Archive for: August 2008

Who knows your business better than you do? I’ll bet there aren’t many (if any) people who can say that they do. So since you’re an expert on your business, it should be pretty simple to select the keywords that customers and prospect would use to search for your site on the web, right? Well, not necessarily.

Before selecting the keywords for your web site, you really need to know what people are actually searching on, not what you think they are searching on. Keyword research enables you to tap into how people are searching, and to know the exact words and phrases they type into the search engines to find information.

Let the Data Speak for Itself

For instance, if your business sells blue widgets, you may think that “blue widgets” is the way people would search for your product. But by using the right keyword research tools and analysis, you can find out in real time what searchers are really using, whether it’s “blue widgets,” “blue widget services,” “Michigan blue widgets,” and so forth. Why spend time and money optimizing for keywords that nobody actually uses? It’s typically less expensive (and far more effective) to do the keyword research up front so you can target the appropriate keywords and phrases based on actual user data.

Once you determine which keywords searchers are really using on the web, it’s important to understand how competitive each keyword is. If the term “blue widgets” gets lots of searches but is found on 10 million other sites, it might be nearly impossible for your site to rank well for this particular term. It may be better to go with a keyword that gets fewer searches, but also has fewer competing web sites. Of course, there is more to choosing a good keyword than just how competitive it is, but it’s a good criterion to include as you consider your keyword choices.

Don’t Just Guess - Get It Right

Even though you may know your business better than anyone else, you can’t really know how others search for your business unless you do the keyword research. You may not realize how important it is to choose the right keywords, but if you don’t have actual user data to identify the terms that are being used in searches, your keyword choices are little more than an educated guess, and probably not very effective. The point is that keyword research matters if you truly want to improve your search engine rankings, and without this information, it’s less likely that you will be successful in getting good traffic to your site from the search engines.

In the past, press releases were mostly used by big businesses that were trying to get news coverage for their company events or announcements. Today, however, press releases are more accessible, more affordable, and a lot more powerful, making them a great addition to any small business marketing strategy.

The biggest reason for the change is of course the web and its many low-cost or no-cost media outlets that accept press releases from businesses of all sizes. Using web outlets for press releases means that once your company’s news is published to a web outlet, it creates inbound links to your site in several places. First, the news outlet site will post your release, creating inbound links to your site. But then, any other sites that decide to “pick up” your release and report on it creates even more inbound links. It’s like ripples in a pond; the more exposure your press release gets, the farther your links carry out onto the web.

What About the Wire Services?

Traditional wire services are still one of the most effective methods for sending press releases, but these services are often focused on the major players – big companies with big brands – and unless your press release is particularly newsworthy, chances are it will not be picked up or distributed on the web (or in other traditional publications like newspapers, either). That’s not to say you shouldn’t ever use the wire services for your press releases – it’s the first choice for many businesses when they have important news to share. But for many small businesses, the cost of wire service distribution can be prohibitive, and the results can be pretty disappointing.

The Web Has Changed Everything

Distributing press releases to web outlets has many advantages for small businesses, especially the lower cost and better accessibility. Chances are good that if you submit to web outlets, they will publish your press release on their sites, even if it doesn’t spread any further than that. But the big benefits of submitting to web outlets are realized when your press release is picked up by other sources on the web, creating additional inbound links to your web site and improving overall web exposure for your business. So how can you improve the chances that your press release will be picked up by the web outlets and spread like a ripple in the pond?

1. Be interesting and newsworthy – you can write a press release on employee promotions, client wins, or local events you business is involved with – but don’t write a sales pitch or use it as an advertisement for your business!

    

2. Include links in the body of your press release – this makes it easy for readers (and journalists) to access further information. Also, make sure that these links lead to a unique landing page specifically designed for your press release readers – don’t just send them to your home page.

    

3. Use current journalistic standards and formats – nothing screams “amateur” louder than a press release that’s in the wrong format or that isn’t well written. If you don’t know how to write and format a professional press release, hire someone who does.

    

4. Optimize for the search engines – since your press release will “live” on the web in possibly dozens of places, make sure it is optimized properly for your keywords and phrases, especially in the headline and sub-heads.

    

5. Publish it on your own web site – if you don’t already have an online press room or “In the News” section on your web site, now is the time to get one. Your press release can be re-used as fresh content for your site, and can continue to bring you additional benefits long after the news cycle is over.

In the past, press releases were mostly used by big businesses that were trying to get news coverage for their company events or announcements. Today, however, press releases are more accessible, more affordable, and a lot more powerful, making them a great addition to any small business marketing strategy.

