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Posts Tagged ‘keywords’

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Social Media 101: Put Together a Strategy in 6 Easy Steps

July 26th, 2012 ::

Social Media 101

If you are just getting started with social media for your small business, putting together a strategy can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you’ll need to take to put together a basic social media strategy:

1. Decide what your goals are.

The best way to stay motivated and not get discouraged is by deciding what your goals are. Are you going to use social media to increase sales, generate leads, build brand awareness, become a thought leader in your industry, or a combination of all four?  Your answer doesn’t matter.  What does matter is that you know why you want to use social media in the first place.

2. Determine keywords.

If you want to get found online – including on social media – you need to use the words and phrases your potential customers use when conducting a search. You can easily find that information with keyword discovery tool WordTracker.  Once you choose the best terms for you, incorporate them in all content, headlines, status updates and tweets.

3. Find your audience.

While you may think you have to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Pinterest, you won’t know what social media platforms you need to use until you find out where your audience is spending time. To find them – and find out what they’re talking about – you’ll want to use social listening tools like Flowtown, SocialMention or ViralHeat.

4. Choose a social conversation tool.

Save time and make your life easier by setting up an account with a social media conversation tool like Hootsuite, Jugnoo, Postling or Sprout Social. You’ll be able to respond to comments and questions, actively engage with people in real-time, and even assign conversations to other people at your business.

5. Put together a list of topics.

Since you already know what your audience is talking about online, putting together a list of topics to post will be easier.  Here’s what you’ll want to share:

  • Curated relevant industry news
  • Company news that will affect your customers
  • Links to your blog posts, white papers, ebooks and other marketing collateral on the topics you already know your audience is interested in
  • Photos and videos from everyday work life and events
  • Answers to FAQs

Remember to mix up the content to keep things interesting, let your personality shine through, and always be positive, even if you are dealing with an irate customer who is lambasting you with angry tweets.

6. Analyze and tweak.

If you owned a restaurant and there were two dishes customers never ordered off your menu, you would remove them, right?  Same with your social media strategy.  If something is not working, tweak what you’re doing. Use social media analytics tools like Crowd Booster, Google Analytics or Swix to make sure you’re using the right social media platforms and sharing the information your audience cares about.

***

Did I leave anything out of this post that you are curious about how to do?  Leave a comment below so I can address your questions in future posts.

Image courtesy of socialmarcom.com

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Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 4 Comments »

3 Steps to Results-Oriented Content Marketing Programs

April 27th, 2012 ::

Moneyball

Those of us who call ourselves “wordsmiths” may be tempted to ignore or shy away from numbers. We believe in the power of the word and see the potential of well-written copy to get results in our marketing and communications efforts.

But, according to Chris Sietsema, even content marketing has a numeric formula for writing copy that is sure to get powerful results. In this article, I will share his formula for producing winning content marketing programs, based on lessons learned from the movie Moneyball.

Just as Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane used statistical analysis to put together a winning team on a limited budget, marketers can put together a winning editorial schedule based on three primary numbers:

1.  Revenue

When brainstorming content ideas for your editorial schedule, the first step is to determine the concepts that relate to your company’s money makers – the products and services that actually bring in the bucks. Which topics offer the most potential for generating revenue? Focus on the questions customers and clients ask you about your products and services, as well as on how you provide them with value and enhance their lives. Create a robust list to refine in the next steps.

2.  Search

Once you have created a list of revenue-generating content ideas, determine their search potential. Using a tool like Google’s Keyword Tool, validate which content elements will be searched for by your target customers or clients. As you use the tool, watch for additional content ideas you may not have thought of initially. What you are evaluating are the search volume numbers, broken down into daily, weekly and monthly metrics.

3.  Social

Finally, you’ll want to hone in on the social potential of your content ideas because great content encourages interaction on your blog and social networking communities. Using social monitoring tools, such as Sysomos and SM2, will help you discover what content elements are generating conversations online. Metrics like tweets, blog post hits, and Likes, will help you track these conversations around your keywords. To get an overview of your social potential, add up the metrics from each media channel you are tracking.

Now let’s put these numbers to work. To help analyze your data, create a scale of varying degrees of revenue, search and social volume. A simple scale, such as 1=low and 5=high, will work just fine. This scale system will help you find the content that has the best chance of performing according to the three variables above. For example, a content idea may have a revenue rating of 5, but a search rating of 2. How might you tweak this idea so that it is search-worthy? Or, do you have other ideas that yield high ratings across the board?

