Expert Author Case Study: Jan Gamm

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Today’s Expert Author Case Study shows us the client-centric world of Spanish author and marketing professional Jan Gamm.

Jan Gamm’s writings and illustrations are seen the world over. She considers herself an author and artist with an honest slant on the way things are run, the way everyday life affects each of us and the humor which may be found in even the most annoying scenario.

Jan is in the minority of EzineArticles Expert Authors who do the majority of her article writing and marketing services for others. She has discovered that adding article marketing to her client’s promotional toolbox provides them with the same benefits of increased highly-targeted website traffic, improved credibility and better media exposure that she enjoys.

It’s Jan’s unique use of article marketing, and her no-nonsense work ethic, that makes Jan a great subject for today’s Expert Author Case Study.

1. Jan, besides writing articles on behalf of others, what sets you apart from other Expert Authors?
   

   I would say that my work discipline sets me apart from most other authors. Many EzineArticles authors write from home as I do but I have learned the hard way that you must approach the hours you spend writing in a professional manner and determinedly complete tasks set as you would in an office environment.

2. What’s your secret to article writing success?
   

   Enthusiasm: be passionate about the subject and if you are writing for a client, read up on their product or service until you feel qualified to write about it with confidence.

3. How do you stay motivated to write articles for yourself and others?
   

   The pleasure of seeing your work in print and being read by thousands is great motivation. One of the most disheartening aspects of writing is the sadness of the mothball effect – good articles left unread for lack of exposure. EzineArticles fixes that big-time.

4. How do you decide what to write about – especially for yourself?
   

   I read the newspapers and stay reasonably current with what is going on in the world. As I have a wide range of topics that I find interesting, the problem for me is always selecting from a list of things I’d like to write about rather than trying to find inspiration. A good tip is to read the online newspapers and note how many readers wrote in with comments on particular stories. The stories with a high level of commentary will attract further interest from EzineArticles’ readers.

5. How do you balance writing for quality and quantity?
   

   I never sacrifice quality for quantity. Stretching an article will only result in wordiness which is usually boring. Should a client demand 600 words and only 400 write easily, find more facts to write about rather than waffle along aimlessly.

6. How has using EzineArticles affected your traffic and that of your clients?
   

   EzineArticles puts articles ‘out there’ with such speed that results come in rapidly. This impresses new clients and also encourages them to pass on recommendations to others.

7. How does article marketing fit into your business?
   

   The majority of my business is marketing for other people. Each company has a different service or idea or product to promote but they all benefit from effectively targeted articles. As long as care is taken to use the right key phrases, articles will reach the intended audience. Job done.

8. What EzineArticles tool(s) do you find the most beneficial?
   

   Actually the most valuable resource for me is the article base itself. Sometimes I have to write about weird and wonderful products I know nothing about. To write convincingly you need to learn about these things. Researching can throw up only a little information, but on EzineArticles someone has always written about [that subject] sometime! Seeing the product from other authors’ viewpoints is very useful.

9. If you had to start over again, what would you change?
   

   I began writing articles about the things I feel strongly about and then looked around for somewhere to place them. I wish now that I had found EzineArticles from the outset. I would have tailored my work more carefully to fit in with EzineArticles’ guidelines. I also wish I had learned a little more about how the search engines ‘find stuff’ before I waded in to write articles that are not as highly profiled because they were written without effective titles, introductions, conclusions, key words and phrases, references, headings and so on.

10. What advice would you give newbie article marketers?
    

    Make it interesting. Read it through, leave it overnight and read it through again. If you can still find it interesting after two reads you probably have a good article – if it makes you want to throw yourself off the nearest ice face after the first two paragraphs, ditch it and start again.

11. Anything else you’d like to share?
    

    Bookmark websites that provide basic information so you have a ready and easily accessed source of reference:

    • A good thesaurus is useful.
       
    • Use a decent plagiarism checker – it is easy to inadvertently plagiarize someone else’s work and plagiarism can take place over a couple of sentences that are so easy to change. Just search online for ‘plagiarism checker’ to find a free site.
       
    • There are free grammar checks online for those who doubt their own abilities and certainly nobody is perfect.

    If you are writing for someone else, they appreciate the care you take to ensure their article has been properly checked for plagiarism, grammar, spelling etc.

Jan shows us that good article writing and marketing can work not only for your business, but for a client’s business as well. She demonstrates that best practices make a huge differenece no matter who you write for or where you write.

A Few of Jan’s Key Points:

• Approach your writing in a professional manner – no matter where you write.
   
• Be passionate and well informed about the topic you’re writing on.
   
• Never sacrifice quality for quantity.
   
• Use EzineArticles article base as a researching resource.
   
• Strive to understand SEO strategies and EzineArticles Guidelines.
   
• Make your articles interesting!
   
• Use online reference tools to help make your articles as good as they can be.

Now go put some of Jan’s key points to good use when writing today’s batch of original, high-quality articles. And leave a comment for Jan – I’m sure she’d love to hear from you. :)

Posted by Marc, Product Marketing Manager on April 15, 2010 at 9:23 am | 3,526 views