The biggest reason for the change is of course the web and its many low-cost or no-cost media outlets that accept press releases from businesses of all sizes. Using web outlets for press releases means that once your company’s news is published to a web outlet, it creates inbound links to your site in several places. First, the news outlet site will post your release, creating inbound links to your site. But then, any other sites that decide to “pick up” your release and report on it creates even more inbound links. It’s like ripples in a pond; the more exposure your press release gets, the farther your links carry out onto the web.

What About the Wire Services?

Traditional wire services are still one of the most effective methods for sending press releases, but these services are often focused on the major players – big companies with big brands – and unless your press release is particularly newsworthy, chances are it will not be picked up or distributed on the web (or in other traditional publications like newspapers, either). That’s not to say you shouldn’t ever use the wire services for your press releases – it’s the first choice for many businesses when they have important news to share. But for many small businesses, the cost of wire service distribution can be prohibitive, and the results can be pretty disappointing.

The Web Has Changed Everything

Distributing press releases to web outlets has many advantages for small businesses, especially the lower cost and better accessibility. Chances are good that if you submit to web outlets, they will publish your press release on their sites, even if it doesn’t spread any further than that. But the big benefits of submitting to web outlets are realized when your press release is picked up by other sources on the web, creating additional inbound links to your web site and improving overall web exposure for your business. So how can you improve the chances that your press release will be picked up by the web outlets and spread like a ripple in the pond?

1. Be interesting and newsworthy – you can write a press release on employee promotions, client wins, or local events you business is involved with – but don’t write a sales pitch or use it as an advertisement for your business!
    
2. Include links in the body of your press release – this makes it easy for readers (and journalists) to access further information. Also, make sure that these links lead to a unique landing page specifically designed for your press release readers – don’t just send them to your home page.
    
3. Use current journalistic standards and formats – nothing screams “amateur” louder than a press release that’s in the wrong format or that isn’t well written. If you don’t know how to write and format a professional press release, hire someone who does.
    
4. Optimize for the search engines – since your press release will “live” on the web in possibly dozens of places, make sure it is optimized properly for your keywords and phrases, especially in the headline and sub-heads.
    
5. Publish it on your own web site – if you don’t already have an online press room or “In the News” section on your web site, now is the time to get one. Your press release can be re-used as fresh content for your site, and can continue to bring you additional benefits long after the news cycle is over.

Imagine a low-cost e-marketing tool that your customers look forward to receiving, reminds them of who you are and what you do, supports your web site and search engine efforts, and has results that can be measured almost instantly.  Sound good to you?

I’m talking about an E-Newsletter, which is simply the best e-marketing tool that you’re not using.

What’s so great about E-Newsletters? Well for starters, businesses that regularly send E-Newsletters typically have higher customer retention rates, better name recognition, and gain a competitive advantage over businesses that do not regularly send E-Newsletters. 

So why are small businesses seemingly hesitant about sending E-Newsletters to their customers and prospects?  It could be that they lack the staff (or confidence) to write articles, or maybe the time commitment required to make E-Newsletters a regular marketing activity seems too big.  Although these are valid concerns, they are small in comparison to the benefits gained by implementing this highly successful e-marketing tool.  To help your business take advantage of this invaluable web strategy, try these tips:

1. If you’re not comfortable writing your own articles, try using free, syndicated articles from sources such as www.goarticles.com or www.ezinearticles.com (two sites where Biz Talk articles are syndicated as well).  All you have to do is include the author’s resource info at the end of the article, and you can reprint it in your E-Newsletter at no cost.  You can search for articles by subject, title, or author to find articles that would be valuable and interesting to your own readers.
2. Include a section in your E-Newsletter that highlights your company’s value proposition or showcases something special about your business.  Change this section each month to include a special offer or announcement.
3. Add each E-Newsletter issue to your web site, and make sure you include links with good anchor text back to the other pages on your site.  Consider creating a newsletter archive or adding each issue to your “What’s New” page.|
4. Avoid using your E-Newsletter as a sales pitch. Instead, focus on providing your readers with useful information that reinforces a positive image of your company and helps establish you as an expert in your industry.
5. Be consistent in sending out each issue.  Sending E-Newsletters sporadically can cause a disconnect with your customers and may instead only remind them that they haven’t received an E-Newsletter from you in a long time.  Put your E-Newsletter on your marketing schedule and then stick to it.

After your E-Newsletter has been sent out, be sure to review the results of your campaign in the stats tracking section of your listserv service.  Take note of which topics receive clicks, and which topics don’t seem to generate much interest from your readers.  After several months of watching your stats, you will probably see patterns emerge that can help you fine-tune your E-Newsletter content to better match your readers’ needs and interests.

So in building a strong web strategy for your small business, don’t forget to include E-Newsletters as a way to reach your customers and prospects on a regular basis with a welcome addition to their inboxes.