3 Public Relations Tips for Your Small Business to Boost Sales and Awareness Now!

1. Post an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Press Release.

To boost online attention right away, take a look at the press releases at PRNewswire, www.prnewswire.com. Then, write your release by following their specific format (The Associated Press Style Guide format). Provide valuable information to your customers and include your top keywords for the search engines in your header, subhead and a few times in the body of your release.

Once you have proofread the release for errors, simply post the release on free sites online related to news and your industry. You can find these sites by doing a search for “free press release distribution” or looking for sites relative to your products, service and audience. If you want to spend a little money on distribution, check out the many services available and see what fits your budget and goals best.

2. Give a Presentation.

Where does your target market go to get information? Check out various organizations and associations in your local area and offer to give a presentation to their members. Just be sure to provide valuable information and wait to give your sales pitch at the very end of your presentation.

This way, you’ll meet new customers and appear to be an expert in your field. You can even invite local media-members to attend. Who knows? The local television news station may show up to cover your public relations event!

3. Offer a Tip Sheet, Newsletter, Case Study, or Something Cool!

What do potential customers get when they come to your site? Are you providing valuable information and answering their questions, or are you just selling your products and services?

Copywriting is an important part of public relations. If you can create some kind of interesting tip sheet, newsletter, case study, or other, electronic “gift,” you’ll win over new customers and start spreading positive, word-of-mouth.

Just think about what your customers want and give it to them in a way only your business can (examples: Top 10 Ways to Save Money at the Grocery Store, How to Reduce Your Energy Bill by 80% in 30 Days or Less, What Never to Eat at Airports – You get the idea.) And once you are ready to give away your “gift,” send out an SEO press release to announce it!

Small Business Public Relations Just Takes Time and Creativity

If you want to boost sales and awareness for your small business, take advantage of cost-effective public relations activities. Be creative and think of ways to provide valuable information to potential customers. Then, contact the press and let them know what you are doing. This may sound simple, but you can generate a lot of buzz with these three tips. Give them a try and let me know what happens!
If you’d like help with your small business public relations, please provide your comments below or contact me at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Does your business need content marketing?

There is a lot of buzz out there about “content marketing” and how it can make your business successful.

But what is content marketing, anyway?

It’s just a fancy name for using content to market to customers. And as I’ve said many times before, by providing value to your customers with good copy, or content, you create a more credible reputation. Plus, if you offer good content, people will want to tell their friends about your products and services.

Why use content marketing?

Ragan Communications offered a great article on why content marketing is important here. In the article, they list “24 stats about the importance of content marketing.”

For example:

“According to Roper Public Affairs, 80% of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement.”

And per an article on “Engage the Blog,” research conducted by the Custom Content Council indicates that, “90% of consumers find custom content useful and 78% of people believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them.”

These are just a few of the many statistics out there about the importance of marketing with content and why copy is still king.

How do you use content marketing?

If you want to increase online sales and awareness fast, start writing some valuable content. Here is a good process to help you get started:

1. Figure out what your audience wants and what you want to accomplish with your content.
2. Write an article or blog about that information providing valuable tips and information. (If you are not a copywriter, hire one to do the work for you. They will help save you time and money and provide better results.)
3. Include your search engine optimization, or SEO, keywords in the headline and throughout the copy a few times.
4. Add a link at the end of your blog or article to a landing page on your site or a page where site visitors can get more information.
5. Track the results with Google Analytics or another program.
6. Repeat!

Content Marketing Works!

If you see this process is working (and it does when done correctly), create an editorial calendar for the year which spells out what topics you’ll be discussing and the kind of content you’ll be distributing (blogs, articles, tip sheets, videos, social media events, etc.).

By creating valuable content (especially with SEO) specifically for your target market, you will bring in new customers and stand out from the competition. For the best results, plan your content in advance and test different topics and methods for sharing your content.

It’s a lot of work to provide good copy on a regular basis. But if you hire experienced, SEO copywriters to help you with the entire process, you will see sales and customer loyalty increase.

What are you waiting for? Start providing great, SEO content marketing and see what happens!

