Category: Promotion

Each press release should focus on a single story. The writing style should be factual. Avoid superlatives and 'sales talk'. Here is a press release template: [RELEASE DATE] Press release: [TITLE] (Press release titles should be factual and focus on news value) Opening paragraph. (This is the most important paragraph. It is likely that some publications will only use this paragraph, so it needs to stand alone and tell the story). Second paragraph. (One key element only). Third, fourth paragraphs. (One key element each). Comment. (For example: John Smith, CEO and Founder of XYZ Company commented: "We are delighted to announce this new service....") Editors notes (emboldened subhead) Brief, factual description of your enterprise. Website address Spokesperson's contact name | email address | phone numbers...

A marketing case study is a form of social proof. It shows prospective customers that you can deliver. Here is a case study structure: * What did they have before? * Why did they decide to change? * How did they find you? * Why did they decide to buy from you? * What did they think of the product / service? * What benefits are they receiving? * What have they got to say about you? (Testimonial) * What are their plans for the future? A case study is a story, told in the sequence that it happened. Add some images to your case studies. * Produce a PDF version of the case study to send to prospective customers * Create a blog using the cleared copy (as it contains lots of keyword phrases) * Add a Testimonials page to your website and include case study testimonials there * Consider sending out a press release to your media list * Scatter testimonials throughout your website * Include case studies with proposals...

Here is a press release ideas checklist: Company news Company launch (new startup) Anniversary i.e. 10 years in business Expansion i.e. new markets, new branches etc Office or factory relocation Milestones i.e. 10,000 products sold Financial news, i.e. turnover increase or new funding Acquisition or joint venture Major restructuring Corporate Social Responsibility Staff news New members of staff Staff news i.e. charity related, voluntary work, awards or new qualifications New manager / director / senior partner Training news, i.e new training programme Staff member is retiring after long service Inspirational story regarding a member of staff Working from home statement Awards Company, product or service awards Member of staff wins an award Product / service news Launch of new product or service Enhanced product or service Product or service being used in a new way Free trial being offered Free or reduced shipping Pricing going down or going up Discounts or special pricing news Unusual pricing, i.e. £1000 hamburger Marketing news New website: why you...

Press release distribution services include: eNewsWire - Free press release distribution, UK focus. IssueWire - Post your first press release for free. openPR - Free press release distribution service (limited to one per month). PR Fire - Includes a free option including no-follow links. PR Newswire -  Their website says: 'The industry’s largest and most trusted distribution network of media outlets, websites and social media channels.' Owned by Cision. Realwire - According to their website: 'Global press release distribution service specialising in the online media.' Responsesource - Offers a send and receive services for press releases. According to their website, they offer a 'fast, effective way to communicate your news and social feeds to journalists, influencers, and stakeholders.' Vuelio - Their website says: 'Based on your audience, you can send releases, publish directly to your dedicated online newsroom, post to social media or distribute over the wire. Use our tools to track, analyse and learn with engagement and coverage analysis tools.' If any of the above links do not...

Body copy is a copywriting term. It denotes the main body of text within a marketing piece. For example, an advertisement has (1) a headline, (2) body copy and (3) a call to action. During my copywriting training workshops, I ask the attendees whether short or long body copy is best? Invariably, 90% of people are in favour of short text. "No one has time to read all that stuff," they tell me. However, someone at the back of the room says: "Write as much as you can." I proceed to have a debate with them. It transpires that they have tried short and long copy in various forms of promotion. They have found that long body copy gets better results. More engagement, more website visits, more enquiries, more sales. The reason is that when someone is in the market to buy something or has an interest in a topic, they want information. They are happy to 'read all about it'. If you have bought a property: did you read the surveyor's report? If you...

A/B split testing is a marketing technique that provides feedback on two or more versions of a product, service, advertisement, headline, email subject line, web page etc. The target market is shown the versions and their subsequent behaviour is tracked and measured. If you are going to spend time or money on marketing, it is a good idea to understand what is going to work, in the real world. Split testing enables you to gain insights that would otherwise be unavailable to you. Mailchimp offers A/B split testing, although they recommend that there are 5,000 subscribers per cohort....

YouTube is a USA based video-sharing platform. Google acquired YouTube in November 2006 for US$1.65 billion. The key point is that people like to watch videos, or listen to audio content, as opposed to having to continually read text on a screen. (Think of the popularity of TV and radio). Within YouTube, you can view and upload content and like, comment, share and download other users' content. You can also create lists. You can subscribe to channels that you like. Content includes videos, video clips, TV show clips, films, audio recordings and live streams. Think of YouTube as a search engine. When someone needs to bleed a radiator, fix a bicycle or learn something else, they may well turn to YouTube. It is a good idea for your enterprise to have its own YouTube channel and to share videos there. ...

Instagram is a USA based photo and video sharing social media platform. It was launched in October 2010 and it is now owned by Facebook. Photos, images and videos can be uploaded via the app. Hashtags can be used to help users to find interesting content. Posts can be shared publicly, or with private followers. Users can browse other people's content or content from brands / companies. Tags, locations and trends can be used to find relevant content. You can Like, Comment or Share Instagram posts. Tip 1: If you haven't already done so, switch to a Professional (business) account. You can do this via Settings. You will then have access to stats and other benefits. Tip 2: Use Instagram stories to generate interest. See how well they are doing via your stats. Note that stories disappear after 24 hours, unless you add them to your profile as story highlights....

Zero cost promotion = free promotional techniques. There are over 300 ways to promote your enterprise and many of the techniques are free. For example, at the time of writing, Mailchimp allows you to have up to 2,000 subscribers for free. Other examples: * Writing and emailing a press release by email. * Alliance Marketing Partners (AMPs), i.e. non-competitors that serve the same market promote each other. * Blogging (it is true that website hosting costs money, however, writing a blog is free). * Most social media accounts are free. ...

Have you noticed that having visited certain websites, ads promoting products or services from that website follow you around the internet? This is called remarketing. You have probably seen 'Accept cookies' notices within websites. Sometimes, the notices are so large that you cannot read the content behind the notice. Therefore you either have to leave that website or accept cookies. Once cookies have been accepted, they are stored in the visitor's browser (i.e. Chrome). The visitor looks at another website (which runs ads) and they may see ads that relate to the previous 'remarketing' site....