I’ve already shown you how press releases can help in search engine optimization in my last article “How To Increase Your Page Rank In No Time“. But the truth is that a weak press release won’t get you anywhere. In order to get the most out of your online press release, you have to make sure it’s written effectively.

Do You Really Have Something To Say?

One of the main reasons why some press releases don’t work is because they don’t have anything important to say. Remember that a press release is a mix of article and advertisement- it should kindle consumer interest without sounding overtly promotional. Maybe the sleek new design of your website is exciting to you, but is it what other people want to read about? Will it ultimately drive traffic your way?

Here are some questions you should ask yourself when writing your press release:

1. Is my excitement worth a press release? Some things that you can definitely issue press releases for are product launches, poll/survey results, newsletter launches, seminars, classes, books, awards or high profile endorsements
2. Is it strong? A press release has to be written in a clear, strong manner particularly the opening. Ideally, people should grasp the gist of your press release from the headline and opening paragraphs. They should also be sufficiently interested to read on.
3. Is it newsworthy? Remember that you are sending these out to media outlets so your press release has to answer the five ‘W’s of journalism- who, what, when, where and why
4. Is it focused? A press release is not a 300 page essay- in fact, it shouldn’t run for more than one page. Make sure that your content is crystal-clear and to the point.

Content Is Key

It’s rather obvious that the content is the most important part of your online press release. A weakly-written press release will make zero impact on your website traffic. Similarly, a press release on something nobody is interested in won’t help you either. Many people spend days perfecting their online press release before they send it into cyberspace. Others shell out big bucks to hire press release services to do the writing for them.

If you’d rather write your own press release, you’re already at an advantage. You’ll be able to write truly original and unique content which will set your release apart. Remember to use the right keywords. Keywords are as important in a press release as in articles or website content. Make sure you use them coherently and don’t crowd them in one area. Using them twice in the body of the article and once in the opening line should be enough. Make sure that your headline is striking and grabs attention. It’s also a good idea to use anchor text in your press release.

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Are you using appropriate Web 2.0 Marketing strategies to get the traffic you deserve?

Talk about marketing products and the four P’s come into mind: Product, Pricing, Promotion and Placement. The first step is to identify the service or product that consumers need. Then, you have to affix the right price. After that, it is promote, promote and promote. Traditionally, marketers focused their attention on advertising and publicity through special events that spread brand awareness. But, in recent times, marketers have started using another powerful strategy to earn ‘clicks’ - Web 2.0.

Why?

Traditional marketing is controlled. It is a process where marketers develop, craft and deliver messages through their PR department. But with Web 2.0, this top-to-bottom pyramid level of communication has been inverted to peer-to-peer communication. The advantage is obvious: information passed on by peers is highly trusted. It also spreads faster.

Web 2.0 technologies are changing the way messages spread across the web. A number of online tools and platforms are now defining how people share opinions, perspectives, thoughts and experiences. Social media tools like blogs, podcasts, videocasting, social bookmarking, wikis and photo sharing are just some of the methods that are becoming more and more popular.

So, the first thing you need to market via Web 2.0 is to have direct access to Web 2.0 marketing resources. Let us look at the various tools marketers use.

Blogging: Marketing on the web cannot be done without a Blog. That is why Web 2.0 places the greatest importance on blogging software. Among all the blogging services available out there, Wordpress is perhaps one of the strongest. It is strong in that it incorporates a number of free and paid plug-ins that make it possible for you to unleash the power of Web 2.0. While free plug-ins are useful, some of the paid plug-ins like the Wordpress Sitemap Plug-in and the Adsense Deluxe help you harness focused traffic to your website.

Linkbaiting: Obviously, the ‘in’ thing in the last couple of years is to create a social marketing buzz. Linkbaiting is another tactic used by web masters to attract cross-links. A number of websites allow you to create it. Examples are Technorati, Reddit and PRWeb.

RSS feeds: RSS feed creation and promotions are potent methods of spreading the word about your website or services. The more number of sites you submit your feeds to, the better ranked your websites would be. By using some of the best automation tools available, you can improve traffic to your website by 70% or more.

Social bookmarking and media bookmarking are powerful tools to woo traffic. One great free service is OnlyWire. They are free and good enough for beginners. But as you start getting serious traffic, you need to consider other bookmarking sites.

Video, video marketing and video syndication are some of the big tools of 2007. Most web marketers ignore video because it can be a little daunting, which is precisely why you SHOULD go for it right away, before the web gets cluttered with it. Video is getting big and the only way to beat your competition is by getting ahead of the curve. You can easily learn how to create video for the web, how to edit your video and how to make free legal soundtracks for your video from various Web 2.0 resources freely available on the net.

Of course, most of the information given here may sound vaguely familiar. But trying to do all of these by hand and one-by-one is going to cost you something very valuable - time; time you should spend on strategizing and providing new services. You could always hire someone to do these tasks for you but the ideal solution would be to have access to cutting-edge automation software that does all the hard work for you and keeps your marketing strategies running on autopilot.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Linkbaiting is not a new concept. In fact, people have been using it for years to generate one-way links to their websites. Only the term is new, if at all. So, if you’re thinking of driving massive amounts of traffic towards you, better get your linkbaiting arsenal well oiled. Here’s what you can do:

Create great content: By great content, I don’t mean content you get from Private Label Articles. Take a look at some of the top websites for competitive terms on Google, and notice their content on all the pages, not just the index page. Some of the pages simply make your jaw drop. When you are writing to Linkbait, your content is not just some words to fill up a page. The average reader must get something valuable out of your content. Doesn’t matter if they don’t buy or opt-in to your list. Create expert quality content that is interesting, easy and informative.

Rake up a Controversy: Nothing sells better than controversy. Say it with vigor and stir up some heat. Put up controversial video, audio or interviews. You’ll be surprised by the amount of people who come to visit you by way of hate mail, fan mail, curiosity and just to have some fun. And don’t go by what some people say about controversies damaging your credibility. Look at Howard Stern, he’s making a living out of it!

Do a case study: If you can’t kick up some heat, do the next best thing: do a case study of a controversial product or a new product. Conduct some research in your niche and find out what you can effectively ’study’ to rake up enough embers.

Hold a competition: Nothing catches eyeballs faster than a good-sized competition with something juicy at the winner’s post. That is why many websites have end-of-the-year competitions or hold competitions just after a launch. If your competition is popular, you’ll easily be featured on search engines because people are talking about you and linking to you. The competition you hold does not really have to be about your niche or product. Even a fun competition that touches a raw nerve will do the trick, like a prediction poll on the winner of the next American Idol.

These are some of the ways you can bait people to click on your links. However, let’s be realistic here. Each one of your linkbaiting attempts need not hit pay dirt. The trick is to keep trying.

A number of websites help you spread the word about your kickass linkbait piece, so people will find you easily. Seek out sites that are created for your niche and start posting.

Of course, the best thing about Web 2.0 tools is that you really don’t have to do all the hard work. Figure out what you need to do and automation will take care of the rest.

Easier said than done. Zeroing in on the right resources requires a lot of research. You may have to make mistakes and start all over again, which is painful and time consuming, to say the least.

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