So, you have your website tags and description looking good. You have your URL registered at as many websites as you can find (or your fingers can type). You have your press releases done…wait? What’s that? Press releases? Online? Where do you go? Ohhhhhh…that’s right. We’ve not covered that part yet.
Allow me to introduce you to your new little friend… www.prlog.com. I do not work for them nor am I endorsing them (well, not too much) but PR Log is a beneficial online press release distribution source to direct traffic to your website. I also have a little secret to tell you, too….shhhhhh…it’s FREE!
A major problem I see today is people have great websites but do not generate traffic to them. They leave their sites out on the web in hopes someone will pick up on them but they are literally throwing out tens of thousands of dollars on a website into the black hole called the Internet. Statistically, the potential customer would have better luck finding a needle in a hay field (not a stack…a field).
The owner needs to know how to “nurture” your website. When planting Spring flowers, you don’t just pull them out of the plastic pots and throw them on the ground in hopes they plant themselves and feed themselves (unless you don’t have a green thumb like me and skip the murdering process but instead put out plastic plants)…you plant them, feed them,…nurture them and they mature.
A website works the same way. You plant it online, feed it the proper SEO tags and tactics, and nurture it by keeping it updated, adding new products and putting out news online and off (i.e. brochures, press releases, craigslist ads, etc.) to direct traffic to your URL.
WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHO? WHY?
What – Press (media) releases are defined at Wikipedia as “a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy. Typically, they are mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, and/or television networks. Commercial press release distribution services are also used.”
When – Anytime. The beauty of online press releases are they are accessible to anyone around the world at any time. They are also editable at any time should you make a boo-boo. As stated before, it’s also a free way of getting traffic to your website.
Print releases are great if your target market is a local area or geared to a certain target audience in the magazine selected for the release.
Where – www.prlog.com, craigslist, facebook, local newspapers online, and many other places. Magazines will usually do free press releases or product spotlights on their site (or even in print) to get your business as an advertiser. The best way to “negotiate” a free press release is to tell the magazine sales rep that you are “trying to see how it will do” with their publication. By taking it on a test drive, you can see what leads will generate from the publication without spending a fortune.
PR Log has a great counter that will tell you how many people are reading your press release. There are other online press release distribution for free, all you have to do is Google “Free Press Release Distribution” and get to typing!
Blogs are another form of press release. Maybe not quite as “newsworthy” but a short little spoof about a new product with a link to your URL in it (at a different website other than your own – i.e. Blogger, WordPress, etc.) will start to get a buzz going for your site.
Who? – You of course (if you are gifted in the talking/writing area of life). If you cannot distinguish the difference between the two ways to say the word “wind”, then I suggest handing the press release distribution off to your grammatically correct marketing girl. Although blogs are meant to be opinionated and not meant to be perfect, press releases show the technical aspect of the product as well as your selling point. I have someone proof your technical specifications, your grammar, and your CTA (call to action) in your press release.
Why? – Because I said so and it works!
Wait, wait, WAIT! What’s a “CTA”? Boy, you sure do ask a lot of questions! Ha! A “call to action” aka CTA is your selling point. Basically, it’s “eye candy” for the reader. What makes your website, your service, your product, or whatever you want the reader to get to your website for…what makes your business/site so exciting? What is your edge over competitors? What are your competitors doing as far as their press releases? Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself today.
I will construct more on writing press releases for online (especially on the different types of target audiences) and lead generation later because of time purposes and I always love a cliffhanger……………..
2dools for today!
~Mandi
