Posts Tagged ‘press releases’

20 Press Release Ideas For Your Business

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

press releases Most SEO professionals understand the importance of creating a variety of outlets for their online marketing efforts. Press releases can be great marketing tools, and can be one of the more effective ways of getting information out there for clients and creating powerful link juice, but coming up with great press release ideas can be confounding.

You can write press releases about your company, your products, your employees, your customers, community activities, even your marketing efforts! Below is a list of possible press release ideas that should help generate some great content:
  • Earning recognition of the company, product or executives by a publication
  • Announcing that you’re available to speak on particular subjects of interest
  • Issuing a statement of position regarding a local, regional or national issue
  • Announcing the results of research or surveys you have conducted
  • Making public statements on future business trends or conditions
  • Announcing a public appearance on television, radio or in person
  • Announcing that you’ve reached a major milestone
  • Restructuring your business or its business model
  • Forming a new strategic partnership or alliance
  • Establishing a unique vendor agreement 
Any of the above ideas can serve as great topics for a press release. Has your company or an individual recently earned an accolade? Does your company predict a future business trend that could help promote the business or one of your products? How about a company restructuring during tough economic times that will result in your business being meaner and leaner? Press releases not only give exposure to your business but if worded correctly, could position your company as a subject matter expert.
 
Need some more ideas? Try one of the ones below:
  • Introducing a unique strategy/approach
  • Setting up a customer advisory group
  • Obtaining a new, significant customer
  • Expanding or renovating the business
  • Participating in a philanthropic event
  • Announcing free information available
  • Sponsoring a workshop or seminar
  • Celebrating an anniversary
  • Announcing a partnership
Workshops, anniversaries and partnerships are great ways to highlight what your company has to offer, how long it’s been in business, or what steps you’re taking to strengthen your business. 
 
Did you know that a good press release can attract thousands of visitors to your website, while simultaneously creating a much higher search engine rank by creating inbound links to your site? This is the key to press release marketing:  the fact that thousands of websites will become your partners in promotion. You can’t ask for much better exposure than that. If you look at press releases from a marketing perspective, you can really appreciate how they can drive traffic to your website, serve as sales tools (and great content) for bloggers, and so much more.
 
Coming up with the idea of press releases is the most challenging part. After that, leave the actual writing and distribution to press release marketing professionals, who will make sure the content is SEO friendly, and then watch the quality traffic increase to your website!
 
One word of caution; a press release should be news, do not confuse it with an article!
 
This post written by Vertical Measures’ team member – Patty Adams

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Tips, Website Publicity | View Comments

How to Use Link Building for Reputation Management

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

reputation managementReputation Management, while time consuming, is well worth the effort in order to keep the good name you’ve worked hard for.
 
We all know what it’s like to have people talk about us behind our backs. Oftentimes, things are said that are untrue and downright outlandish. The same can be said about businesses. It could be a competitor trying to soil your name, an employee looking to bring your business down, or even a client who is dissatisfied at the service you gave them.
 
The INTERNET has made it easier for your competitor, past employees or clients to publish negative data through not only review sites but through blogs and RSS feeds. Tens of thousands of blogs are published daily; imagine how many of your clients are reviewing this data.  What do you do when these start to appear in the first page or two of the search results?
 
Reputation Management is essential if you wish to maintain your clientele and brand yourself positively. Fortunately, link building will allow you to manage your online reputation and keep you informed on how you are portrayed in the online community.
 
Press Releases
Press releases are usually written when a new product is being announced, a new service is offered by your company, you have received an award, or anything you feel should be shared with the general public about your business. It is important that press releases are newsworthy, contain links back to your company, and contain keyword phrases important to your business. There are several online press release services that cater to small businesses or big businesses. The more press the better, because the overall goal is to increase positive feedback about your website.
           
