Article writing is a great way to begin to establish your expertise. It can also be great for generating traffic to your website. But many hold back because they are not sure how to get started or what to write about.

If you can write a letter to a friend, you can write an article. Everyone has to start somewhere. The more you write, the more comfortable you will become and the better you will be at article writing.

Two easy was to get started writing articles are:

1. Write the 'how-to' article. Provide specific, detailed steps on how to do something that you already are an expert at doing. An example could be '5 Steps to Grooming Your Dog'. (That works best if you happen to be a dog groomer; but you get the idea).

2. Write a list of tips on a topic your target market is interested in. For example, '6 Tips to Easy Article Writing'. It doesn't need to be complicated.

How do you know if your article writing efforts are paying off? Is anyone reading them? Do they visit your website after reading an article? There are ways to track how many times your article is visited and if people are visiting your website after reading an article. Most of the article directories have tools that you can use to track these things.

Another great way to track your articles and where else they may be posted is to set up Google Alerts for the title of your article. You may be surprised to find just where else your article is found.

Virtual assistants often provide administrative support to small business owners. This can cover a large range of tasks from monitoring email accounts and creating documents to making phone calls and mass mailings and a hundred other things.

However, my focusing on specialized work you can reach a specific target market and this allows your marketing to be much more focused. What are some industries a virtual assistant can specialize in?

1. Real Estate - many real estate agents need work done in areas specific to the real estate industry.

2. Accounting - more solo professionals now use Quick Books online and a virtual assistant may choose to focus solely on bookkeeping tasks.

3. Attorney - attorneys need specialized tasks and if you have the skills needed, this could be a very good market to target.

In addition to specific industries, virtual assistants may specialize in specific types of assistance, such as:

1. Social Media Marketing - using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media tools.

2. Article Writing - editing articles for search engine optimization and then posting on various article submission sites.

3. Blogs - creating and maintaining the solo professional's blog.

4. Websites - updating the client's website as needed.

These are just a few of the areas a virtual assistant can specialize in.

What is your specialty?

Article writing is one popular way to establish yourself as an expert in your industry. However you may wonder if you can write an article. It's not as difficult as you may think.

When you sit down to write an article, think of yourself as an expert in your business. Who knows better than you what you do? When you write feeling confident and passionate, your readers will feel confident and passionate about what you write.

Be sure to write articles that your readers will get value from. Your articles should teach your readers something; educate them about how your services can benefit them.

So how do you create passion and enthusiasm when you write? Of course using punctuation, such as an exclamation mark, can be very useful. Remember not to overdo it though. Exclamation marks in particular should be used sparingly.

Think about how you would talk to someone about the subject. Practice outloud in front of a mirror. Then write in that manner. It will feel more conversational and less like a textbook. Make it easy to understand.

People need to connect on an emotional level. So let your readers know a little something about yourself so they can see why you feel the way you do.

What tips can you share about article writing?

If you'd like to become known as an expert in your field, writing articles is a great way to do that. Just start writing about what you know. It doesn't have to be lengthy, but should be informative.

Your article should end with your bio with all the pertinent information such as your name, your website address, and email address. Offer your article for reprint as long as all your contact information and links are included. Then start submitting them.

Here are a few places you can submit articles at no charge:

Article Alley
Article City
Go Articles
Alumbo

If you'd like help creating and submitting articles, please contact me.