Press Release for Business Exposure

A big issue facing all businesses – home, small, or large – is marketing or getting the word on the street.  How can others learn about my product and services?  Tweets, Facebook posts, emails and posting notices may help, but may not be enough.  This is a significant challenge if a business is locally based; more so when no brick and mortar presence (store front) is visible to passersby.  Internet businesses and home business fall into this category too.

Consider a press release.  The media is still the most significant and powerful form of marketing yet invented and provides instant credibility and exposure.  How often have we heard “I read it in…” or “I heard it on…” so it must be true?  This concept, known as ‘social proof‘, prods people to browse or purchase. A story in a local newspaper or trade publication is often a golden ticket for curious shoppers and can instantly create clientele.

Press releases are used on the Internet too, potentially creating traffic from search engines such as Google or Yahoo and exposing a business to a larger audience.  This is a major advantage when a target market is geographically large or the business sells via the Internet.

Tips for writing a winning press release

- Consider the ‘newsworthy’ nature of the release.  Why would a journalist write your story?  A journalist writes to sell copy – the article – not your product or service.  Give them something unique and they’ll gladly write about it. FOR FREE!  Both sides win; the writer sells more copy and the business gains clients.

- What is unique or distinctive about your product or service? Have you recently opened a theme restaurant or patented the Chia Chinchilla?  Do you have a new product or service for your target area?  This product or service may have succeeded elsewhere but is fresh and original where you are.

- Write in an inverted pyramid style.  This is different than fictional writing in which a story builds.  In a press release, put the important points first – who, what, where, when, how, why – and leave the details for the second half.  Readers like to skim and the first lines must catch their attention.

- Be short and to the point.  300 to 500 words, no more.  Be concise, simple, and relevant.

- The title of your release should be less than 10 words.  More becomes an article and is boring.  Make it catchy and grab the reader.

- Include contact information.  Address, phone number, web site (URL), or email.  Ensure the person that responds to inquiries knows the product or service.  Don’t turn off new clients with bad information.

- Use PRWeb.  Prweb.com is an Internet press release distribution service.  A business owner and friend of Homepreneurs, Craig Knickerbocker of American Industrial Werks,  comments:  “I highly recommend if at all possible spending the extra money on the press release service that will get your release listed in the search engines. Usually this will happen within 24 hours of release. For PRweb this cost at this time is about $200.00. This is how you get the search engines to follow your links (called backlinks) which you will of course included in your press release. I can’t stress enough how much difference this makes in boosting your site with the search engines.”

Many resources are available for your business to become known: Facebook, Twitter, mass media, Prweb.com and more.  Use them to boost your visibility.

By Dion D Shaw

Dion D Shaw is the founder and owner of Homepreneurs

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunity.

Disclaimer

Homepreneurs does not endorse nor have any relationships with any of the services listed (other than American Industrial).  Homepreneurs receives no compensation or consideration for its suggestions.  Homepreneurs strongly urges all interested parties to conduct research and accepts no responsibility for any losses incurred.

© Homepreneurs 2010 – 2012, All Rights Reserved

7 Ways To Promote Your Business Online For Free

Every business needs promotion, regardless of size. This is especially true for the home and small business ventures that don’t have large box stores or sell online.  The big question: what are some effective yet cost-effective ways of marketing?  In the article, 7 Ways to Promote Your Business Online for Free, Kim Bhasin brings out several suggestions that are fairly easy and FREE.  Free does not mean cheap, ineffective or any less valuable.  To the contrary, many of Bhasin’s suggestions use the Internet as a communications media.  Using the Internet allows for potentially huge audiences and customers.  Nothing in history compares to the power and reach of the Internet as a marketing medium.

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7 Ways To Promote Your Business Online For Free

By Kim Bhasin

You may not have wads of cash to spend on marketing in the early stages of your startup, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t effective ways to get your brand out there.

Before the Internet, small businesses only had a few ways to market their products cheaply, through methods like printing out fliers or sponsoring little local events. Now there are all kinds of opportunities out there on the Web—you just need to know where to look.