After assigning ratings to all of your content ideas, it’s time to determine which ones made the cut and which ones to toss. The goal is to find content that is 1) relatable to a revenue-generating product or service you offer, 2) highly searched for by your target audience, and 3) discussed and commented on in the blogosphere and on social networks. The content gems will have all three elements, and some of your other content ideas may just need some tweaking to live up to their marketing potential. Fill your editorial schedule with only the best content ideas that are proven to give you a winning content marketing program.

How about you? Do you have a numeric system for finding the best ideas for your content marketing strategy?

Image courtesy of watch-moneyball-movie.blogpost.com

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Posted in Marketing | No Comments »

10 Reasons Why Google Hates Your Blog

March 19th, 2012 ::

Why Google hates your blog

It may sound harsh, but it is possible that Google hates your blog. I know, I know – it’s hard to hear. But you can do something about it by eliminating the problem areas keeping your blog and Google from being friends. Here, in no particular order, are ten reasons why Google has a beef with your blog.

1.  You aren’t using your readers’ keywords.

So you’ve taken the time to come up with keywords for your blog and are sprinkling them into your posts so they read seamlessly. That is a great start, but what if your readers aren’t using the same keywords as you?

Good SEO requires an understanding of what people search for when they look for content such as yours. To hone in on the best keywords, put yourself in your readers’ shoes and ask, “If someone were searching for content like mine, which search terms would they type into Google? Those are your new keywords. Using the same words and phrases your readers use will help them find you in a Google search and increase your blog’s traffic.

2.  Your blog headlines don’t include your main keyword.

Precise, strategic marketing requires following SEO guidelines that deliver results. Good SEO practice involves placing keywords in your blog posts’ headlines (h1 text) and subheadings (h2 text) because these areas are weighted more than regular text. Be sure not to overlook these prime areas when placing keywords – doing so means missed SEO opportunities.

3.  You don’t link to older blog posts.

To help your readers discover other great content you’ve produced, you should always create links between your blog posts. If your blog is focused on a subject area, such as social media marketing, you will likely refer to information from your previous posts on a regular basis. Use this opportunity to reference this information with a link back to your older post, which will keep readers on your blog site longer. Google loves links, so try to include keywords in the copy that links back to older posts, to get the full SEO benefit.

4.  You aren’t linking to other bloggers.

Even though this tip may seem contradictory to the last one, you can get some SEO benefit from sending your readers to other blogs. Google likes to see bloggers sharing high-quality content with their audiences, even when that content was produced by another writer. Your readers will appreciate it too because occasionally sending them to other, helpful blog posts will add value to their own reading experience. To do this, consider writing a “best of” list post or simply incorporating a blogroll into your sidebar.

5.  You aren’t using enough bullet lists in your posts.

If you want Google to love your blog, use bullet lists. While they don’t have quite the effect on SEO as headlines, subheadings and links, bullet lists are more important to Google than regular text. Another plus for using bullet lists is that they help readers absorb your content more effectively. Use these lists to break up long passages of text, and don’t forget to use keywords. Placing them in first couple of words in each bullet works best.

6.  You aren’t using social media to promote your blog.

In its quest to provide valuable and relevant search results, Google is using social recommendations to decide whether your content is worthy. When people mention and link to your blog on social media, Google takes notice. Build a community around your blog using social media, and be active to get the comments going.

7.  You don’t use share buttons on your blog. 

To facilitate the previous tip, include share buttons on each and every post you write. Make it easy for readers to share your content with their own social networks by encouraging tweets and likes. Not only does Google like to see social recommendations on your own social media platforms, but it also likes to see your content being shared by everyone else. Besides increased Google love, you’ll also gain a larger audience for your blog.

8.  You confuse Google with too many topics.

I think it’s great to have a lot of different passions, but Google does not agree – at least from an SEO point of view. The best blogs are tightly focused on one main subject area. If your blog is too scattered, Google will not understand how to categorize it. And, if Google can’t decipher it, chances are it won’t get found. Your readers will appreciate your focus, too, because they know your blog will consistently provide valuable information on the topic they care most about.

9.  You don’t encourage comments.

Inviting your blog readers to leave comments creates a community around your blog posts. This sense of community is valuable for branding and enriching your blog, and it has SEO benefits, too. Comments add on to the content you’ve already created and give your blog a freshness that Google loves. An active commenting section also shows Google that your posts are still relevant to readers, long after they’ve been published. So get the conversation going with a question or simply an invitation to share after each post.

