Ever Heard of These Different Article Marketing Ideas

Submitting articles to directory sites is probably the most well known form of getting exposure for marketers' businesses.  A less utilized method, which can prove to be quite effective, is offering unique articles to others for their links, reviews, advice, etc.  In other words swapping or trading services.  Let's take a closer look at both venues so you'll see what it's all about.
Article Submission:
As stated above, submitting articles to various directories is the best known way to get exposure for your business.  Compose and submit your articles to them, in turn they will publish your work into their databases.
These sites allow the authors to include links to their sites and are usually placed directly below the article.
Other publishers are allowed to place your articles on their sites, with the agreement that all links must remain active and cannot be changed in anyway.
You receive direct traffic from these directories as well as indirectly from Search Engines and from other sites that have published your articles.
This can potentially give you large volumes of traffic over and over again and that is precisely why article submission is so very popular.
Offering Articles To Others:
Now here is a less known but highly profitable article marketing method.  Let's say you found popular sites, within your niche, that you would like to place links back to your site.  Offer to give them free articles that will not be published anywhere else and in exchange get a link to your site.
This can give you quite a good amount of exposure as well as links pointing to your site.  The downside to this form of marketing is replication.  It will become harder to replicate this method over and over within your niche.  There might be numerous sites interested in your articles, or may not be.  It all depends on your niche and the number of willing participants.
Should you play it safe and just submit to articles directories and be done with it?  Not At All!  
What's In It For You:
Various sites might have different opportunities that will help you gain exposure and reputation.  Here are a few opportunities that might be available:
LinksReviews from blogs or other sites within the same nicheOffers Great ExposureFree AdvertisingMentoring
These are just a few ideas you can tumble around in your strategies. 
Why would these sites want to give me links, reviews, services, etc?  Because, you, in turn, are going to give them Free, Valuable, Well-Written Articles!
The Internet is loaded with people in need of great articles consisting of valuable content.  The downfall is, many people are unable to write good quality articles or just can't stand to write.
This is where you come in!  You give them high quality articles and they give you a link or something else you need.  These articles will never be published anywhere else and the quality of the articles will dictate whether you will be able to work a deal or not.
This method has truly worked for others time and time again.  There will be site owners who will ignore your offer or just turn you down, don't get discouraged.  Because, in turn,  there are others who will be more than happy to accept your offer.
Writers For Hire:
If you are not particularly good at writing, hire someone who can write and has a keen grasp of your particular niche.  This also works if you don't have a firm understanding of a particular niche, but a certain writer does.
Leverage:
Having a nice supply of articles is a great leveraging tool.  Well written articles are quite valuable because they are like money in the bank.  These articles can pay for   the services or tools you need in return.  Marketing Leverage quite literally means gaining leverage and exposure  through your marketing efforts.  Articles can be an extremely valuable avenue for your future growth and exposure.