Here are seven ways to promote your business online that won’t cost you a dime:

1. Use the three big local listing services

Registering your business with Google Places allows it to be found more easily on Google searches and it shows up on Google Maps. All you have to do is fill out the form and register, then get your business verified through their confirmation process, which can be done either with a phone call or snail mail. Yahoo! also has a big database of businesses called Yahoo! Local. It’s free, and is certainly worth the few minutes it takes to set up. Microsoft’s Bing has a similar service that’s easy to sign up for.

2. Embrace social media

Social media isn’t just a tool to gain exposure—it has now become a necessary time investment for every business to make. You can tie in ads and offers on your Facebook page and have a direct channel with your customers on Twitter. Networking on LinkedIn—both at the personal and company level—can be another way to help your startup.

3. Start a blog

A blog not only helps your company get its name out through followers, but is a way to connect with your consumers more directly. But remember that one of the major keys of blogging is to keep your stream updated as frequently as you can. A dormant, abandoned blog is worth nothing.

4. Put up multimedia on YouTube and Flickr

YouTube provides a free way to distribute creative promotional videos, but in order to succeed you must put up content that people want to view and are relevant to your business—a simple ad will not work. A Flickr profile can also help by giving you one place to compile all the photos for your business, and allows you to link back to your website.

5. SEO your company website

Search engine optimization cannot be underestimated in the world of constant Googling. Pick up a book or head over to an online how-to-guide on SEO and make sure your site is primed for performance on search engines.

6. Press releases

Every time your business does something newsworthy, don’t hesitate to shoot off a press release—maybe folks will pick up on it. They’re a powerful media tool to use to help generate publicity, and having free distribution of them is a bonus. There are dozens of websites out there that you can use for your press releases, such as PRLog and 24/7 Press Release.

7. Join a relevant online community and contribute

Every niche has communities online that you can get involved in. But just signing up for a forum and posting every once in a while about your business isn’t beneficial for anyone, and will likely just annoy people. Actively contribute and build a rapport with the community, while keeping your business out of it. Passively promote your business by putting a link in your signature or mentioning it only when the context is appropriate.

Kim Bhasin is a reporter for the War Room section of Business Insider. Previously he worked for a financial and strategic management consulting firm.

He is also currently a graduate student in Business and Economic Reporting at New York University. Kim holds an MBA in Strategic Management from Pace University and a BSc in Business Administration from Sacred Heart University.

Article Source:

 

http://www.openforum.com/articles/7-ways-to-promote-your-business-online-for-free?intlink=us-openf-nav-ymal-t9a7pv4r6

 

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunities.

Homepreneurs Success Story – StellaredgePR

Homepreneurs is fortunate to meet some very talented entrepreneurs through this blog.  If appropriate for this forum, we love to share their success stories.  For this post, we were able to interview a web designer – Lindsay Coats – that we’ve worked with on other website projects.  I have seen Lindsay’s work and can attest to her ability to manage projects, work within a budget, and deliver the requested product on-time.  Lindsay not only has creative talent, but she is people-oriented and essentially an extension of your business.

This superior customer service combined with a self-motivated and can-do attitude has made her successful and constantly adds to her clientele. We sat down with Lindsay and asked her 11 questions to see what makes her design business a success:

1) Why did you start your own business?

I had a professor in college, Dr. Gary Ernst, who was very influential in my decision to start my own business. He guided me in the basics on opening my business and gave me the confidence to know that it was even possible.

Over the years, I have had four different home-based businesses. In every case, I started my own business because I love to create… and you can only create so much for yourself before you get bored!

With regards to my current business, Stellar Edge PR (formerly Lindsay Shannon Design), I began self-learning web design while working for my parent’s greenhouse in 1996. It was fairly early in the days of the Internet so things were not nearly as polished and complex as they are now, but it was thrilling to put something together building up all the different pieces and learn as I went.

2) How long has your business existed?  (When was it formed?)

 I worked as a freelance artist from 1999-2007. During this time, I was also employed outside of the home but did web design on the side to earn extra money and fulfill my desire to create. When my son was born in January 2007, I had to make a very important decision – go back to work or officially start my own business (Lindsay Shannon Design). It was a big risk, but it has definitely paid off in so many ways. 