Social Networking Sites
A great way to manage your online reputation is through the use of social media sites. The concept is to get more positive sites into cyberspace without the deployment of multiple company sites that can be time consuming to maintain and can add too much extra expense. The great thing about social media sites such as LinkedIn, MerchantCircle, Twitter, Naymz, etc….is that they are free! These sites offer the assurance for your company, no matter the size, to be represented in the first few pages of organic search results with your distinctive key words or brand. These sites integrate your keywords or phrases while also allowing you the ability to connect with a new clientele base, thereby increasing the flow of traffic to your site and most importantly managing your positive reputation.
 
Video

Sites such as YouTube, Break, and Revver allow internet users to search for video pertaining to subject matters they are interested in. Mostly, these sites are used for entertainment purposes. These sites, however, can be beneficial in reputation management. Video is oftentimes given more display importance in search results provided you build links to the videos and get them distributed on other sites. 

While reputation management is not an easy undertaking, you can see how to effectively and thoroughly maintain your positive reputation with the assistance of a link building company and their reputation management services or website marketing services.  What other methods would you recommend?

[tags] link building, reputation management, press releases, twitter, merchantcircle, social media [/tags]

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Link Building, Miscellaneous, Social Media, Website Publicity | View Comments

Improve Search Engine Placement with Website Publicity

Monday, February 18th, 2008

One of the easiest ways to improve search engine placement is to use press releases. It sounds old-fashioned, but press releases remain a tried and true way to publicize your website. The fact that press releases have been around long before the emergence of the Internet doesn’t mean they aren’t amazingly effective. Why? Because they’ve morphed and changed right along with the Internet.

Think about it – just like news agencies, the lowly press release has evolved to fit the marketplace. Where news was once garnered by the public primarily from newspapers and magazines, then radio and television, today people can choose from a wide variety of sources for their news, including a vast array of sources on the web, including news outlets like CNN, Reuters and MSNBC, tailored news feeds via RSS services, local websites, personalized blogs and dozens of other sources. In the same way, you can tailor your press releases to improve your search engine placement and guarantee that they will be picked up by a wide variety of news and media outlets.

Optimizing Press Releases for Maximum Impact

There are several ways to spread your press releases all over the Internet. The key is to make sure you hit a variety of markets and distribute them across a wide range of sources and interests. You should also be sure to distribute them in a variety of ways. For instance:

• Don’t neglect traditional press release venues. Fax and mail your press releases to newspapers and magazines. After all, people still read the daily paper and enjoy relaxing with a magazine with a cup of coffee. You never know when they’ll see your company or website featured and the next time they log in, they’ll check you out. Focus on the local angle to entice media in your area and tailor it to the universal appeal for larger outlets. A few extra minutes spent personalizing your press releases can make a huge difference. 

• Be sure to target any RSS services and newswires that are specific to – or related to – your industry. Do you have a fabulous new engineering tool? Then send press releases to any industry services that provide RSS feeds that are specific to engineering, technical services or the sciences. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your press release is picked up and appears on sites around the world. 

• Go directly to the source – the magazines and media themselves. Aim high. Don’t be afraid to submit your press releases directly to the big guys. If you get picked up by CNN or Popular Science, you can bet you’ll soon be picked up by almost everyone else. There’s a viral effect that’s amazing on stories in the news. 

• Bloggers are a great way to improve search engine placement through press releases. These guys love to break a new and interesting story that’s related to something they are passionate about. If you are familiar with the writings of some popular and influential bloggers, by all means send them your press releases. These bloggers can create real buzz about your press release and generate interest that will result in your PR being picked up by media sources. You may also be contacted by others who request additional information.

The power of a press release, rather than being diminished by the advent of the Internet, has increased. You simply have to know how to use them properly. Adjusting your thinking and understanding how to use a press release in the new marketplace means that your press releases can be powerful tools to your success and lead to improved search engine placement.

[tags] improved search engine placement, press releases, website publicity [/tags]

Tags: , ,
Posted in Website Publicity | View Comments

Subscribe

Enter your email to get SEO & Link Building Best Practices in your inbox:
Details & Pricing
ResourcesLink Building ToolsSEO Tutorial VideosKeyword ResearchInternet Marketing ToolsSEO WebinarsSEO Best Practices
AboutOutsourcingVertical MarketsTestimonialsAbout Us