Blogging as the new press release

Traditional marketers are already struggling, particularly in the UK, to adapt to the changes in how you sell your business online. They grew up using clever phrases and spin to sell products and services. Providing transparent information of value seems to contradict everything they stand for. The next change they need to get their heads around, and fast, is how the rules for press releases have changed.

Press releases used to be written purely for journalists and media types to give them the why, who, where, when, what and how on the latest breaking news story. They were never meant for public consumption, but were designed to be rejigged into a properly written article. This is what happened in a previous age when the means of publishing were in the hands of the few. Blogging has changed all this.

The combined tools of a blog and RSS means that anybody can now publish their own press releases, and have them distributed all over the web. Press releases now not only need to be written for journalists, but for potential customers and the search engines.

Your business has a means of promoting itself without having to rely on a journalist to pick your release from the pile and take the time to rewrite it as a formal article. You can now do this yourself.

You can not only publish it to your own site and distribute by RSS. But can also submit it to press release distribution sites such as businesswire, prweb and marketwire. They can ensure your latest news finds its way to the trade and industry sites as well as your general marketplace.

Your press releases can even get picked up by Google News and Yahoo News if you have been web savvy enough to adopt SEO tactics. A clever title might not be enough if it doesn’t include those all important key words.

Traditional marketers and PR companies will need to throw out their old rule books on writing press releases. And start writing concise, punchy articles for the millions of people with an Internet connection. Your press releases are now the actual news articles in their own right. Perhaps more importantly, your press releases are now an integrated part of driving the sales process. They are a direct marketing tool to direct buyers to your website and products and services.

Its not only the distribution of press releases that has changed, but the subject matter they can cover. You no longer need to wait for something to happen to be able to send out a marketing message. You can use press releases to discuss your industry, how your product works or how you solved a customer’s problem.

They are a direct line of communication with potential buyers and can help build the conditions for making that sale. Providing a constant stream of information of value can demonstrate your knowledge and build trust and confidence in your business.

The rules of marketing online have changed. The means of publishing have become available to anybody with an Internet connection. Your businesses news and information can now be used to market your business more effectively than ever before. Your press releases now need to be harnessed as part of your marketing mix to be distributed around the web and drive potential customers back to your website.

Traditional marketers who ignore the impact of blogging, and continue to try and get their information distributed via journalists, will simply find their exposure decreasing. Using your blog for your press releases is yet another opportunity for small business to gain an advantage over their hulking, slow paced rivals in the online marketplace.

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