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Lately we've been going backwards and forwards over how to craft a really strong resource box.
We've established that first off, you need to have a really great basic text resource box.
Once you have a strong text resource box, you can create an HTML resource box that is just as effective pretty easily.
But what about customizing your resource box?
If your article is what lures reader's in, why not capitalize on the momentum you create in your article and tailor your resource box to perfectly suit the subject matter you've just been sharing with the reader?
Customizing your resource box is the final stage of Resource Box Evolution.
The trick is to create a bridge between your article (which is educational) and your resource box (which has some info about yourself, your website, and a call to action to visit your website).
Let's take a look how it's done…
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at November 10th, 2008 | Comments (2)
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I see this more times than I'd like to admit:
An author has an absolutely gorgeous text resource box, but their HTML resource box is just a skeleton of what it should be with just their keywords hyperlinked.
I think that the thing that trips most folks up is they know that the perk of the HTML resource box is getting to hyperlink their keywords, and it seems like they think that if their keywords are hyperlinked that that's all they need to do.
Wrong!
Your HTML resource box should be every bit as descriptive and informative as your text resource box. Your resource box is a piece of marketing content for your website, so you need to take special care when putting it together.
Doing the HTML resource box can seem a little tricky because you may think you can't say "for more info, go to => www.mysite.com" You may think that you need to totally rephrase things so that the HTML resource box makes sense with the link appearing as hyperlinked keywords rather than as an action statement ("go to my site here =>").
I'd like to share with your a little trick I have for making a stellar HTML resource box the EASY way:
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at November 3rd, 2008 | Comments (0)
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Imagine this:
You've just slaved away writing an extremely eloquent, insightful, helpful article that you've proofread backwards and forwards and have polished to a high sheen.
You submit your article and eagerly await all the publishers who will see it and republish it on their websites.
Remember–this is what you want: You submit your article to publishers, and then the idea is that folks will find your article and republish your article with your resource box on many, many websites.
Everything goes as planned–your article is a hit with the publishers, and it's getting picked up right and left!
There is only one problem–you forgot to include your name in your resource box, eek!
Why is this a problem?
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at October 13th, 2008 | Comments (1)
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The HTML resource box is a wonderful thing–we call it "The Advanced Resource Box" because it goes one step further than the text resource box and allows you to hyperlink specific keywords/keyphrases, rather than just supplying a linked URL.
In the plain text resource box, you can only supply a URL; in the advanced one, you can link specific text to this URL, which can help search engines listings for those keywords/keyphrases.
Using the HTML resource box also presumes that you have researched and selected keywords to use –these would be the keywords of your website which you will also use in your article marketing.
It seems like for many of us, we may have started using the Advanced HTML Resource Box before we were advanced enough to understand why we were using it 
(This is me too!)
We live and learn though, and doing article marketing is a growing process for everyone.
Try to see if you can spot yourself in any of these 7 common HTML Resource Box slip-ups, and then you can make improvements on the HTML resource box you submit with your next article:
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at October 9th, 2008 | Comments (0)
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We've had an amazing outpouring of interest in the Resource Box Rehab Lab we've recently opened up, and little by little we're trying to help folks with some specific common resource box pitfalls and opportunities.
Recently we talked about how important it is to NOT just include a link with no other information in your resource box.
You really want your resource box to have an "About the Author" feel to it rather than "this is an ad for my site" feel.
I noticed many entries that did have an "About the Author" feel to them, which is a great start! But after telling them who you are and why you're an authority on this topic you're writing about, you need to give them a specific reason to click your link and go back to your website.
Let me just pick out a few examples from our entries in the Resource Box Rehab Lab:
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at October 6th, 2008 | Comments (2)
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Alright, so you know that with your resource box you need to tell the reader the following things:
1) Who you are (giving your name and a little bio info)
2) Give them an idea why you're a trustworthy authority on this topic you're writing about
3) Give them a reason to click through to your website
4) And also give them a link to your website
Whew–that's a lot of information, and did I mention that you need to do all of this in no more than 450 characters (including spaces)?
(Oh, and when I say "characters" I mean letters and spaces)
So, it's a bit of a magic trick really to be able to cram so much super important information into such tiny space…but it can be done!
From our recent Resource Box Rehab Lab, the "War & Peace" style resource box was something that I noticed quite a bit.
I know how that is–you have such a short space, and it's sometimes hard to do the streamlining necessary.
But remember, in addition to the technical space requirements that most article directories have for a resource box, you want to make your resource box as concise as possible to better draw the reader's attention to the bits of information that are the most important.
What do you cut out? What should you put in?
Let's take a look at some examples from our Resource Box Rehab Lab participants, and we'll see what info makes the cut from these resource boxes that are a bit too long.
