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Posts Tagged ‘press releases’
Sunday, July 12th, 2009
Entrepreneur Magazine is always very helpful. I like the tips they offer for small businesses and big businesses alike. But these 10 tips for great public relations are absolutely essential for any business to keep in mind. Here they are in summary:
- Know your market.
- Identify the product benefits relevant to your market
- Establish your product as unique.
- Source and use testimonials.
- Target the media used by your target market.
- Prepare your press release to be used as is.
- Sell your release.
- Follow up.
- Keep in contact.
- Use a photograph.
Some of these are self explanatory. Some of them will require you to read the article to get the full grasp of it. And all of them were right on the money, essential elements in effective public relations. But I want to discuss one particular item just briefly. No. 5.
Target the media used by your target market.
Whether you are advertising or sending out press releases, this is absolutely essential. There is no sense in starting a relationship with an editor or publisher that won’t benefit you. And if your target market isn’t going there then neither should you. I find so many business owners making this mistake. Your just wasting your time. You should really take the time to study the market and learn where your target market hangs out. Then hang out in the same places.
Tags: press releases, public relations, publicity, small business, target marketing
Posted in PR for Small Business | 12 Comments »
Friday, April 17th, 2009
Don’t panic at the words, “press release.” They aren’t difficult to write and they don’t cost a fortune to post. Why bother? Press releases attract attention. Small businesses should announce when they launch a new product, have a major announcement such as opening a branch or a merger, working on a charitable project, or when you’d like to announce a new trade practice that significantly changes the industry. Yes, the world needs to know–starting with the Internet world because now, that’s where press releases are featured first–online.
Before you start sweating, consider that you can use a press release template–and that press releases are only one page long–actually only a few paragraphs. Take a breath now. Check out PRWeb and other online press releases sites to guide you.
What will a press release (sometimes called a news release) get you? Interest. You may get a call from a newspaper or online news site that wants to feature your product or conduct an interview or include you in an article. Your local community wants to know–local TV, radio, and newspapers needs news to fill their pages and airtime. They like featuring businesses in the area.
Start with a great title. Keep it rather short and make it interesting. Use a larger font so it stand out.
Be sure that the title and first paragraph tells what the press release is all about–a summary of the entire thing. If they don’t read any further, would they know what you wanted them to know? The old question– who, what, where and when need to be answered. Press releases aren’t sales copy–so don’t try to make a sale or use jargon that sounds that way. It’s news. It’s a series of statements. Sound professional. Write in third person–so don’t do the “I am announcing.” Speak from a company perspective, “Jenkin’s Tires Announces…”
What’s great about press releases is that you already have many of these components. You can use your logo as the header of the press release. The ending paragraph of your press release is your contact information. The “About the Company” bio you have listed on your website is also used at the end of the press release. Be sure to include contact information–website, phone number, contact person is vital. You want to be contacted, so make it easy.
Your press release can be submitted to the various online PR sites and can range in price from free to quite pricey, so set a budget and decide what’s right for your company and what level of exposure you need. You can also email or fax your press release to television, radio and other media venues.
It’s that easy. Not as big and scary as you thought. Press releases get you in touch with the media–and helps spread the word. You have every right to announce important events, and the media needs your updates. So whether you do it yourself with a template, or pay someone to write a post a press release for you, it’s a powerful tool that can yield big results.
Tags: Business Writing, press releases, Small Business Internet Marketing
Posted in Business Writing, Local Internet Marketing, SEO for Small Business | 4 Comments »
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009
People tend to avoid working on anything they’re not good at, so many online marketing tools are never utilized by small businesses. Everyone has a different list of what makes them squirm. Perhaps you avoid writing press releases because you’re not sure you’re doing it right, whereas another small business ignores blogging or writing an e-newsletter even though their business lends itself to this great online strategy.
What if there were a way to make these and other online marketing tasks easier?
What if there were a form or a template that you simply fill out and upload?
What if you could enjoy the satisfaction of knowing you had accomplished something you’ve been putting off for months, if not years–and now you know it’s not that difficult at all?
Online templates are an easy and effective way to break down those marketing mountains into manageable mole hills. There are a variety of templates available for web development and your online marketing strategy.
You can download templates for:
• Email form letters
• Promotional emails
• Office documents such as stationary and invoices
• Press kits
• Web site registration and registration report
• Web site linkage report
• News or press releases
• Blogging and other web postings
• E-newsletters
• Chat room discussions
• Webinars and workshops
• Syndicated articles
• Online purchasing
It will take time and effort to find the templates you like the best and create your files, but consider this an important component of setting up your business. Having these online templates can not only benefit your online presence, but these will also be a valuable tool for your brick and mortar stores as well. And if you don’t find one that suits you, you can even design your own.
There are many companies that offer template choices, and you can download many of these templates or purchase them as part of a larger software package. Do your initial homework and consider an ala carte method of gathering the best templates that work for your small business. Start with Microsoft.com and then take the time to explore a few others such as, InternetMarketingWeb.com, 40ArticleWritingTemplates.com, and Sparklist.com.
Templates help ease you into difficult marketing tasks, and they work.
If you choose not to spend your marketing dollars hiring outside professionals, don’t give up. Get a cup of coffee, take a deep breath, and pick an easy template.
You’ll find that templates make a daunting task doable, and before long, your small business will reap big benefits.
Tags: e-mail newsletter, press releases, Small Business Internet Marketing
Posted in Blogging for Small Business, Business Writing, E-mail Marketing for Small Business, Small Business Internet Marketing, Tools for Small Business, Uncategorized, website development | 3 Comments »
Monday, January 26th, 2009
When you think of PR or press releases, chances are you`re thinking about sending them off to a newspaper editor or perhaps a news site. While this is what most people use press releases for, they actually have a dual purpose.
A little known secret is that press releases can create a major SEO boost for your business. Even without being too full of keywords, a press release is so information packed that it really catches the attention of both human news readers and the search engines. When you start submitting your news to various sites around the internet, you will end up with plenty of backlinks, not to mention your company name will be quite noticeable around the net.
Don`t think of press releases as simply a way to get your news picked up by major reporters and magazines, they are much more than that. Even just putting them out on a site like PRWeb can garner quite a bit of attention!
Press releases are highly underestimated . . . stop thinking of them as being a minor part of your small business strategy and start getting them out there.
Tags: PR, press releases, small business
Posted in PR for Small Business | No Comments »
Monday, December 8th, 2008
Every business has some publicity, but are you really pushing it as far as you can? The more you get your brand in front of people, the more likely they are to notice you. What you might not realize, though, is that just focusing on a couple of specific methods of publicity may not be the best option.
Even if you are on a tight budget, there is more to PR than simply putting up ads. In fact, the most responsive methods of marketing tend to be those that don`t come directly from your company. That`s why it can be very handy to spread yourself out a bit.
Networking sites online allow you to present the face behind your brand and people tend to be more willing to buy from someone they know, even if only virtually. However, participating in forums and online communities can only boost your recognition and business if you go about it the right way. Stay away from direct advertising, since this is something that tends to turn people off.
Press releases are another great way to increase publicity. This method of PR is used widely by large and small companies alike with great results.
By spreading out your PR efforts a little, you will find that more people will hear about you and they will also tend to notice that your business is appearing everywhere. Watch your business go up with the right PR.
Tags: marketing, PR, press releases
Posted in PR for Small Business | 1 Comment »
Monday, November 3rd, 2008
There are quite a few different methods of promoting your business both online and off, but one tried and true way is press releases. These are simply reports that are given out to the media, letting them know about a new development in your business that is newsworthy.
Press releases can either be sent directly to the press or put up on websites where they can be chosen by anyone looking for news. This means that your press releases could be picked up by online sites or offline publications, expanding the amount of times that your news and business name is seen.
While you can certainly write a press release yourself, it might be best to have someone with experience do this. It means that you are able to have the best quality and far more possibility of having the press release chosen by the media.
Press releases are a great method of free advertising and depending on how well-written your story is, you could end up on the front page somewhere!
Tags: advertising, media, press releases
Posted in PR for Small Business | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008
For any business owner who wants to be successful with their PR, it´s necessary to build a relationship with the media. This really can boost your chances of getting some free PR and with internet, it´s quite easy.
Online networking is fairly easy and you basically just need to dedicate the time to it more than anything. Leaving comments on news blogs is a great way to get started on building a media relationship. But it isn´t the only method.
- Writing an email to ask a question or let the writer/editor know what a great job they´re doing.
- Linking to the news blog or site. This may not always work, but it could be a great way to get noticed.
- Writing quality press releases that are targeted to their market.
Successful PR is far more likely if you make the effort to become friends with those involved in media. You´ll boost your chances of getting your press releases picked up and it will be far easier to stay in the news.
Caroline
Small Business Mavericks
Back to the Blog
Tags: media, PR, press releases
Posted in PR for Small Business | 1 Comment »
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