Press Releases: Marketing Tactic that Generates Traffic and Leads

Online marketing requires strategic planning and figuring out which SEO tools are the most valuable. When designing a marketing strategy, some businesses forget to utilize press releases, which offer several benefits such as: increased visibility and targeted traffic. Media releases are general announcements that relate to your products, company or business. The style is usually journalistic while inviting the reader to take action. Best results can be achieved by hiring a professional writer to create your press releases and then pushing them onto an online distribution service. Online services publish your releases on several news websites, including the most popular locations and usually include subscriber based circulation.

Getting Consumers Interested in Your Business

In order to create an effective press release it is imperative to highlight new information or upcoming events that appeal to your target audience’s interests. Some good examples include expanding your business to a new location, releasing a new product or updating the features of a service. The goals of this marketing strategy should concentrate on informing your customers while actively engaging them so that they are more likely to enter your sales cycle. The best press releases include clickable links that direct your readers to a targeted page along with special offers that invite customers to try your products or learn more about your company. You can also offer free trials, limited-time discounts, white papers or webinars.

By introducing a call to action, you are inviting consumers to interact with your company rather than simply reading about it. When customers take these actions, they enter your sales cycle due to an increased interest in your business. For this reason, press releases are excellent tools for lead generation. When linking the press release to your website, be sure to create new pages that relate to the newsworthy topic. You want the information to remain relevant and offer the customer additional information. Good links include product pages with the special offer, helpful blog posts from your company and FAQs relating to your product or service. You should avoid directing traffic to your homepage because most consumers will quickly exit the sales cycle due to irrelevant information.

Maximizing Syndication of Press Releases

The best way to publish your press releases is through an online service like PRWeb, Online PRNews or eReleases. Some services are free, and others charge low fees for publication. Many companies guarantee that your press release will show up on Yahoo! News, Google News and other popular media sites. Public surveys indicate that about 50 percent of internet users visit online news sites, so press releases offer a great opportunity to expand your audience and increase your visibility.

Creating different angles on the same press release topic is an effective tactic for utilizing multiple news sites. To search engine crawlers, the variation in content will look better than duplicated articles on different websites. If your business is opening a new shop in a different area, be sure to take advantage of local media sites that will draw the attention of consumers in the new location.

Never underestimate the power of social media sites, they can greatly increase your traffic and improve your link profile. You can start by asking your relatives and close friends to share your press release; in turn they will be able to ask their acquaintances to provide additional links. Before long your press release may generate hundreds of links that direct targeted traffic to your business’ website. When posting a press release through social media it is essential to produce content that is worth sharing. Press releases should be informational, engaging and helpful to readers while answering common questions about your company and products. Some businesses experience success by producing viral content, but this method requires a specific demographic for full efficacy.

Producing Quality Content

The most important aspect to remember about press releases is quality. With Google’s Penguin updates, search engines are watching out for low-quality content with keyword and link spamming. You can maintain high SEO rankings by acquiring well-written press releases that contain links to relevant web pages. Professional writers can save you time and resources while producing engaging content for consumers. These simple guidelines will help generate targeted traffic that has a high potential of turning into paying customers.