Article marketing does increase hits and visitors. It's not necessary to post in tons of places. Pick a few trusted resources, like ezinearticles, which I primarily use - and just be consistent. I have 28 live articles there which have been viewed over 600 times. I've also set up a Google Alert so I can be emailed activity on those articles.

Article marketing is simply another tool to use in your SEO or branding strategy. If you're looking to maximize traffic, I'd recommend posting comments on blogs (that allow URLs) relevant to your products or services. Your comments should have substance, and don't necessarily have to agree with the author. Healthy controversy can spark conversations which leads to increased traffic. Focus on blogs with high SERPS, and not necessarily those with high PR.