client base and build my virtual assistance |
| full-time job away from home, plus at least one | | | | business into a solid income-generating company, |
| part-time job on weekends. This meant that my | | | | which has allowed me to work full-time at home |
| son was in daycare while I worked. As a single | | | | for the past five years. As my son is getting |
| parent who didn't receive child support (for years) | | | | ready to leave for college, my personal goal now |
| though, I had no other choice. | | | | is to help other parents be successful in achieving |
| A few years later in the 1990's, I decided there | | | | their career goals while living the dream of staying |
| had to be a better way so I started a part-time | | | | home with their children. |
| medical billing service from my home. This allowed | | | | The concept of marketing with articles does not |
| me to give up the outside part-time job and gave | | | | require a professional writer. Anyone can be |
| me the practical means of earning the | | | | successful in building their business and gaining |
| much-needed income. Best of all, it gave me the | | | | credibility as an expert in their industry or area of |
| priceless opportunity to take care of my son | | | | expertise by writing and submitting free reprint |
| while I worked. I quickly saw that I was onto | | | | articles to online and in-print publications. The key |
| something great here ... what a concept! | | | | to success is in reaching your target audience |
| I moved from the east coast to California with | | | | with resourceful information that is valuable to |
| my son in 1995 where my first full-time job was | | | | them. |
| with a consulting firm co-owned by a professional | | | | Editors of both online and in-print publications are in |
| speaker. After some negotiations with my boss, | | | | constant demand of quality content for their |
| we entered into an agreement by which I would | | | | readers. They have a continuing need to publish |
| work mornings in the office, leave to pick up my | | | | content that appeals directly to their target |
| son from school in the afternoons and work from | | | | audience, which is where you come in. By writing |
| home the rest of the day. It worked out | | | | and submitting free reprint articles to publications |
| incredibly well ... so well in fact, that in 2000, I | | | | that reach readers in your market, you have the |
| decided to leave the consulting firm and start my | | | | opportunity to establish yourself as an expert and |
| own full-time home based virtual assistant | | | | gain a generous amount of exposure for your |
| business. | | | | business. |
| Starting from scratch, I knew that gaining | | | | True, you aren't earning money for actually |
| exposure for my business was essential if I | | | | writing the articles, but you are earning a huge |
| wanted to be successful in my new venture. I | | | | payoff here. Not only do you establish your |
| also knew that traditional forms of marketing are | | | | credibility as an expert in your industry or area of |
| very expensive and quickly gobble up the profits, | | | | expertise, but you earn significant exposure for |
| particularly in the early stages. However, I also | | | | yourself and your business. Most editors will |
| remembered a technique that I used successfully | | | | include your byline with your articles, which gives |
| for my former employer. | | | | you the opportunity to include your name and |
| Besides being a consultant and professional | | | | contact information, plus the URL of your web |
| speaker, he was also an author, so his goals | | | | site. Readers come to recognize your name and |
| included increasing his number of speaking | | | | relate it with certain topics. The more articles you |
| engagements and selling more copies of his books. | | | | write and submit, the more exposure you gain! |
| He hoped to accomplish these goals by | | | | The marketing with articles technique helped turn |
| establishing himself as an expert in his industry, | | | | my dream of working from home full-time into a |
| which meant having his work published by every | | | | precious reality that has made a positive impact |
| major magazine in his field. | | | | for both my son and me. As he goes off to |
| Committed to accomplishing his goals, he gave | | | | college, he'll be leaving with all the benefits of |
| me a list of those publications, so I drafted a | | | | having had a mom who found a way to support |
| query letter based on one of his story ideas and | | | | him financially without the high cost of being away |
| e-mailed it to the editor of one of the magazines. | | | | from him all day. Me, I'll have the benefit of |
| The editor responded in short notice and offered | | | | knowing that the bittersweet wind I'm putting |
| my employer an article assignment. They | | | | beneath his wings comes from my deepest |
| published my boss's article soon afterwards and | | | | desires for his complete success! |
| featured it on the cover of the magazine, | | | | (c) 2006, Davis Virtual Assistance. Reprint rights |
| producing an onslaught of calls to the office! | | | | granted to all venues so long as article and by-line |
| Writing and submitting that one article produced | | | | are printed intact with all links made live. |