Resources
Press release writing template
As promised here’s my News Release template which you are welcome to use. It’s in Word format and you are welcome to download it. If you are still experiencing difficulties, we do offer a press release writing and copywriting service which is based on the number or press releases you would need.
The service is by return and the releases are written by Laurence Thompson who is an experienced copywiter and au fait with the need to write copy which is search engine optimised as well as appealing to busy journalists. A typical price would be $77 per press release and $147 for a campaign of three. Payment by Paypal on delivery.
Contact me at keith@effective-media.co.uk if you would like to take advantage of the service. But otherwise please feel free to browse my blog and load up on resources:-
Tools you might need to distribute your copy or develop your sales content:-
This is your completely automated email system for outgoing and incoming mail which includes an autoreponder and advanced list building function. Ideal for press release distribution!
Whether we write the copy for you or not, we use Ebook Pro for our own business and incredibly impressed with its ability to lock your book and distribute it using Mailloop above.
Having used submitters in the early days which were dreadful to use and largely ineffective, Viral Submitter Pro will allow you to submit your content on autopilot to all the crucial social bookmarking, article sites and Craig’s List without getting yourself banned.
Integrated Social Media
Online to Survival
Here’s the news from the front. Video News Releases and Online promos are the next big thing. This is a presentation I used to illustrate how new media can be used to enhance the marketing mix of any small business during my time at Wirral TV.
Marketing and PR for Small Business 2 97
Any PR pro who doesn’t embrace the new technologies has about five years left in the business. I am not saying newspapers will disappear. It’s clear that their branding is strong enough to provide a viable advertising medium. So yes we’ll still be putting out news releases until the cows come home. But there’s no doubt that the landscape will continue changing as budgets are placed with CPC (Cost Per Click) and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
Here is a simple example of how a small business could benefit: An online promo could be produced which is placed on the home page of their website. This is becomes the pivot. The video is then tagged to reflect the business it is there to promote. So if it’s “widgets for dogs,” the tags in the HTML should reflect variation of the same. Next to the video should be a newsletter where people can subscribe. Converting viewers to potential customers is a long shot but it just might work!
This is all very well but how do you stimulate more customers to the website? There are various ways and not necessarily expensive:-
Social Media
I am coming out. I tried to avoid Facebook and co. like the plague for as long as I had to avoid answering messages such as “RU ok. Gud to see ya xxxx” or discuss my relationship status to all and sundry. But it’s here to stay. The branding of these sites might change over the years but the principle of networking stays the same. The internet defined is simply people saying “hello.” In history they’d say “hello” in a field and then a telephone box, a home phone, a mobile and now online. Nothing has changed! Some of the facilities on Facebook allow you to invite people to events, share ideas and hey even sell products!
Cost Per Click
What’s a PR guy bleating on about Cost Per Click for? Well this PR guy was actually on the launch for Microsoft Ad Center UK. Having had access to private accounts, I was knocked out by the potential for serious money to be made on the internet. Choose the correct keywords for your niche, fine tune your demographics and you have THE most precise marketing method known to this species. This will drive traffic to your online promo.
Media Relations
Obviously articles in the local paper, radio and TV help, but let’s think outside the box here. If you have a video news release or online promo you should send it to the digital editors of the websites owned by the newspaper groups. It can’t be assumed that the editorial policy for one follows the other. When I was promoting a concert in Liverpool, I asked if our promo could be placed in the editorial section of Liverpool.com. Sometimes they will run the footage for up to to three weeks. Despite the ongoing training of journalists to use camera and sound equipment, these website are still short of quality footage. If they can link it back to your site, the effort is worthwhile. Do be aware though that editors might ask for a shorter version than the one you have.
Look out for future posts about integrated online marketing and PR when I will be exploring in greater detail some of the “how to” and prevalent issues.
How a simple lemon could change company image overnight
It was corporate guru Tom Peters who made an impression on me when he advocated that it doesn’t matter how good a business thinks it is, if its reception areas and signage are defective, this can have a huge impact on its perception by prospective customers. As a young, enthusiastic advertising executive I thought creative campaigns could solve everything. But like most things in life, the simple ideas are the most effective. Take simple lemon for example.
I once worked for a marketing and pr agency who used to offer lemon with their tea and a choice of coffees. When you reach their reception areas, most companies ask whether you would your tea or coffee white or black. This one decided that while clients were waiting to see someone in reception or in a board room, the lemon would add to the total experience of the visit. It did. It was (so to speak) an ice breaker.
Another client of mine noticed that someone had written graffiti on the company toilets. An hour before an important meeting with his client, he had the presence of mind to go in there himself and clean the walls. Meanwhile his assistant peeled a few lemons to serve with the tea!
I’m not talking about a whole campaign here, I am just talking about basic human hospitality. Customer care usually boils down to common decency and a touch of creativity. It’s usually the simple things which take you further than your competitors.
The company I worked for then started buying in various coffees and offered a mini menu while guests were waiting in Reception. The outlay is so small but the warmth it generates about the company is worth at least the cost of a couple of “awareness raising” ads in the trade press.
You are a customer yourself. Pick a supplier or even you local supermarket and think of a couple of things which bug you and suggest ways of putting it right. You could turn your attention to an internet company. The web is no different. If a company home page takes ten minutes to download, they obviously haven’t thought of the customer.
In future editions, we’d like to keep up to date with similar tips , you have found useful. Write to us with your ideas and we will include them here. Also if there is something that irritates you about this web site I need to know. Only your best friends will tell you. So tell me!
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