Who said you should only send press releases (news releases) to journalists? Why not send them to buyers? This guide highlights how you can do just that, reaching millions of buyers via news releases, optimizing your news releases, staying in touch, and creating brand awareness.
In his book, “The New Rules of Marketing & PR,” David Meerman Scott highlights how press releases, also known as news releases, have never been just fodder for the press. In fact, there is a huge market of buyers interested in up to date knowledge on certain topics, from stocks to technologies.
Also, both B2B and B2C buyers search for products daily, and a well-written press release helps them find yours.
As you can see, proof is in the results of how news releases are changing the landscape of the web. Let’s go over more detailed reasons why your online business can use news releases to stand out.
Millions Read Them
The role of public relations is beyond handling media. Really, the big news hits immediately, not when a journalist gets a news release and publishes an excerpt. Could you afford to wait if a company whose stock you’ve been watching sold to a billion dollar corporation for a billion dollar number? No, because you like millions of others would want immediate news on that.
Millions read them, but what do your press releases say? How do you send them? This is important stuff, right?
Stay in Touch with Fellow Businesses
Instead of sending out a release only for big news, try staying in touch with fellow businesses, if not daily then weekly. You need to keep them interested, lest they forget you, your business, and your product.
Appeal to Your Buyers
You can still send news releases to the press, but get your buyers involved, send them news releases, and do so constantly. However, buyers also browse the web with billions of searches every day. That means search engines can impact your response, and that keywords are important.
Use Keywords
Use keywords to focus your main points. Sell to them in the same way you would copy. The main goal of keyword optimization for articles is creating interest and awareness; the same can be said of news releases. They can create relevant traffic for product and service pages.
Get them to Respond
If you have a new product coming out, you can use news releases to offer special incentives. This gets immediate buzz for your product, while letting your buyers know immediately when your launching.
Optimize News Releases
Your news releases should not only be optimized with keywords, but also use social media technology to spread the buzz. With billions of hits daily on Facebook and Twitter, and millions using social media tags like Digg and others, you can expect immediate buzz.
Get Them Involved in the Sales Process
Your news releases can open new doors to online marketing, brand awareness, and brand loyalty. If you get buyers involved, that creates brand awareness and recognition. If you can earn brand loyalty, that’s called success.