10.  Your blog is riddled with broken links.

Google hates broken links because they give the impression that you aren’t maintaining your blog. Broken links also create hiccups as Google is crawling your blog posts, because the crawlers keep running into dead ends. Simply put, broken links are bad for SEO, so check for them regularly to keep Google from getting frustrated.

***

After reading this list of ten reasons Google may hate your blog, you may be thinking that Google is very particular and perhaps bit persnickety. Just remember that good SEO practice is usually good practice for your readers, too. Making the changes above will help you and your blog be loved by readers and Google alike.

What other tips can you offer to keep the Google love flowing?

Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae

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Posted in Marketing | 4 Comments »

How To Be a Pro at SEO: Part 1

January 3rd, 2012 ::
This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series How to Be a Pro at SEO

SEO Part 1

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, as a concept is pretty simple:  Write content using a proven structure filled with targeted keywords, and people will be able to find you online.  Actually putting your SEO plan into action is another story; the process can be tricky and rife with costly trial and error.

This two-part series will help you master the techniques SEO pros use to draw targeted online traffic to their sites like a magnet.  The first article will provide a refresher on SEO as well as the tactics for mastering on-page SEO.  The second article will cover tactics for creating off-page SEO plus reveal tips for recognizing poor SEO.  Practice these methods yourself, and you can become a pro, too.

The Nuts and Bolts of a Solid SEO Strategy

SEO Review

When you use SEO, you are literally making your website more visible to potential customers and clients.  As search engines consider which pages to display, and in what order, they use two criteria: relevance of the content on your website and who’s linking to you.  These criteria help the search engines understand what your site is all about and who will find it useful, as well as how many other people out there have already found it useful and relevant enough to link to.

To rank high in search results, build your content around long-tail keywords.  This concept refers to steering clear of generic terms many people will be searching and competing on, and instead focusing on specific search terms that will produce qualified leads.

For example, when someone types “winery packages” into a search engine, they are likely to be bombarded with results, and your website will be lost in the mess if you used those broad keywords.  But if they type “holiday winery getaway packages in Northern Virginia,” their results will be much more targeted.  So, if those long-tail keywords are yours, the user will find you easily–and probably be more inclined to become a customer since you have exactly what they’re searching for.

Keywords Count

Before I get into the elements of on-page SEO, let’s discuss keywords.  As I mentioned, you want to be thinking about the long-tail keywords that are likely to drive specific traffic to your site, while not having to compete with too many other websites.

Don’t just think of keywords that use the language of your industry.  What you call “SEO,” your customers might call “getting a higher Google rank.”  Think of how your customers would search for you, including the phrases they would use.

To get the most keyword bang for your keyword buck, try to come up with a set of related keywords that will cover the variations users are likely to search with.  The real challenge is using your keywords in variations so they sound natural.  For example, if your keywords are “first novel,” “publish book,” and “write a book,” you can wrangle all these keywords into a naturally flowing title:  “Your first novel:  How to write and publish your book.”

Sometimes it helps to write the first draft of your web copy without worrying too much about SEO.  Then, as you edit, bring in variations of your keywords to get the page SEO-worthy.  This method can help you write more naturally while still utilizing good SEO techniques.

Types of SEO

Basically, there are two types of SEO: on-page SEO and off-page SEO.  Both are important for a thorough SEO strategy.

On-page SEO refers to the elements of your SEO strategy that are employed directly on your website.  These elements are completely within your control, so you should do everything you can to optimize them.  There are six areas to optimize for on-page SEO to be sure you have all your bases covered.

  • Content:  Creating engaging and relevant content is a must, but you should also consider the way you format your web pages so the search engine crawlers can digest your content.  Give each web page a thought-provoking headline that grabs the reader’s attention and includes the keywords the page covers.  Bolding certain keywords is another way to emphasize the phrases your page is optimized for.
  • URL:  The structuring of your URL affects the search engine’s ability to index and rank your website.  Aim for an organized URL structure by editing it to include the title of your web page rather than settling for the random string of letters and numbers most web creation software generates.
  • Images:  To help search bots see the photos on your website, use their file names to describe the image.  Consider adding Alt tags to your images as well, to tag each photo on your site for easier indexing.
  • Tags:  Tags are little text snippets that provide information to the search engines.  I already mentioned Alt tags, but you also need to use title tags, meta tags and headline tags to let the search engine’s crawlers know exactly what your web pages are all about.
    • Title tags appear in the upper left corner of your browser and appear as a blue link on a search engine results page.  You are limited to about 75 characters here, so choose your words carefully.
    • Meta tags come in two forms.  Meta description tags literally describe your web page to viewers on a search results page, and you’re limited to about 150 characters here.  Though not used as much as they once were, it’s still a good idea to include variations of your keywords as meta keywords within your HTML code.
    • Headline tags show search engine crawlers the outline of information covered on your web pages, so you should put important keywords within these tags.
    • Links:  Internal linking is a useful way to reference other pages within your website.  Use anchor text around these links to help the search engines know what type of content you are linking to.

