Article marketing (the act of publishing articles online for strategic marketing purposes) has become a hot topic among Web marketers. And rightfully so, given the benefits it can bring you.

This approach could make a powerful new addition to your real estate marketing program. So how can article marketing help you, and why should you invest your time and energy? Here are six advantages articles have over traditional advertising:

Article Marketing Advantage #1 - Reach
Articles have much greater reach than advertisements. The reasons why are obvious. Most web publishers and editors are happy to republish quality articles. But who would republish an advertisement? The answer is nobody -- unless, of course, you pay them to do so!

Articles have a viral quality. When you publish articles online through a distribution website designed for that purpose, you offer that article to hundreds of potential publishers. If your article matches a publisher's needs and is well written, it will likely be published. This can happen any number times, for every article you publish. The length of this reach is limited only by the quality and quantity of the articles you submit.

An advertisement will be published where you pay to have it published, and nowhere else.

Article Marketing Advantage #2 - Credibility
Articles help you build credibility among your target audience and position yourself as an expert. When your articles appear on other websites -- especially if those sites are prestigious or well known -- you gain credibility you cannot get from traditional advertising.

Article Marketing Advantage #3 - Cost
Writing articles is free! You dont have to buy any special software or pay any fees. You dont have to hire a designer or sign any contracts. You can write articles in a word processing program like Microsoft Word, or in a text program like Notepad or TextEdit.

And all you need to publish them is a computer, Internet connection, and an article distribution site (free). Popular article distribution sites include EzineArticles.com, GoArticles.com and iSnare.com

Advertising, on the other hand, will cost you a lot -- too much, in this humble marketers opinion. Despite their decreasing effectiveness, banner ads cost in the hundreds. Magazine ads are even worse. A half-page ad in a full-size glossy mag could easily cost you thousands.

Article Marketing Advantage #4 - Effect
Articles do not interrupt people the way ads do. Good articles are helpful. Good ads are still only ads. People are also learning how to ignore ads, evidenced by the declining effectiveness of the advertising industry (many of whom are scrambling to write "white papers" with titles such as "Advertising: Alive and Well").

This is especially the case with new or small companies. Traditional advertising can break the bank before anybody knows or trusts you. Articles, on the other hand, have the power to educate your audience, build your credibility and your brand, while costing you nothing but time.

Article Marketing Advantage #5 - Versatility
The no-cost nature of article marketing lets you experiment freely with different tactics. You could write articles around key search phrases to increase your website traffic. You could introduce a topic and then promote a book or e-course that delivers the topic in full. You can do a number of things you couldnt do with traditional advertising.

Article Marketing Advantage #6 - Website Traffic
Article marketing can increase your website traffic in two ways. First, when you publish articles online (and those articles get published on other websites and blogs), you increase your audience. And if you've included a link to your website within each article, readers can easily find you.

Also, because you've written your article with pre-selected search engine phrases in mind, there's a strong chance prospects will find the article directly, by using search engines to find information relevant to your article's title and theme.

Conclusion
Articles can make an excellent addition to your real estate marketing program. They can help you build a strong Web presence, position yourself as an authority, and reach a large but targeted audience -- and with not cost but time and effort. Can advertisements do all that?

* Copyright 2006, Brandon Cornett. You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author's note and website hyperlink intact.