Develop a Downtime Plan
When unexpected downtime hits, have a plan in place to capitalize on it.
Anybody who has spent some time doing article marketing knows this mantra well: Write often. Write Well. But what happens when unexpected writing or submission downtime hits (e.g. your ISP connection dies, your computer crashes, article approval times tank, etc.)?
Go to your Downtime Plan. This plan is a list of things you can always pick up and do at a moment’s notice. Items that could use a little polish to improve your results but don’t need to be done to keep moving forward.
Downtime Plan Items (without a computer):
- Review Your Strategy – Your article marketing strategy should leverage the use of articles to achieve your business objectives. Polish it until it does.
- Build Your Editorial Calendar – Jot down your next month of articles. This will motivate you to write on a daily basis to keep from falling behind schedule.
- Consider Alternate Distribution Channels – Always have a printed list of your published articles on-hand. Look at each article and ask yourself, “Where else could I use this?”
- Brainstorm Article Repurposing Ideas – Take your printed list of published articles and think about ways that this material could be easily repurposed. Could you build a teleseminar or video around a group of articles? What about a podcast or webinar?
- Optimize Your Resource Box(es) – Your resource box(es) are where the rubber hits the road. Have printed versions on-hand and review during downtime. Look for ways to make your call to action irresistible.
- Plan Some Split Tests – Think about your ads, landing pages, etc. and plan some split tests to discover the most effective design and verbiage. [Learn More About Split Testing]
Downtime Plan Items (with a computer)
- Research Future Articles – You’ve got your editorial calendar, now start fleshing out whatever content you’re missing.
- Develop Cross-Promotional Tools – EzineArticles has myriad tools for cross-promoting your articles. Spend a little time in the blog to discover which of these tools will work well for you.
- Review Article Effectiveness – Take a look at your articles. What works? What doesn’t?
- Review and Update Your Landing Page – Is your Landing Page a little rough? This would be a great time to smooth it out. [Discover How]
One thing you should always be ready to do is educate yourself on the art and science of article marketing. Have hard-copy and digital content always available. That way you can put downtime to good use wherever and whenever it happens.
Bottom Line: Have a Downtime Plan in place and use it!
Do you have other ways to utilize your downtime to improve your article marketing efforts? Tell us about them by leaving a comment!
Dave,
Motivation for me comes from knowing WHY I want to do what I do. Hope that helps… It’s very difficult to motivate yourself to do anything unless you know WHY you want to do it. ie: What’s your end outcome?
September 18, 2009 at 7:54 AM[Reply]