Now, you should have a good start in building a successful SEO strategy.  In the next article, I’ll cover ways to implement your off-page SEO strategy, and I’ll give you some pointers on how to spot bad SEO.

Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae

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Posted in Marketing, Search Marketing | 1 Comment »

3 Ways SEO Will Help You Optimize YouTube Videos

December 16th, 2011 ::

SEO and YouTube

We all crave a YouTube success story. We upload videos about our products or services – perhaps a new product demo or an interview with the local news channel – and dream of the millions of hits we’ll get overnight that will lead to a huge increase in business.

In reality, over the next few days as you eagerly check the stats, even after posting a backlink to the video on your website, in your blog, and on your Facebook page, you sheepishly realize your video is, to put it mildly, not exactly a Number One hit. Out of 14 hits five are from your immediate family and three are from your employees.

Fortunately, there are a number of small tweaks you can make to get the most out of your YouTube videos. It’s all about understanding search enginge optimization (SEO) and marketing your video as dynamically as you market your company, products and services. A great example of this can be found in The Sales Lion’s “Video Marketing and YouTube for Small Business Success: Anyone Can Do It.”

1. Pick the right keywords

Use Google’s Keyword Research Tool or a similar free online product to figure out what customers are searching for – and pick up some pointers in Greg Jarboe’s article on Search Engine Watch, “YouTube Keyword Tool and Video Optimization Techniques.”

Some of the search terms people use are odd and nonintuitive, so don’t skip this step.  If you sell toasters, and you don’t know that your potential customers search for “bread griller,” that missed connection is costing you views.

2. Add your keywords everywhere

Clever and pithy video titles don’t get pulled up in search results, so feel free to make it long enough to include all of your search keywords. For example, “Bread Griller Toaster Heater” is going to draw in more hits than “Our New Product!”

Follow the same rules for the video description, tags and your company profile. The more frequently your keywords appear, the more often potential customers will be directed to your video.

3. Give them information they need to take action

Now that people are finding your video, give them enough information to make an impact and spur them to take action. Upload your transcript to make your video extra-searchable, include call-to-action overlays to let potential customers know where they can go for more information, add your website address to your video, and include an annotation to direct people to other videos or subscribe to your channel.

Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae

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Posted in Marketing, Search Marketing, Social Media | 2 Comments »

How to Use Keywords to Improve Your Blog’s Search Results

December 12th, 2011 ::

Keywords

If you have never thought to use keyword research as a way to improve the visibility of your blog posts, think again.

Whenever we search for information online, what do we do?  We do a Google (or Bing, or Yahoo) search.  It makes sense, then, that if you want your blog to get found and read (and shared and commented on), you should include the keywords people are currently using in their searches.

For instance, I just did a search for web video templates for another blog post I was writing.  Not only did I find companies that offer templates, but I found plenty of blog posts, articles, and videos about web videos in general and web video templates specifically in the search results.

Now, the term “web video” is a very broad keyword search term and is therefore pretty competitive.  Whether you are a management consultant, graphic designer, plumber, or attorney, you’ll run into the same problem: broad keywords won’t help you get found because they are used so often.

You need to do 2 things to find better keywords: 1.) get more specific and find less competitive keywords, and 2.) hone in on those keywords that could generate huge traffic.

Let’s use an attorney as our example, because I know a bunch of super fun and very capabile attorneys who must compete in this very broad category.

Our attorney specializes in employment law; specifically litigating discrimination cases.  He is writing a series of blog posts about employment law that are aimed at small businesses.

Using Market Samurai (you can download a free trial version that is good for 2 weeks), I searched “employment law” and got 47 million results.  This blog post, though, is a guide for small businesses – that gets 15.2 million results –that focuses on racial disrimination – that gets just under 3.5 million results.

So you see, the more our attorney focused on keywords specific to this particular blog post, the better the chance his blog post will be found online.

To really take advantage of search engine optimization, our attorney needs to use those keywords in the title of his post, in subheadings in the body of his post, in the text itself (of course!), and in the image tags.

Try it yourself and see if it helps your blog posts generate more traffic!

Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae.

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Posted in Marketing, Search Marketing | 2 Comments »

7 Ways to Integrate Social Media with Your Marketing Plan

December 8th, 2011 ::

Social media and marketing plans

Social Media B2B recently published a fantastic blog post with very practical tips for integrating social media into your marketing plan.  I have added to their tips other ideas I have seen used – or used myself – to bring you these 7 straightforward ways to improve your marketing efforts across the board.

1. Put your website in sync with your marketing plan.

If you are promoting something via social media – from a white paper to an ebook, guide, free trial or sample, or demo – make sure you send people somewhere on your website where they will find what they are looking for.  It could be a landing page specifcially created for the campaign, or just an existing page on your website.  Whatever it is, you need to make sure that it will lead people through the necessary steps they need to follow to get whatever it is you are promoting.

2.  Make it easy for visitors to discover useful content.

Once you have someone on your website, whether it is that campaign-specific landing page or an existing page, keep them there with more useful content.  Add links to additional content they might like, like other blog posts, ebooks, free samples, etc.

3. Add social buttons everywhere.

Add links to your social profiles wherever it makes sense – your blog, home page, landing pages, “contact us” page, and even in your team’s bios (linking to their accounts, obviously – as long as they are using them for work-related purposes only).  Make sure you tell your Web visitors what kind of information they can expect to receive when they follow you on Facebook or Twitter.

4. Support advertising.

If traditional print advertising still generates enough leads to make it cost-effective, don’t stop.  Help it deliver an even higher return on investment by creating a blog post that provides more information on what you mentioned in the ad.  You can also add a QR code to the ad that links to a page on your website.

5. Socialize email.

Go beyond adding social media buttons to valuable email marketing messages.  Use social media to ask people to sign up for your email list and announce when those emails are going out.

6. Generate leads with keywords.

Search Twitter and LinkedIn for keywords that aren’t just industry-specific, but pain-point-specific as well.  People complain about problems when they are looking for a solution, so take advantage of that!

7. Promote events.

Promote events on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and, if you are a bricks-and-mortar business, Foursquare.  Add links to information in a blog post, a landing page with more information, and/or a site where they can RSVP or buy tickets  (like EventBrite).  If you use Foursquare, add a special badge for the event – or a special badge for your best customers only.

Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae

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Posted in Marketing, Social Media | 4 Comments »

5 Website Mistakes to Avoid – and How to Fix Them

October 11th, 2011 ::

Because I write and edit website content on a regular basis, I am constantly running into common mistakes that everyone – small businesses, high-tech startups and well-established mid-sized companies – regularly makes.  Here are the top five I see most often, along with how to fix them:

1. Keywords mushed into the content

When I write website content, I add the keywords a company wants to use for SEO once the content has been approved.  I simply replace words and terms that are already there with the ones that the search engines will reward, but I always, always, always focus on readability.

If you just mush as many keywords as you can into the content with no thought about keeping the flow natural and sentences readable, you will make the content so hard to read that it’ll actually end up sounding fake and forced.

2. The “About Us” page is not about you

The About Us page should delve deeply into your company and go beyond what you do, rather than regurgitating the benefits and features of your products and services.  What is your philosophy? How do you do what you do?  How are you different from competitors?

You also want to briefly introduce the people who matter – the founders, the company leadership, your advisors.  Their bios should be short and friendly.  List their role at the company and a brief background that illustrates their expertise and experience.  I also like to include some personal stuff to make them more approachable and “real.”

3. Auto-play audio or video

When you arrive at a website for the first time, do you like to be accosted by auto-play audio and video?  Me neither.  The worst is when you can’t even find the “stop” button and you have to scramble to turn down the volume.

Think carefully about adding an auto-play feature, as it is basically the equivalent of a salesperson who won’t shut up glomming onto you as soon as you walk through the door.  No one likes to have something forced on them. Add your audio or video, but give your site visitors the option of listening to or watching it.

4. Hard-to-find contact info

There is no reason your contact information should be hidden.  If you have a home office, get a post office box, but you should have your mailing address, phone number and email visibly displayed on your site.

5. Confusing site navigation

It should be super easy for your website visitors to not only find what they are looking for on you site, but also find their way back to where they started.  Leave breadcrumbs scattered around by hyperlinking your logo to the home page and adding a home page button on each page.  But also make sure that when they enter your services or products sections, it is easy for them to start their search over again.

Image by Flickr user Paul Downey (Creative Commons)

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Posted in Marketing, Web Design | 2 Comments »

How to Write Engaging Website Content That Will Generate Leads Part 3

August 30th, 2011 ::
This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Writing website content that generates leads

Full notebook

Even though I regularly write website content for other companies without a problem, I know how hard it is to write your own copy.  In fact, I struggled with mine for a month till I felt like I got it right!  So, I put together a three-part series that details how to do it properly so you will connect with your target market to the point that they can’t wait to work with/buy from you.

I already covered how to define your target market and services and write your value proposition in part 1, the beginning.  In part 2, the middle, I discussed what pages you need to include and in what order on your website and what to write on each page.  Now, we’ll put the finishing touches on the website.

1. Write the Home Page

The home page is always the last thing I write.  You need to be happy with the rest of your website content first.  So, on your home page, you immediately state who your company is, who your clients are, and what you do for them.  In other words, this is where your value proposition is going.

Then expand a bit on how, overall, you help your clients.  The very last thing you include is a list of the products and services you offer.

2. Write Calls-to-Action

So now you have all this great content that engages your target market and gets them, well, if not excited to buy from/work with you, interested in learning more and talking to you.

To get them to take that next step and do something by adding a call-to-action (CTA) on each page that urges them to contact you via email or phone.  It will read something like this: “If you are interested in taking your social media marketing efforts to the next level, contact us today.”  Hyperlink “contact us” to your Contact Us page.

You might be able to use one CTA on every page, but most likely you will want to customize it a bit for each product/service page.  You will also add one to the home page, and a really strong, longer one to the actual Contact Us page.

3. Integrate Keywords

Because you are going to optimize your website for search (please don’t say you are thinking about doing it – you MUST do it if you want to get found online), you need to integrate keywords into your content.  I do this last.

Ask the search engine optimization expert who is working on your site to do a keyword search based on your products, services, and other industry keywords that you use and are applicable to you.  Go through the list and choose the keywords that have the most relevance for you AND that get high rankings.

Now, read through your website content and make sure those keywords appear on relevant pages.

Image by Flickr user neil conway (Creative Commons)

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Posted in Marketing | No Comments »

How to Turn a Press Release Into a Marketing Campaign

May 10th, 2011 ::

microphoneSo your company has a big announcement to make.  You’ve released a new product, added a new service, published an eBook, or launched a webinar series.  Awesome!  Time to tell the world, so of course one of the first things you’ll do is write a press release.

Once you have written a press release that is chock-full of interesting information that your target market will just gobble up (fingers crossed), don’t limit yourself to distributing it on PRNewswire and PRWeb and, oh yeah, posting it on your website’s news page.  Go a step (OK, a few steps) further and turn it into a full-blown marketing campaign.

It’s not that hard—really. Here’s what to do (though not necessarily in this order):

Distribute on Social Media

Post your press release on Facebook, send it out to your Twitter followers, and share it with your network on LinkedIn.  You’ll reach a lot of eyeballs this way, and they’re not just any eyeballs, either.  They’re the eyeballs of the people who already know and like your company (and maybe you, too).

Pitch Bloggers

Now that I’ve been blogging for Tech Cocktail for a few months, I have started getting pitched directly by companies, which is not only rather flattering, but very helpful since I am the lead editor and therefore in charge of the editorial schedule.  I might not be able to write about the company immediately, but anyone who takes the time to email me gets a little gold star next to their email.

If there are bloggers who cover your industry that you read and admire, go ahead and send them your press release (especially if they have a big readership!).  

Include in Your Newsletter or Email Marketing

Though you may be very well connected on social media, don’t forget that we are all really busy, forget things, and don’t visit our social networks every day.  On the day you publish your big announcement, we could be on vacation.  So, distribute your press release in even more places by including it in your e-newsletter or creating a special email announcement.

Add Keywords

Once your press release is out there, you’ll want even more people to find it via search engines.  Make sure your press release is loaded up with relevant keywords that will ensure your news pops up when people, especially prospects, are searching for information online.

Branding

Think about all the big marketing campaigns from big companies you see every day.  Let’s take Gap, for instance.  Their emails, postcards, print ads, online ads and in-store signage all looks the same.  That’s because when it comes to marketing, consistency is extremely important.  That consistency is what we call branding.

So, no matter where you distribute your press release, keep the tone of voice, style, and look in perfect sync.  You should also make sure it is consistent with your overall online presence, from your website to your blog to your online ads.

Image by Flickr user Grant (Creative Commons)

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