Maybe the bigger question is "How Can You Tell?"

Well, the first thing to remember is the old saying, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

One person may see pure gold in an article about where to find original car parts for a 1970 Mustang Mach 1. My husband would be one of them. But if my inbox was flooded with promotions for mustang parts, I would see it as spam.

Part of your network marketing success is going to depend on knowing your target market and directing your content to them.

Don't worry about the ones who are not interested in your subject - they aren't the ones you are going for.

That being said, there are still ways to make your articles and marketing attractive to today's savvy Internet audience.

Generally speaking, any time you are offering your experience, opinions, reviews and insights about a topic, you are providing value.

If you are educating people or giving tips on where to find great network marketing tools, you are attractive.

If you go right for the sale and write of nothing else but your pitch, you will be seen as a "selfish marketer" and you'll go from a "10" to a "0" fast.

Contents at a Glance

1. Are You Attractive or Unattractive on the Internet?
2. Network Marketers Using the Internet to Generate Leads
3. Social Marketing Communities
4. Deciding on a Value-Based or Promotional Slant:
5. Attractive Content — Put It in a Pretty Package

Find Related Topics

How effective that content is in attracting qualified leads will depend on standing out in the crowd and branding yourself in a positive way.

Among other things, you sure don't want to be branded as an "unattractive marketer."

The key to being seen as an "attractive marketer" is to look at your marketing system as a whole and then break it down into smaller segments.

Your Network Marketing Portfolio

Think of your Internet presence - all of your content, be it blogs, individual articles, videos, comments left on other's articles, everything - as your portfolio.

All of this content taken together is what will define your "brand."

If all of your content is promotional you might be branded as "slick."

On the other hand, if none of your content is promotional, you aren't going to make a living!

The trick is to find a good balance. Isn't that really the trick to almost everything in life?

Remember your intention is not what matters.

All that matters is your reader's concept of your intentions.

Know who it is you wish to attract.

In other words, know your target market.

These are the people you want to focus upon.

Don't worry about people outside that market.

It should be balanced as well, but may lean more toward value based or promotional depending on the nature of the particular site and its community of users.

When you are submitting an article to a particular site for the first time, be sure to have done your homework first.

Check to see what guidelines are in place for that site - some, like ezinearticles.com, have very strict rules as to the number of links you can have and what kind, as well as very specific rules for punctuation and article layout.

Other sites, like Squidoo are less picky - but you have to remember that you are entering into an existing community at this sort of site.

Any time you are dealing with an established group of people, you are well advised to get a feel for the way they interact with one another.

Some communities have set themselves up as support groups where there is a lot of give and take in the form of constructive suggestions on one another's articles as well as "conversations" taking place between members.

Other communities are less welcoming to newcomers and you may have to go through a proving period.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, you may put up an article on the merits of a new technological doodad and in your comments section have someone asking you for a date!

Don't you love people?

If you are trying to network with business owners and find you are getting more marriage proposals than customer orders, you're probably on the wrong site.

Patiently and quietly observe the workings of the social site, and as you get the feel for the way things are done there, begin putting up your content.

The downside is that there will be fewer long-term customers - your sales will fall into the "one night stand" category.

There's a place for this - especially if you have product you need to move quickly or a one time offer with a time limit.

Or you may need to put a little quick cash in your pocket to pay for other parts of your marketing campaign.

With value based content, it takes longer to build relationships.

Leads may take weeks or months to convert but will last longer - this is more like forming a life partnership.

No instant gratification, but a far greater chance that these customers will come back to you again and again.

Both have merit and it depends on what it is you are trying to sell - if it's a business opportunity, you're better off going slow and build credibility.

It is just as important for you to know if the person is a good fit for your team as it is for them to decide if they are interested in you.

Quality not quantity counts here.

The same article can have value and promotional elements - balance is the key.

Consider the different components of the article and choose which way to go:

Your Title, Headings, Body, Links, Anchor Text and Bio Box.

Think of the perception your reader will have as they skim across each of these parts - and adjust each as you write the article: