5 Ways To Create a Powerful Press Release

August 4, 2011 By 5 Comments

How to Write a Powerful Press Release

Perhaps you have just launched a new product in your business. Or you may have fresh, innovative news to share with your customers and target market. One way to get the word to the masses is to create an online press release.

Online press releases are a powerful tool for the small business owner operating on a shoestring budget. Obviously, press releases alert the media about your newsworthy event, product or service, but they also can provide SEO benefits, allowing your target market to learn about you as well.

However, if you want to truly reap the vast rewards of writing and distributing a press release, it’s essential that you understand how to write a press release that commands attention.

Unfortunately, because of the obvious SEO benefits of press release distribution sites, they are frequented by spammers who are only interested in outbound links for their own websites.  They produce poor-quality news releases that are empty of information or newsworthy topics.

It’s important that you don’t fall into the trap of creating generic press releases that offer little to no value to your readers. Your press release shouldn’t be an advertisement. Press releases are a public relations tool. They are not designed to advertise your product or service or create a hard sell. They are solely for the purpose of sharing news with the public.

Five Ways To Create A Powerful Press Release

1. Learn how to write a press release correctly.

Of course, press releases will vary in their basic writing style and voice; however, there are basic guidelines that you should keep in mind. Most press releases follow the Associated Press (AP) style guidelines.  Of course, you should check your press release for grammatical and spelling errors before you distribute it.

In addition, your press release should read like a newspaper story and use third person (she, he) as opposed to the first person (I, we or you). It should also contain a catchy title that uses specific keywords that are relevant to your story.

You should always provide contact information so that the press can contact you immediately if they have any questions.

2.  Write news-worthy stories.

One of the most important aspects of your press release is to make sure your release is timely and relevant.  It’s crucial that your press release is newsworthy and would be of interest to the media and your target market. Make sure to include the who, what, when, where, and why of your angle throughout the body of your press release.

3. Combine free PR distribution with manual distribution.

Choose 1-3 free press release distribution sites and focus your attention there. It’s completely unnecessary and counterproductive to submit your release to dozens of sites at once. In addition, you should begin to compile a list of media contacts in your own niche or industry. Each time that you create a press release, you should also manually submit the release to this list. Combining free online distribution with manual distribution will maximize your efforts and leverage the power of your press release.

4. Use the power of social media tools.

If possible, choose online distribution sites that allow you to tag your release with related keywords and social bookmarking options. This will help the media and your prospects find you based upon specific keywords that are related to your story. In addition, post your release on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and any other social networks that you are involved with.

5. Publish your release on your own website.

As soon as you write your press release, make sure to publish it on your own website as well.  One of the main perks of this strategy is that you create a timeline of the newsworthy events related to your company. If the media does visit your website for more information, they will be able to browse your archives and ascertain additional information about your small business.

Press releases can be a very powerful tool for your small business; however, if you want your press release to attract hundreds, even thousands of visitors to your website, then it’s important to ensure that you understand the basics behind writing, releasing and publishing a well-crafted press release.

 

Filed Under: press releases, public relations, shoestring marketing tips, small business marketing Tagged With: , ,

Marketing Through Massive Visibility

August 2, 2011 By 1 Comment

marketing through massive visibilityWe live in a world where our potential clients and customers are barraged with thousands and thousands of ads every single day. The competition is fierce, the climate is noisy and it’s not going to lighten up any time soon.

So how can a small business owner, on a shoestring budget, even compete? The answer is simple: repetition through massive visibility.

Research suggests that we are exposed to over 4,000 ads each day. As a result of “advertising overload”, our brains are forced to filter out and ignore most of these ads. Plus, let’s face it, most of the advertising we encounter is just a caberet of bedlam and babble that doesn’t even apply to us.

But, all of this is great news for the savvy shoestring marketer.

Each time your prospect catches sight of your brand, their filter becomes weaker until finally, your marketing message has broken through. But, it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, your prospect needs to see your marketing message, on average, between twelve and twenty-four times.

How do you ensure that your prospects come into contact with you and your brand over and over again? First and foremost, you need to ensure that you and your brand are everywhere. You must become so visible that your prospects can’t ignore you.

You should become an active participant in Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Dedicate time each day to blogging, podcasting or video marketing. Send out online newsletters and host monthly teleseminars.

I signed up a new customer last week and here’s the interesting part.  She read my blog, watched my videos, friended me on Facebook and followed me on Twitter for one full year before she decided to sign up for my free Shoestring Marketing Kit. I did some quick math and figured that, over the course of that year, she was exposed to my brand thousands of times through my status updates, blog posts, videos, podcasts and ezine issues.

Obviously, she took longer than usual to make the commitment to purchase my products and services. But, she let me know that one of the main reasons that she joined forces with me was because she “saw me everywhere.”

So, make an effort to get yourself out in front of your target market as much as possible. It’s the only way to break through all the noise clamoring endlessly for your prospects’ attention.

Shoestring Marketing Association

Filed Under: shoestring marketing tips Tagged With: ,

7 Deadly Marketing Mistakes

July 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

7 Deadly Marketing MistakesBefore you launch your next marketing campaign, whether online or offline, make sure to avoid some of the most common marketing mistakes.

1. Failure to write a powerful headline.

Whether you’re writing a newspaper ad, email message or press release, you must create a powerful headline. Research suggests that your headline is the most important part of your ad. It is absolutely essential that you draw your prospective customer or client into your ad and keep them interested in what you have to offer.

2. Absence of an irresistible offer.

In marketing, 40% of the response that you receive from your prospects is directly related to your offer. In today’s competitive marketplace, you need to present your client or customer with an offer that they simply can’t resist. Offers can range from discounts to offering a free report, but the fact remains that if you have an irresistible offer, people will respond.

3. A weak or non-existent call to action.

Every single time you create an ad, you want to direct your prospective client or customer to take a specific action. This action can be to call a toll-free number, visit a website or place an order. If you fail to tell your prospect exactly what you want them to do, they won’t do anything. Take your prospect by the hand and show them what they need to do next in order to guide them through your sales process.

4. An inadequate list.

Even if you have the best product since sliced bread, you need highly targeted and responsive prospects. This can be accomplished by building a list. There are dozens of tools that allow you to build a list quickly and efficiently. The best way to accomplish this is by asking prospects to supply you with their name and email in exchange for your “irresistible free offer.” Most marketers agree that growing a list is perhaps one of the most important jobs for any small business.

5. Relying on one marketing message.

On average, consumers are exposed to over 4,000 marketing messages every day. Recent research suggests that your clients and customers will need to see your marketing message between seven and twelve times before they even take notice. That means you can never rely on sending one message to your prospects; instead, you need to send repeated messages to them over and over again. Decide how you will deliver your message and then make sure to develop and continue a relationship with your prospect in an ongoing process.

6. Failure to measure campaign effectiveness.

There are literally hundreds of ways to market your small business. Over time, you’ll most likely tap into dozens of these marketing platforms. However, it is absolutely vital that you take time to measure the effectiveness of your various marketing campaigns. This can be done with simple spreadsheets or fancier CRM systems. No matter how you measure your marketing, you must understand what is working and what is not working so that you can be extremely effective.

7. Not communicating with your current customers.

It’s vital to provide ongoing communication with your current customer base. You’ve spent valuable time and money acquiring new customers. Moreover, 20% of your current customers will purchase from you again. Make sure that you communicate with your customers on a regular basis, solicit their feedback and provide value to them over the long-term. This will help build your small business over time.

Whether you are a brand new small business owner or an established veteran, it’s essential to avoid these most common marketing mistakes. To be successful over time, you must continually work to improve your marketing effectiveness. If you do, your business can grow with ease.

Filed Under: shoestring marketing tips, small business marketing Tagged With: ,

7 Tips for Blogging Newbies

July 26, 2011 By 2 Comments

7 Tips for Blogging NewbiesAs a new blogger, it’s important to look at where you eventually want to end up before you begin. As Stephen Covey suggests, highly effective people (and, in my opinion, highly effective small businesses owners) begin with the end in mind.

If you truly think about what you want to eventually accomplish through your blogging efforts, you’ll soon be rewarded with a loyal audience who connects with you and repays you with an abundance of links and comments.

Here are 7 tips to help your small business blog succeed:

1)   Become your reader. Determine what your reader wants to read as opposed to what you think that they want to read. If you’re in doubt, ask them through a poll or survey.

2)    Learn, learn, and learn. Since successful blogs are all about educating their audiences, you need to keep educating yourself.  Keep up on reading, attending workshops and, of course, reading blogs in your own industry.

3)    Give away your knowledge. Don’t be stingy with your knowledge, tips and advice; there’s no reason to keep your ideas under lock and key. Successful bloggers give away everything that they know.

4)    Research. Read what other bloggers in your industry are writing about, check out your competition and stay current in your field. In the ultra-competitive world of small business, you can never, ever rest on your laurels.

5)    Get organized. Create a blogging calendar that guides you as you plan out upcoming posts and topics; put together a list of possible blogging topics; develop a blogging schedule that works for you. Then stick to your calendar no matter what.

6)    Offer up guest posts. Once you’re on a roll, you should begin researching blogs in your particular industry that accept guest blog posts. Then, get to know the bloggers, interact with them on their blog and eventually offer to write a guest post for them.

7)    Create massive exposure. Make sure to spread the word about your blog in as many places as possible: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, articles, press releases, videos, podcasts, speaking, etc.

Decide exactly what you want to accomplish through your small business blog, and then apply the above tips. Remember, blogging isn’t an overnight marketing strategy; it takes time to grow a loyal audience.

But, if you hang in there and don’t give up, your efforts will be rewarded through more traffic, better leads and, eventually, more sales for your small business.

Shoestring Marketing Association

Filed Under: blogging, shoestring marketing tips, small business marketing, social media marketing Tagged With: , , ,

3 Tips for Writing Your About Page

July 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Did you know that the “About Page” is the 2nd most popular page on your website? The main reason so many of your website guests pay a visit to this page is simply because they’re interested in knowing the “person” behind your small business. They just want to connect with an actual human being. (Is that truly too much to ask?)

That being said, hopefully your “About Page” isn’t a tiresome dissertation of mind-numbing facts about your small business.

Here are three simple tips for writing a better “About Page.”

 

Filed Under: "how-to" articles, shoestring marketing tips, small business marketing Tagged With: , ,
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