For more information on SEO content marketing, please contact me at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Does this sound familiar when it comes to your SEO, or search engine optimization, efforts?

• You added a bunch of keywords to your site but haven’t seen an increase in site rankings.
• You paid a big, SEO company to help you, but you are still waiting for results.
• You have no idea what SEO is and are just ignoring it!

If any of these sound familiar, it’s time to review your SEO activities and concentrate on what is most important. After all, SEO can significantly increase sales if done correctly.

Important SEO activities include the following:

• Conduct extensive research to find the appropriate keywords for your business.
• Add different title tags and descriptions to each page of your site.
• Use your keywords in titles, subheads, links and appropriate places throughout your site.
• Create a process for obtaining back-links to your site.
• Measure the results and make appropriate changes for the best results.

And while these are all essential to SEO, you may be focusing on the “technology” rather than this one, key factor that can make or break your search-ranking results:

Provide Valuable Copy!

Today, the search engines look for sites that provide valuable information to their customers. They don’t want to see repetitive keywords and sales language. They want to see Websites that offer information customers want to tell their friends about.

With this in mind, your SEO activities should start with an editorial calendar. Write down exactly what kind of information you want to share with your customers and when. Then, write the copy, insert the appropriate keywords and add the back-end tagging. You’ll also want to create appropriate Web pages for each product or service and guide site-visitors through the purchasing process.

But that at this point, know that your SEO processes have just begun.

Now, you need to monitor clicks and interest in the new content. If your customers are clicking on the internal links, purchasing products and services and sharing the information via social media, you know your copy is working.

However, if you don’t see an interest in your new copy, change it or add content focusing on a different topic right away. If you have no idea what to write about, check your social-media venues to see what your customers are talking about and look at what your competition is doing. You can also add a quick survey to your site and actually ask customers what they want to see on your site!

SEO Should Increase Site Rankings and Save You Money

The great thing about SEO copywriting is that you can monitor your site analytics and clicks, and see exactly what your customers and site visitors are most interested in reading. And if some copy is not working, you can change it immediately. This way, you are always giving your customers what they want and providing value. (Note: If you are working with an SEO company that does not provide this information, you are missing out on some important opportunities to exceed customer needs!)

SEO Is Not About Technology.

It can be so easy to hire an SEO service to automatically optimize your copy as you write it. But that won’t help you increase sales and site rankings as much as possible. Instead, focus on the value you are providing your customers via your copy and monitor the results.

This way, you’ll get to know your customers and be able to give them what they want. And this will not only help you beat the competition, but the search engines will also notice the value, and your site rankings will skyrocket!

To find out more about SEO copywriting and how it can significantly increase sales, please write to us belo or visit www.rembrandtwrites.com for more information.

I get many referrals from business owners who spent a fortune on a top, PR firm or search engine optimization, SEO, services without seeing any results. They spent a lot of money purchasing “well known” services, and now they are weary of hiring another professional to help them.

Don’t Let This Happen To You!

Just because you hire a “top name” in PR or SEO services does not mean you will get results. But if you are an entrepreneur, you just don’t have time to babysit the consultants that you hire. With this in mind, here are….

3 Questions to Discover if You Are Getting Ripped Off with SEO and PR Services

1. Are you seeing results?

Is your PR and SEO consultant or services communicating with you on a regular basis? You should get a monthly report to see what is going on with your PR and SEO activities. If not, ask for one!

2. Have you been waiting a long time for things to happen?

Yes, it takes time to prepare a complete, public relations and SEO campaign. However, there are things your SEO and PR people can do right away to start generating online awareness and buzz. If it takes more than a month to see some kind of results, ask for a timeline of activities and why it is taking so long to get some online attention!

3. Are you paying for unknown services?

What exactly are you paying for? While it’s customary for PR agencies to be paid by retainer, make sure you are not paying for a huge mark-up on outside services like press-release-distribution services, SEO advertising, media research, and other services. Also, find out exactly who is working on your account. You may be paying for a big, well-known agency to do your PR, but if you have a new hire or intern working on your account, you are paying too much!