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at September 29th, 2008 | Comments (1)
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I really appreciate all the participants in the Resource Box Rehab Lab — as I look through the entries, I see some great teaching opportunities and chances to help fellow article marketers take things up a few notches!
Today we'll be looking at what I'm calling "the Sig Line resource box" phenomenon .
This is where the information put in the author resource box would more appropriately be seen at the end of an email, where your signature line and various contact information usually appears.
Or, I guess this could also be called the "business card resource box" phenomenon–it's the same info as you might find on a person's business card.
Just to be clear–don't think of your author resource box as a business card, but as an opportunity to:
a) introduce yourself to your reader
b) tell a little about yourself
c) inspire some confidence in your expertise on the subject you're writing about
d) give the reader a reason to go to your website
e) give a link to your website
There is a finesse to an author resource box that a business card or sig line doesn't have.
We have the opportunity to talk to our readers, to make a personal connection, so let's get creative when we're doing our resource boxes!
Also, remember–we do want to include our author name, a little bio info that will inspire some confidence in the reader, a reason to click, and a link to our website.
If your resource box look like a business card, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at September 22nd, 2008 | Comments (6)
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Well, I don't know if these folks are actually rich and famous, but these are the first round of folks who are being added to our Resource Box Rehab Hall of Fame, because their resource boxes are pretty darn good just as they are!
Let me go through this first batch (we'll add more folks to the Resource Box Rehab Hall Of Fame as time goes on), and then I'll tell you why these resource boxes have got the right stuff:
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David Haslett is Senior National Director of the Freedom Equity Group. To discover how modern debt management technology can help you pay off your mortgage and other debt, go to: http://www.fastestmortgagepayoffplan.com
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Gerri D Smith apparel designer and creative writer wishes you love, beauty and wellness. You are unique and must be treated with all the individual attention you deserve. Pick up your Free craft gift when you visit, http://www.distinctive-elegance.com
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Robert Harden, fitness coach at Extremely-Fit, invites you to visit http://www.extremely-fit.com for more fitness and nutritional articles, like this one. You may also feel free to contact Robert via the contact form for fitness advice and questions.
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David Hurley is an Internet marketer based in Hiroshima, Japan. His website focuses on developing viable Internet marketing strategies and features a FREE Internet start-up course for your home based business success. No sign up required! Check it out at: http://grasp-the-nettle.com
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Why do these resource boxes get a gold star?
Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at September 15th, 2008 | Comments (0)
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Recently we've been collecting resource boxes from folks who would like some pointers on how the author bio box that sits below their articles could be better.
I did an initial "triage" of the resource box candidates and this is what I noticed:
- Some resource boxes were absolutely excellent, and I wouldn't change a thing!
- Some resource boxes were pretty good, but could benefit from some simple tweaks to take them from good to great.
- Some resource boxes were passable, but could definitely be made better with a moderate overhaul.
- Some resource boxes were on life support and in need of attention NOW!
We'll cover a variety of resource boxes and different types of challenges in upcoming posts, but for now in true "triage" fashion, we're going to attend to the resource boxes that are the most needy.
You may be wondering, "What constitutes a resource box that's on life support?" Read more… | Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
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Posted by Steve Shaw at September 11th, 2008 | Comments (9)
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Do you have a resource box that you need help with?
Want some feedback on your resource box?
Want pointers for how to make it better?
Want to harness the power of article marketing TO THE MAX by luring readers into your website with an enticing author bio (resource box)?
So, go ahead and toss us your resource box below in the comments if you want some free advice and some simple makeover suggestions.
Seriously, we want to help you get the most bang for your article marketing buck, and if you want to do that you need a strong resource box.
Don't be shy–even the best article marketers are always trying to improve that powerful little bio box that sits at the end of their article. Believe me, it really helps to get objective feedback, and that's what we're doing.
We don't know how many folks are going to respond to this, so I cannot promise that we'll get to every single person, but we will look through the entries and pick out one or two a week to discuss in a post on Creative Article Marketing and brainstorm ways it can improve.
We can't wait to see your "before" resource boxes!
P.S. Oh, and some of you might be saying, "You're asking for my one resource box, but aren't I supposed to make a new one each time?"
Yes, ideally you would customize each resource box to each article, even when the articles are on the same topic, but we're doing a rehab here–let's start with the basics and be sure you at least have one really strong resource box.
Then, as you learn how to craft a really powerful resource box you can certainly take things up a notch by customizing each one to suit your particular article.
For now though–just give us your basic one, and we'll try to help make sure you've at least got one resource box that packs a punch!
Related Resources
Resource Box Rehab: Making Your Author Bio Short And Sweet
Resource Box Rehab: How To Turn Your Business Card Into A Resource Box
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Posted by Steve Shaw at September 8th, 2008 | Comments (74)
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