Why Incorporate Press Releases into Your Online Marketing Strategy?

If you know anything about online marketing, then you’ve probably heard the term “search engine optimization,” otherwise known as SEO. And if you know anything about SEO, you know that in the last 2 years Google has completely turned the SEO world upside down through a series of search algorithm changes that has sent online marketing companies scrambling. Whereas once upon a time you could spend hours a day link building and shoot up in search rankings, suddenly Google made things a lot trickier and a lot of those links aren’t worth much of anything.

So what does that have to do with press release writing?

Well, for awhile there these online marketing guys began to use press releases for building links. Not that it was a bad idea, in and of itself. Why not post your press release around the web and get some good link juice from it while sharing your news with the whole world? Well, the problem was two-fold:

1. All sorts of sketchy, spammy free press release sites opened up. Few of them served any real purpose other than to build links. They had little to no standards as far as what content they accepted. Which leads me to…

2. The web became inundated with crappy press releases. Whereas press releases used to only be written to share actual news, suddenly these companies started producing gobs of releases for clients, regardless of whether they had any real news. Sometimes they rehashed old news, and other times they flat out made stuff up. The result? Just a bunch of web pollution.

But after the string of Google changes, suddenly many of those links became worthless. In fact, many of them actually started hurting the clients, as they devalued their stock in Google’s eyes.

So, Is It Worth Incorporating Press Releases into Your Online Marketing Strategy Anymore?

All that being said, there are lots of people left wondering if the press release has lost its value. And I would respond with a resounding “NO.” The fact is that you should still include press releases in your online marketing strategy for a variety of reasons. If you have a well-written press release with news people might actually be interested in, then your story could get picked up by a popular news site. From there you could get some real attention—all online.

That means you need to:

Make sure you have a story to tell.Tell it well.Get people to share it.Know the right people to distribute it to.Know the right people NOT to distribute it to.

As we know, nowadays it’s all about content. You need to write to your audience. So make sure you continue that trend with your press releases. In many cases, if you have a good release, some sites will pick it up and use it as an actual article rather than writing about the event on their own. So it’s imperative that you spend time focusing on what you’re writing.

Are press release still part of your online marketing strategy? Has that changed over the years? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

Tags: free press release, gobs, marketing companies, online marketing strategy, search engine optimization, term search engine

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4 Ways to Grow a Smarter Business Network

Knowing the right people and having strong relationships with them that are built on trust can go a long way to helping you grow your business. The stronger your network, the wider your reach will be. But it’s not enough just to attend a networking event, shake a few hands, and hand out some business cards every few weeks. Going through the motions will get you nowhere, and networking isn’t something you should only do at special events.

You also have to remember that networking really is about who you know. It’s about building relationships with the right people. And while everyone you meet is a potential contact, it’s important to focus your efforts on networking with people who can actually help you achieve your business goals.

With that in mind, here are 4 ways you can build a better business network:

Make a list of people you want to network with—Who are the people who can help you and your company? Start making a list. The list can include people you already know as well as those you don’t know at all just yet. Make a list of names, and add information about each contact, including how they can help your business.Stay in touch with these people—Communication is the key to any successful relationship. If you’re not talking to the people in your network, you’re not growing your relationships with them. They’ll forget about you. It’s important to reach out to the people in your network on a regular basis, whether it’s by shooting them an email to say hello, ReTweeting them, or sending them information that will help them. Be in touch!Learn about your contacts—You should spend time learning as much as you can about your contacts. Whenever you talk to them, ask questions to learn more about them. Do some Googling to find out more about these people. Pay attention to what they’re saying on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. Take notes on all of this.Be helpful—You have to give if you want to receive. If you’re not bringing anything of value to the relationship, the other person won’t have much incentive to help you. That’s why it’s important to help the people in your network whenever you can. You should know what each person does, what their interests are, what their problems are, and so on. That way, you can find specific ways to help them and provide value.

What networking tips would you add to this list? Share your thoughts by commenting below. 

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (http://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab your free 160-page copy of the Big Press Release Book – Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry here: http://www.ereleases.com/insider/bigbook.html

Tags: building relationships, business network, social networks, successful relationship

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Turkey: Prime Minister Blames Protests on Extremists

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused anti-government protesters of walking “arm-in-arm with terrorism,” as he blamed “extremist elements” for three days of some of the most violent riots in years, VoA Reported.

Photo from: www.theaustralian.com.au

His comments Monday came as the Turkish Doctors’ Association said a 20-year-old Turkish man died when a vehicle slammed into a crowd of protesters who were marching late Sunday. It was the first known death related to the demonstrations.

Speaking to reporters before departing on a planned four-day trip to North Africa, Mr. Erdogan dismissed the protests as the work of secularist enemies who never accepted the mandate of his Islamist AKP party, which has won three straight elections.

He rejected comparisons with the Arab Spring uprising, saying in televised comments that the protesters had no support in the general population. He gave no indication he was prepared to compromise.

Police in Istanbul and Ankara used tear gas early Monday to disperse protesters, some of whom had marched on Mr. Erdogan’s offices.

Rights groups say hundreds of security personnel and protesters have been injured since Friday in the violence, pitting stone-throwing protesters against riot police firing tear gas and water cannons.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday expressed concern about reports of excessive use of force by police and urged the Turkish government to uphold freedom of expression and exercise restraint. He also urged protesters “to avoid any provocation of violence.”

Both Mr. Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul urged calm Monday. However, in contrast to the prime minister’s comments, Mr. Gul defended the right of citizens to protest.

The demonstrations began as a demand to stop an urban redevelopment plan on park land, but have more broadly included criticism of Mr. Erdogan’s government.

Turkey’s Interior Ministry said Sunday more than 1,700 people had been detained since last week, but that most have since been released.

The police crackdown on protesters in Istanbul appeared to anger many secular Turks, who accuse Mr. Erdogan’s decade-old, Islamist-rooted government of becoming increasingly authoritarian. International rights groups have strongly criticized the crackdown as excessive.

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