Affiliate Marketing ... Yippee, I've Been Declined!
Author: Timothy Prahl Article source: http://www.articledeshboard.com/. Used with author's permission.
Affiliate Marketing as an online business is rife with ups and downs. There can be significant periods of inactivity, then a spurt, but you just keep plugging away. :-)
Well, today the routine blah, blah, blah, was broken as I received an email from "Article Dashboard" informing me that my article, "Preselling For Profits", had been declined.
Now, this is not a common occurrence, but it certainly does happen. Unfortunately, this particular directory does not tell you why they reject your article ... they simply tell you to edit it and resubmit.
If you are considering article marketing as tool, you WANT to be told WHY your article is declined. After all, you can't fix it if you don't know what's broken.
When I was first starting to submit articles, I had a list of 15 directories that I was using. I was sending them out, getting notices back, editing, tweaking, and finally getting most of them accepted. One day I was submitting a new article, and when I entered my password at a particular directory, I was directed to a page that told me that ... I was banned. Not suspended, not placed on administrative leave until the full investigation was complete ... nope, I was banned!
Well, not recalling exactly when I hacked into their system and stole the keys to their castle, I decided to find out WHY I was banned. Didn't they KNOW who I am? My righteous indignation was removing all of the oxygen from my office.
So, after regaining my composure, I composed an email to this directory requesting the nature of my offense. To date, I have not received a reply. I can only assume that I really stepped in it! :-)
I'm only guessing, but I surmise that the offending article was viewed as a sales letter. When I was first starting out, I was still fighting the impulse to make something immediately happen with each submission. I was having difficulty grasping the concept of consistency and quality. In those early days, I did receive a number of 'please edit' requests, but the majority told me why ... and the two most common reasons were ... reads like a sales page ... rediret URL's to an affiliate page. These violations were in no way an attempt to 'slip one past' the editors. They were simply 'rookie' mistakes that I was making as I learned the ropes.
This experience has repeated itself a number of times as I strive to build a successful online business. It is a valuable lesson that I hope everyone will take to heart. If you're not making mistakes, you're not taking action. Playing it safe and close to the vest will only keep you stuck in the same place.
That being said, let me offer some advice on how I now avoid entering the land of being banned.
If you are considering article marketing, make sure you include EzineArticles.com. They have the reputation of having the most strict editorial policies ... and, from experience, I totally agree. However, they tell you exactly where you goofed and how to fix it. If you don't understand, they actually accept and respond to your inquiring email ... go figure :-)
Here's how I now submit new articles. My first submission is to ezinearticles. They will typically review your article and email their decision within 5 - 7 days. If my article needs editing, I resubmit and await the outcome. (Usually just a day or so). After being published at ezinearticles, I submit to all of the other directories. Since using this method, I only hit an occasional speedbump. (Yeh, I know .... Article Dashboard). In effect, I'm using ezinearticles as my article submission proof reader.
Over time, article submission can be a very effective tool in your affiliate marketing tool box. Just keep in mind ... the objective that you are seeking is creating a web presence for yourself, and generating some traffic to your site. If you approach this medium with initial $$$$ in your eyes, you will be disappointed. Again, consistency and quality will serve you well!
The author currently lives and works in beautiful Hilo, Hi., USA. You may copy or duplicate this article provided the resource box is left intact. For previously published articles or more information regarding Affiliate Marketing, please visit his blog at:
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