You have probably heard that article marketing can be done with the aid of free tools only. This is absolutely true. A well-known figure in Internet marketing circles coined the phrase “Bum Marketing” to describe his particular system of article marketing. The name was applied to this marketing method because, as it used only free tools and resources, even a penniless bum could make money by implementing it.
What about tools you have to pay for?
Don’t be tempted to buy any tools when you are starting out. You won’t really understand what they can do. You won’t know whether they will help you. Don’t start paying for tools and resources before you have a clear understanding of what they do. If you are too eager, your hard drive will end up looking like the back of your garage where you hide all the “essential” gadgets you bought but never use.
Why are there so many paid for tools and resources?
You might be wondering why so many people are trying to get you to buy tools to use for article marketing if free tools will do the job. The short answer is that they are out to make a profit – and there is nothing wrong with that, making money is what Internet marketing is all about.
You can work online without paying for any tools. Many of the paid for tools don’t do anything you can’t do manually. But they can do it a whole lot faster. The reason for using any marketing tools is to improve or speed up what you are doing. So don’t waste time worrying because you can’t afford to pay for the fancy programs you see advertised.
The end result is what matters
Think about a job you need to get done. Say, for example, your car needs cleaning. There are a few possible ways of achieving what you want. You could do it yourself. You get a valet service to collect the car and clean it. You could slip a teenager a few dollars to do the job. The end result is that you get the clean car you wanted. One way is free, one way is cheap and one way is expensive. The same thing goes for most marketing tools.
When you have a clearer idea of how article marketing works, you can put a value on your time. While you are still on the early part of the learning curve, you are a free labour source. As you acquire knowledge, your skills will attain value. You will understand when it makes financial sense to outsource a task and spend your time on a different job.
How to choose the tools you need
Be patient. Follow a marketing tutorial course. Make sure you have a workable strategy in place. Then decide what jobs you need to speed up. Make a list of these jobs in order of priority. Work through your list focusing on one task at a time. Then research the available tools relating to that task thoroughly.
Only buy a tool when you fully understand what it is supposed to do, and when you are sure it is something you really need. Don’t let yourself get rushed into buying a tool because there is a time limited special discount or a free bonus offer. The same offer or a better one will come along again.
Buy tools one at a time. Work with the tools you buy and don’t buy anything else new until you are fully familiar with how the new tool works. It often takes up a lot of time to learn how to use a time-saving gadget.
