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Does Your Article Pass The Refrigerator Test

Article marketing is probably the only truly viral marketing strategy the small website operator can engage in to gain equal footing with the big boys. But in order to get the absolute most out of this approach, your articles must pass the refrigerator test.

First, what does viral marketing mean? It means a marketing message that is contagious, or multiplies across the internet the way a disease does in the real world. For example, I have a cold. I sneeze in public, and Mr. A gets my cold. Mr. A takes it home and gives it to his family, consisting of Mrs. A, and his children B, C and D. She takes it to work and spreads it around, while the children take it to school and share it with all their classmates. Before long, everyone in town has the cold and are spreading it to everyone they come in contact with, who in turn spread it to everyone they come in contact with.

Viral marketing does the same thing, passing a marketing message from one website to another (although hopefully people are more favorably inclined toward what you are selling than they are to a cold).

But the difference here is that the carriers spread your marketing message voluntarily. And they only do that if your articles contain useful information.

And this brings us to the refrigerator test. Is your article useful and helpful enough that a reader is likely to print it out and stick it on their refrigerator at home or the bulletin board at work, or their office wall? If yes, then your article is viral. People will find it helpful enough to republish it on their websites or ezines.

If not, the article stops right there.

So how do you make sure your article passes the refrigerator test? Write about your topic from the point of view of the reader. Imagine someone has just asked you the question, whats in it for me? or, and that effects me how?

If you ever run out of ideas, go to any newsstand and check out the covers of consumer service magazines. Not news magazines, but the publications that people buy to help them improve some aspect of their lives.

You will see headlines on the covers that say things like:

• How to Keep Your Children Healthy This Winter,

• How to add 20 yards to your golf swing,

• (or one that probably applies more to me) How to find your golf ball in the woods,

• 30 Easy meals you can fix in less than 30 minutes,

• How to stop an argument with your spouse, before it gets started,

• 15 fun weekend family vacations that cost less than $100,

Magazine editors live by headlines that contain words like: how to, you can, easy ways to and other phrases that focus on the readers needs and goals. So if you need ideas for refrigerator-worthy articles to write, check out the headlines on several service magazines.

I guarantee you will walk away with dozens of great ideas. And not only will your articles be better, they stand a much better chance of causing an epidemic across the web.

COPYRIGHT(C)2006, Charles Brown. All rights reserved.

Nothing drives more traffic to your website faster than online articles. Each article can create hundreds of inbound links pointing to your website. But what if you do not have the time or skill to write 10, 20, 50 or 100 articles on your own? Hire Platnum Member, Charles Brown, to ghost write your articles for you. Visit his site at http://dynamiccopywriting.blogspot.com or contact him at charbrow(at)gmail(dot)com.

posted by fdwvsmr92018 @ 5:12 PM