Get the Right Help.

Good publicists and SEO strategists often charge high rates for their services, but if they know what they’re doing, it’s well worth the money. After all, one, well-placed article can mean thousands in new sales, and one SEO press-release can introduce you to a worldwide audience of new customers. However, there are many people out there giving PR and SEO professionals a bad name.

With this in mind, review your current PR and SEO activities and know what is going on. If you aren’t seeing results, it’s time to ask questions and get answers. And if you have been ripped off by a PR or SEO service, please do not disregard these services for the future. Instead, conduct more due diligence and find new professionals who can actually help you meet your business goals. (Perhaps, you can ask them to start with a test project to reduce your risk and see how your working relationship develops.)

After all, if your competition is using public relations and SEO, and you aren’t, you could risk losing sales and valuable, new customers.

For more PR and SEO tips and information, please write to use below or visit www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Time to refresh your PR activities and take action

Woo Hoo! It’s finally spring and a time for fresh beginnings – for you and your business. Why not start this season by renewing your relationships with the media and telling targeted producers, editors and journalists about your company’s latest news?

But, what’s that? You say you don’t have any good news to share?

Nonsense! If you really don’t have anything to share, make your own news!

Here are 3 ideas to help you get your PR activities started…

1. Take part in a community event, or create your own.

Give something back and encourage others to do the same. You’ll help others in need while creating a newsworthy event.

2. Submit an opinion piece.

Write to your local newspaper, and provide your opinion about a published story or current, news item. This can help build credibility and awareness for your business when written in a positive manner.

3. Give a presentation.

Speak at a local, community college, business group or other organization attended by your target-audience members.

Provide valuable information without giving a sales pitch, and invite pertinent reporters. You’ll establish yourself as an expert and meet potential new customers while increasing your chances of obtaining media coverage.

Spring Forward!

Instead of waiting for potential customers and media members to notice your business, take action and create some publicity! It make take some time and effort, but just one, well-placed article can mean a significant increase in site traffic and sales!

What are you going to do this month to increase your PR activities?

If you need help, feel free to contact me at www.rembrandtwrites.com and check out the easy, do-it-yourself steps in “Simple Publicity.”

By Melanie Rembrandt

Are people saying bad things about your small business online? Do negative comments appear at the top of the search engines when you do a search for your business name?

Well, instead of sitting back and watching your sales and credibility decline, take action!

Small Business Public Relations and SEO to the Rescue!

If you want to increase the number of positive mentions that appear at the top of the search engines when potential customers search for information about your business, it’s time to implement a PR and SEO strategy. Here are three things you can do right now to help your online reputation:

1. Post an SEO Press Release.

Write a press release about something newsworthy at your business. Ensure that it provides valuable information, is written in the appropriate AP Style, and potential customers will want to read it. Then, make sure it is optimized for the search engines with the appropriate keywords and links. If you don’t know how to do this, it is well worth it to hire an SEO copywriter to do it for you. Then, post the press release on free sites and use a low-cost distribution service, if possible.

2. Write an SEO Blog.

Post some new and valuable information on your site for your customers. Share some industry insights or expert tips. Write a blog that’s at least 350 words and then optimize it for the search engines. Then, post it on an industry site or your site.

3. Write an Optimized Article or Tip Sheet.

Create a Tip Sheet, eBook or ePamphlet that provides valuable information and is user-friendly. Again, ensure that it is optimized for the search engines, and post it online. Perhaps, you can give it away as a free gift when people register for your newsletter?

Repeat the Process.

Once you start posting and promoting valuable information online that has the correct SEO, you will start to see negative comments about your business move down on search-engine listings. If done correctly, they will be replaced with more positive information that you have some control over.

And for the best ROI, I highly recommend you work with an experienced SEO strategist/publicist. This way, you’ll see better results faster, and you can concentrate on your core, business activities.

Are you ready to improve your online reputation with SEO and PR? Get more information at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

If you are a new entrepreneur, you’ve probably heard of using press releases and publicity to help boost awareness for your products and services. However, you may not know exactly what public relations is and what it can do for your business.