Stellar Edge PR launched in April 2011 when I took on a partner, Sin Van V, and expanded my services beyond just web design.

3) What industry is your business in?

Stellar Edge PR is a public relations company. We provide a full-service offering of event planning, marketing, design, promotions, social media services, and public relations.

4) What are the greatest challenges you face?

One of the hardest things about working from home is balancing my schedule. With two small children (ages 3 and soon to be 5), it is sometimes a struggle to manage everything. Also, it’s hard to shut off. With email and everything being so accessible, it is hard to NOT work sometimes.

5) What advantages does self-employment provide?

 One of the main reasons I started my business was to have the ability to be home with my children. I have spent the last 5 years watching them grow and I love that I was able to be there for all their milestones. Yes, it involved a lot of late night working, but it’s all been worth it. Now that they are older, I can focus more on my business while still allowing myself time to enjoy my family.

Another advantage is the capability to work from virtually anywhere. My parents and my husband’s family all live in different states so it is wonderful to be able to go visit and still work when we are there and not have to worry about being back to work on Monday.

6) Do you have any tips/suggestions for those considering entrepreneurship?

Prepare yourself for months of hard work and not a lot of payoff. There are a lot of things that must go in to a business before you can get anything out of it – marketing, website, business cards, accounting software, materials/inventory, etc. depending on your industry. These are up-front costs that are hard to avoid, but they will allow your business to run smoothly and successfully. Also, think about the future. Even if you plan to start small, keep possible growth in the back of your mind and as you make decisions think, “How will this change or affect my business if I’m more successful?”

7) Do you use social media at all (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)?

Yes. Social media is an important part of marketing and branding any company. It’s interesting to interact with my clients on a different level and create a community of people who have similar interests. This allows for exchange of information and a wonderful opportunity for networking and referrals.  Lindsay and StellaredgePR have a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/stellaredgepr and Twitter page: http://twitter.com/#!/stellaredgepr

8) Where do your greatest number of customers come from?  Word of mouth, networking, social media, advertising.

99% of my work has come from word of mouth. My biggest goal has always been to be an affordable option to working with a major marketing firm. I pride myself in working within a budget and truly becoming an extension of someone’s business allowing them the opportunity to implement a true marketing plan without having to hire someone internally. When you do that and do it well, people talk.

9) If you could change one thing when you started, what would that be?

I wouldn’t change anything. Everything I have encountered along the way has been a learning lesson and has made me the successful business owner I am today.

10) What are the rewards of self-employment?

Personally, I am able to fulfill the drive to create and I enjoy helping others with my skills. Also, I am happy that I can help provide for my family while still doing what I love.

11) What sources do you use to fill in your knowledge gaps? Why?

I have a network of professionals that I have worked with in the past that I am able to consult when I have questions about certain projects. Also, now that I’ve taken on a partner, we are able to bounce ideas off of each other to create an even more dynamic package for our clients. In addition to my human counterparts, I can always count on Google!

Lindsay Coats is an owner of Stellaregdepr, a growing company that specializes in event planning, marketing and design, promotions, and PR and social media.  Stellaredgepr is on the Internet at these sites:

http://www.stellaredgepr.com
http://www.facebook.com/stellaredgepr
http://twitter.com/#!/stellaredgepr

By Dion D. Shaw

Dion D. Shaw is the founder and owner of Homepreneurs.

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunity.

© Homepreneurs 2011

Blogging Tips: Top 7 Blogging Tips

Blogs are used for business, pleasure, opinions or stream of thought.  Homepreneurs is a blog hosted by WordPress.com with close to 400 articles or blog postings available to help you plan and run a home or small business.  Homepreneurs believes that an Internet presence – blog or website – is key to marketing, branding, and sales efforts.  Eventually, a true website is planned to make navigation easier and logical for our readers.

A blog is easier to start and keep running of the options mentioned.  In many cases – WordPress and Blogger are two – blog hosts are free and simple to set up.  More is involved however, if one wishes to either make money or create an information source with a blog.

