First, enjoy doing some research. Think about properly researched keywords so that the people looking for a solution to their problem will actually find your article. (Remember, I said 'enjoy' - don't let article writing be a heavy chore!

Second, generate a killer title to make them want to read the article. I consider it close to being the most important part of the whole article marketing equation because you need the right keyword phrase in your title for it to generate interest. Do your long-tail keyword research and use the keyword in the title and as backlink to improve your organic rankings over time.

Third, spend time writing a well constructed article (intro, meat of article, summary) that keeps people engaged. Try to have your keyword phrase in the first sentence, maybe in the middle and definitely at the end of your article.

Now, this may sound obvious, but have decent content within your article body - there should be natural flowing text using paragraphs/sub headings, or bullets. You want to lead your reader from the start of your article to the bottom right into your resource box.

Some people say that proper grammar and punctuation isn't necessary, but I think it is. If you can't even take the time to go over everything once or twice, then why should I take the time to read your article?

Make sure that your articles are easy on the eyes. Trying to read a wall of text is one of the most annoying things in the world, and will turn off a lot of your potential readers. Most people will read your article on-screen, and probably skim rather than read intently.

You could find that you have little success when you start out but as you build your reputation as a writer your web traffic will increase exponentially. (This will happen when people start seeing your name more often and become familiar with your writing style.) The more people see a name, the more they trust it. After all, that's part of the reason why companies like to put up lots of billboards.

The reason I say that is because one big ingredient of article marketing success is quantity. And while - rightly - most article "how-to's" focus on quality (which is vital), the quantity of articles that you generate will not only increase the occurrences of your backlinks but it will also increase your reputation.

And remember, write an article, not a sales pitch. Write something that's fun to read and that's useful. Someone used the phrase 'Useful but Incomplete' which I think sums it up. Don't waste people's time and attention with articles that tell you nothing. Solve a small problem and hint at the way to solve a bigger one. Don't pad an article to get to an arbitary length. but don't cut it down so much that it's useless either. Make your point and get out.

Next, spend time developing a well constructed resource box to get people to go to your site. Your resource box needs to be a call to action. Write an enticing author resource box that gives the reader a reason to click on the link. Offer something where it is hard to say no, for example the answer to his problem or a freebie.

Then submit to the directories where the traffic is and where Google is showing some love - you can easily determine that by running a keyword search with Google using your selected keyword phrase. If you write decent articles that are of interest to your market, and you do it consistently, you will attract more web traffic. And they will be warm prospects since they're already interested enough to click through after reading your article.

Finally, I would add that an absolutely key element to successful article marketing is to keep doing it! Posting 5 articles and expecting a lot of web traffic isn't realistic. You need to be posting new articles to the top dozen or so article directories - in the proper categories - every week. Do that, and you will enjoy the real thrill of increased web traffic and aa rapidly growing list. Good luck!