Small business public relations is really just building buzz to help reach your specific goals. With this in mind, here are some ways to avoid being overwhelmed by all of the information out there and focus on the public relations activities important to your small business success.

3 Tips to Small Business Public Relations Success

1. Get your Website in shape.

This may be obvious, but before you do anything related to public relations or contacting the media, be sure that your Website looks professional, all the links work and that you have adequate contact information available.

While you may want to tell media members about your new product or service right away, confirm that your Website is ready for action! After all, all media members will visit your Website to get more information, and you want to make a good impression.

2. Prepare an SEO press release.

Look at templates for press releases on www.prnewswire.com and write a simple press release following this style. If you are not a good writer, hire a search engine optimization (SEO) copywriter to help you.
That person can write a release for you that contains your main keywords. This is important so that you get the most out of your release possible, and people can find you more easily online via the search engines.

Once you have your release ready, don’t send it out. Instead…

3. Call media members directly.

When you are ready to talk to media members about your business, do just that. Conduct research and then call specific media-members and pitch a unique story they will be interested in hearing about. At that point, the reporter may want more information, and you can send him or her your press release.

If that reporter wants “first dibs” or an exclusive on your story, wait to distribute your press release to others. If not, or you haven’t had any luck reaching media members, post your release via a low cost distribution tool online or simply post your release on free sites related to your industry or target market.

The Key to PR Success

When it comes to small business public relations, you don’t need to spend a lot of money. Simply get your Website posted with the appropriate information, create an SEO press release with your news and start talking to specific media-members. Then, repeat the process. This way, you can start to increase awareness for your new products and services and build sales so you can move on to more detailed, PR efforts.

For additional tips on small business public relations and SEO copywriting to help boost sales, awareness and credibility, visit www.rembrandtwrites.com.

If you look on the Internet, you will see some horrible press releases. And the businesses that distributed them probably thought they would be inundated with media and sales inquiries as soon as the press releases went live. Has this happened to you? If so,

Are You Guilty of These 7 Press Release Sins?

1. Is it newsworthy?

While you may think that increasing sales by 40% or having an internal birthday party is news, the media and your target market may not. Before taking the time and effort to issue a press release, ask yourself if it really is newsworthy.

2. Why are you posting the press release?

Before writing your press release, figure out if you are trying to build online buzz with search engine optimization (SEO), spread the word about a newsworthy event to a specific audience, get media coverage, or something else. After all, if you are a small business looking for a big, cover-story, you will not get it from a simple press release. You will be better off pitching specific media-members via phone.

3. Is your press release optimized for the search engines?

If you don’t add specific keywords to your press release in the right location, you are missing out on a huge and inexpensive opportunity to be at the top of the search engines. Period.

4. Did you add a specific link to a Web page?

How are you tracking the results of your release? If you don’t add a hyperlink to a specific Web page in your press release, how are you going to know how many people were really interested in your news and took action because of it?

5. Is your press release free of errors?

Is your press release well-written in the standard, AP style? If you distribute a boring release that has errors, you will make a bad impression. Instead, hire a professional, SEO copywriter to help you write and proofread your release.

6. Did you spend too much on press-release distribution?

If you are a small business announcing an award, promotion or other, internal news, don’t spend thousands on sending the release out via a wire service. Instead, pitch specific media-members who will be interested in the news, and post your release on less expensive or free, industry-related sites.

7. What time did you distribute you press release?

If you distribute your press release after office hours, you will not get as many media members seeing your news. Send out your release when you know your targeted, media-members are in the office (and not on deadline). You also want to make sure you are available to respond to calls when your press-release posts.

Stop Wasting Time and Money!

So many people think that “PR” equals “press release.” It does not. Before you send out a release, know why you are sending it, what you want to accomplish and how you are going to track results. Then, have a professional SEO copywriter write and proof it for you and figure out the best distribution plan to accomplish your goals.

Well-written, newsworthy press releases with SEO can significantly increase online awareness and sales cost-effectively. But if you don’t put some thought and effort into your press-release process, you will waste time and money and see little results.

For more help avoiding these press release sins, please write to me below or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Here are three, key questions to ask yourself to help stay on track with your business goals.

1. What is your Website saying?

When people visit your Website, what message do they receive?

If there are broken links, old blog entries and boring content, you will lose potential, new customers fast. These things may be on the bottom of your “to do” list, but it’s important to move them up as a priority. After all, you may be losing thousands of dollars in sales from one, faulty link!

2. Do you need to return messages?

Do you have a bunch of e-mail and voicemail messages to return?

When you get busy, it can be easy to push responses aside and forget about them. But this is not good business etiquette. Return your messages within 24 hours at the most. This way, you can get them off of your list and move on to other tasks.

If you ignore your inbox, you may be missing out on potential business, press opportunities and more. And if you don’t have the courtesy to provide responses, you are creating a bad impression that can reduce your industry reputation, customer satisfaction and overall sales in the future.

3. What is the status of current projects?

While keeping track of your Website content and returning messages is important, don’t forget about in-person interactions. While it may be easier to text a quick message, nothing beats talking to a team member face-to-face. This way, you can check the status of current projects, provide input, answer questions, and ensure things are going smoothly.

And if you are worried about your communication skills or wasting time in a meeting, just set aside a few minutes to touch base with someone on a particular project. Then, use this time to ask questions, and let the other person do the talking. Over time, you’ll get better at keeping your interactions succinct but meaningful.

Relationships are Important.

Business moves fast, but that’s no reason to minimize your communication efforts. Check your Website and provide the most valuable information you can to site visitors. Review your inbox and provide responses to people who are waiting to hear from you. And finally, don’t forget to get out of your office and talk to your team members. This way, you’ll create valuable relationships with all of the people you work with while building credibility that can help increase online awareness and sales.

Are you taking advantage of all the communication opportunities possible to build sales, awareness and credibility? For more information on SEO and PR activities, please write to me below or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Deep down in my heart of hearts I carry a dirty secret about branding — it’s all a facade! And I mean that in best and worst sense of the word.

On one level, branding is completely made up, a construct – an image in the collective mind combined with a set of emotions and expectations. In essence, a completely fabricated story.

But at the risk of seeming jaded, fabrication is not all that bad of a thing. We fabricate stories but we also fabricate skyscrapers and great works of art. Fabrication is the active part of imagination… the quickening agent that makes the ethereal real and tangible. To fabricate is to put the mind in motion and that’s a good thing. The trick is to do it deliberately, consciously and with intention.

Which brings us to curb appeal.

As any real estate professional will tell you, it’s the first impression that counts, the first sights, sounds and emotions that leave an indelible impression in the mind of the buyer. When your customers approach your brand, what is their initial response? Are they greeted with the impression you intentionally created? Did you put up a beautiful canopy to welcome them? Or does your brand look like the sign in front of the Bates Motel?

We really struggle with this as a society, as businesses and as individuals. We want to be discriminating but not discriminate. We want to be unique and special but treat everyone the same. We want to genuine and transparent, and not “put on a facade,” yet we want to look our very best.

If we realize that everything we do is a creation, an act of definition, then we can do so without these double messages. We can be both genuine and yet still smell nice! We can put a fresh coat of paint on our company image, roll out the welcome mat, pick out relaxing colors, add some background music and “trick out” everything we do… and still be authentic!

The authenticity is in the intention… the desire to create a wonderful customer experience. The transparency is in the ready admission that “Yes, we want to please you!” Branding (when well done) both covers your business and reveals it. It provides an exterior appearance, one that hopefully reflects the interior experience.

So why not have a good looking exterior to your brand! Make it great looking, spruce it up, mow the lawn, get new shutters. Invest and build your “brand equity.” Just remember the outer reflects the inner. So make sure your outward appearance is a true reflection of your inner values. If you can do that, your customers will find your brand all the more appealing.

Phillip Davis is a company branding expert with over 25 years of business naming, branding and marketing experience. Phil has named over 250 regional, national and international companies, products and services. He frequently writes, speaks and blogs on the subject of “brilliant branding.” His work can be viewed at TungstenBranding.com.