You already know the benefits of article marketing as an effective way to drive traffic to your website and get backlinks. To further strengthen your brand and increase traffic, you should regularly publish articles in article directories. However, submitting a single article can be a time-consuming endeavour. After all, there are many article directories and ezine announcement lists. Each article directory has different format requirements, and some only cover specific niches.
In my experience, it is better to use article submission software or an article directory submission service than to submit articles manually. The downside, of course, is the cost. You have to spend some money on the article marketing software or service. But look at it this way: time is also money! If you save time on this very tedious task, you can spend your energy on other ways of marketing your website or other more productive work.
Using article submission software like article submitter pro still requires some work on your part. Therefore, this is the next cheapest option. Still, some automation is better than none at all. But if you can afford it, outsourcing article submission through a service is a good option to consider. Article submission service providers are keen to expand their list of article directories to which they submit articles. Typically, their list numbers in the thousands.
They also keep their lists up to date. If you use article submission software, you will need to manage the list yourself. Here are some providers of article submission services:
http://www.articlemarketer.com
http://www.submityourarticle.com
http://www.isnare.com
Which services can I recommend for submitting articles? I use a combination of services for my own websites. I make a forecast of the number of articles I am likely to use to market a particular website over the next few months. Also, the rules and guidelines are different for each article submission service. I then choose the best option based on my budget and needs.
Another advantage I see in not using just one service is that each article submission service has a different directory listing. If your articles can be found in a variety of directories, you are likely to get more exposure. Using an article directory submission software or outsourcing article submission are just two ways to reduce your workload, especially if you are a small online business owner. I therefore suggest that you choose an option that is optimal for your budget and gives you the best chance of successful article marketing.