As a professional blogger, Garish Wasil shares some of his favorite tips to help novice or inexperienced bloggers get started.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogging Tips: Top 7 Blogging Tips

By Garish Wasil

Starting a blog can be a fun experience, but you want more than that. You want to make money with your blog too. There are many things you can do with your blog to help you get more traffic and make more sales, and I’ve listed 7 blogging tips here just to get you started.

1. Post lots of content, and do it often. For one thing, readers like to read blogs that have fresh content published regularly. It’s hard for a reader to get into following you if you only post once in a great while. They don’t have to be monster posts, they just need to be timely and relevant. Also keep in mind that search engines also like to see you publish fresh content often.

2. Put your longtail keywords in your post titles so that people searching those words on a search engine will find your post. It’s nice to have as many people as possible read your posts since you’ve gone to all the work to write and post them – so think of your current readers as well as what you need to do to bring in some organic traffic.

3. Before you even put together a blog post, decide what you want the outcome of that post to be. Is it to promote an affiliate product or your own product? Is it meant to stir up a little controversy so that you get lots of comments and it goes viral? Is it to establish yourself as THE expert? Is it to leak some information and prime the pump before your product launch? You can give solid, valuable information in your post as well as have it point in the direction you want your readers to go next.

4. Keep your blog design pleasing to the eye and structure it so the person coming to your blog isn’t confused as to what he or she should do. What do you want them to do? Read your post then subscribe or buy something? Read your post, laugh at your wit, then go away? Don’t read your post, just click on the AdSense? Whatever you want them to do, don’t have your blog layout so confusing they don’t know where to turn next.

5. Use PLR to help you post more often. A PLR article might give you a spark of an idea for a blog post or you might take some PLR and lightly rewrite it to add your own personality. Either way, it can help you take action and get you publishing your blog on a regular basis.

6. Learn from other great bloggers how to blog. There is always something to learn, whether you’ve been blogging a short while or a long time. Subscribe to the best blogs, listen to what they have to say, and analyze everything about those blogs so you can make yours better.

7. Find out which WP plugins will make your blog friendlier to the search engines as well as to people. Readers like plugins like Comment Luv because it means if they leave a comment on your blog, their last blog post link will show under their comment. This encourages more comments, which is a good thing.

These are some of my favorite blogging tips. There is always more you can do with your blog to make it better, even if you’ve been blogging for years. So keep on learning, testing, tweaking, and posting.

Garish Wasil is a professional blogger and internet marketer. He blogs at his blogging tips blog vast9 and prefers Blog Mastermind to all to become a successful blogger and internet marketer. Every passionate blogger should checkout this.

Article Source:

http://howtouseblogger.com/blogging-tips-top-7-blogging-tips/

How to Create Your Business’s Tagline

July 19, 2011 -

By Bill Chiaravalle and Barbara Findlay Schenck

A tagline is a phrase that accompanies your brand name to quickly translate your business’s positioning and brand identity into a single line (a tagline) that means something to consumers. A tagline is meant to provide consumers with an indication of your brand and its market position in just a few memorable words.

Great taglines have a number of common attributes. When writing your tagline, see that it meets these criteria:

• It’s memorable. You hear it, memorize it quickly, and repeat it with ease.
• It’s short. Great taglines often have as few as ten syllables so that they’re quick to recite and easy to tuck in alongside logos.
• It conveys a brand’s point of difference. The tagline tells what sets your brand apart from others.
• It clarifies a brand’s market position and key benefits. Especially if the brand name doesn’t quickly communicate the brand’s offerings and distinctions.
• It differentiates a business from all others. In fact, a great tagline is so unique that it doesn’t work when linked to a competitor’s brand name.
• It reflects the brand’s identity, character, promise, and personality. It also needs to be believable and original.

A great tagline manages to excel on most or all of these fronts while also avoiding a couple of major tagline mistakes:

• It invokes positive feelings without running the risk of triggering sarcastic retorts.
• It appeals to consumers. In other words, the tagline needs to work as a consumer magnet.
• It adds to the meaning of the brand name without repeating any of the same words or concepts.

Source: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-create-your-businesss-tagline.html