Social Media has become a powerful tool for small business. It provides a quick and highly cost-effective means of getting your business in front of your customers. This democratization of your content provides a wealth of warm leads and keeps your virtual ‘face’ in front of your customers. “New media” has afforded small business owners like you and I the power that previously, only large corporations had.

That’s right; you can easily “create” your own PR department. How? In this case, “PR” stands for “Press Release”, and it is a fantastic means of getting your information out there quickly and virally. There is a relatively small cost, but there is huge bang for your buck. Here’s why:

  • Targeted distribution – choose which verticals or regions to have your story released. For instance, if you are a software development company that does work for the US Government, then you can release to the technical and government media outlets only. Keep in mind, the more outlets you choose, the more the initial cost.
  • Increased website traffic – Press releases published on one of the e-media outlets will have your website link provided within it. Those who have reviewed your release and want more information will click through the link or check out the website.
  • Gain Credibility – When people read a press release, it automatically gives your and your business credibility.
  • Help build a brand – Press releases get your business name into the minds of your target audience. The more a potential customer sees your business being mentioned, the more likely they will remember it the next time they, or someone they know, needs your products or services.
  • Lasting impression – There are many sites that “replicate” press releases, and they are highly visible by search engines. I still find traffic generated by press releases I was involved in back in 2004 (6 years ago).
  • Get free publicity – With the right title and story, you can get local news outlets (both television and print) interested and do a story on you, your business or your products/services.

The idea here is quality, not quantity. The best way to do that is to make sure the release is a story and not simply an advertisement for your business. I see businesses with press releases that mention a promotion within their company or that they won a certain contract. Your customers probably won’t care. Again, your customers don’t care about you or your website, but rather want you to solve their problems. Choose your story, title and release distribution carefully, and use the “inverted pyramid” approach when writing your story:

Some tips when writing a press release:

  • Have a real story – Make your story about how you can solve your customer’s ills. Telling people what a great company you are or telling people who was recently promoted and why won’t generate the kind of interest you seek.
  • Tell the story – Use the inverted pyramid approach. The first 10 words are the most important. Tell the story in a sentence or two, and then talk about who said it, and then go into details.
  • Catchy title – Make the title catchy and meaningful, even (almost) outrageous. Just don’t lie. For instance, a release I was involved in previously said that our company was going to take on a technology giant in one of their products. It got propagated on the web quickly and we also got interviewed by local media outlets. Our story was true and it was a potential Oklahoma success story that local TV stations wanted to tell.
  • Just the facts, ma’am – Tell the facts, avoid excessive adjectives and “markety” language (or language the user might not understand).
  • Be the customer – You really have to put yourself in your customer’s shoes and tell the story was they want to hear it. Ask yourself, “How are people going to relate to this and will they be able to connect?”
  • Quality vs. quantity – Don’t cry wolf with too many press releases. Make sure you wait until you have something with enough substance to issue a release. “Feel good” stories also make great press release stories, and are almost sure to get more exposure with local media.
  • Don’t forget the contact info - Provide as much contact information as possible, such as contact name, address, phone, fax, email, Website, Twitter and Facebook addresses.

If you would like more information about how you can use press releases to advance your business, please contact Websites That Work at 405-343-7116.