Although Mark Hyman, M.D, the New York Times best-selling author and practicing physician, had a strong, multifaceted marketing and sales plan in place, the addition of an article-marketing strategy helped push his book, UltraMetabolism—The Simple Plan For Automatic Weight Loss to the No. 2 spot of the Times best seller list.

Dr. Hyman’s article-marketing campaign was only one piece of the puzzle, but it was an important piece, helping him establish key relationships with site publishers that will result in increased, targeted traffic and stronger sales for many months and years to come.

By including a targeted article marketing program into your marketing and sales plan, you too can achieve book-marketing success. Doing so effectively requires planning and perfect execution from beginning to end.

Step 1: Create an article that grabs reader interest

One of the most important parts of the article is the title. Remember, the first three of four words of the title have the most weight with Google and other search engines. The point of the title is to intrigue your audience enough so that they actually sit down and read the article. You may even want to make an outrageous proposition that you can fulfill within your article, as we have with the title of this article.

The articles that get the best results are those that provide unique, high-quality content that solve at least one piece of a problem puzzle. However, to convert readers to buyers, you must not give the reader all of the answers to the how of solving a particular problem. Instead, you want to tease them with some of the how and top it off with the why it’s important.

Step 2: Turn readers into prospects with a strong call to action and an offer they can’t refuse

You want to encapsulate the essence of what makes you and your offering unique. This is your unique selling proposition. Do this by chiseling away from your golden nuggets all the information that no one cares about. Refine them into gleaming insights. Hammer them into a logical sequence. Fasten them to reader benefits. Then polish and polish it until your fingers ache, to create a glittering necklace of persuasion that seduces the eye, charms the imagination, and dazzles the reader with so much human interest that it is much easier to click and go to your Web site than not.

If you add a free-bonus offer, you will make it even easier for readers to click to your Web site. You can offer a sneak preview of your book, a free e-zine subscription, or a free bonus report that further enhances your credibility as an expert.

Step 3: Maintain reader interest and create a squeeze page

Think of your article as a sales funnel. Your article title, content, bio box, and the link that you send your readers to should all flow right into each other. Including a link to the main page only distracts and frustrates readers: You will lose that sale forever.

When you promote your book in your bio box, take them to a squeeze page within your site that convinces people why they should either buy the book or subscribe.

Step 4: Target your audience with e-zines and Web sites that make a difference

You need to find Web sites that are highly visited and e-zines that are the most read, but more importantly you want to focus on Web sites and e-zine publishers within your specific niche that have strong emotional connections to their audiences.

Through our research for Dr. Mark Hyman, we found information for a popular editor at About.com, which is among the top 50 sites on the net. This submission resulted in over 1,500 opt-in and new sales in one day, not counting the successes from other credible Web sites.

Step 5: Submit your article and build your links and traffic

Now is the time to perform the tiring, boring, and tedious task of submitting your articles. But, as you’re completing this process, know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. By using these article marketing strategies, you can build a steady stream of warm ready-to-buy visitors and substantially increase your book sales.

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By including article marketing into your multifaceted marketing and sales plan, you too can achieve success in marketing your book. You will then only be limited by your imagination and your time. The question is, “What is your destination?”

Written by Eric Gruber

Article marketing expert and award-winning public relations practitioner, Eric Gruber helped promote Mark Hyman MD’s book to the top of the NY Times Best Seller List. Reach him at [email protected] or visit www.prleads.com.