Press Releases for Business: Creating Your Press Release Marketing Strategy
Many businesses forget about the power of a press release. Their marketing tends to focus on social media. While social media is a strong asset – and should be part of any business marketing strategy – content marketing, email marketing and press release marketing all have a place.
The challenge is transitioning from a business that occasionally remembers to issue a press release to one that embraces press releases. To make that shift, it’s important to create a press release marketing strategy.
Press Releases for Business – Marketing Strategy Must Haves
1. Align Your Goals
Your press release marketing goals need to be aligned with your other marketing and business goals. For example, if your business goal for the quarter is to increase leads, and your overall marketing strategy is to increase website traffic, then your press release marketing goals should support those goals as well.
2. Identify Opportunities
Take a look at what your organization is doing over the next quarter or year. What initiatives are you launching? What activities are you participating in? Some potential opportunities may include:
- New products or services
- New publications (case studies, white papers, books, etc.)
- Event participation
- Event hosting
- Charitable giving
- Awards and acknowledgements
- Company promotions
- New hires
- New partnerships
Remember that a press release has to be newsworthy. There has to be a reason for people to read it and for the media to get involved and cover the information.
3. Leverage Integration
Once you’ve identified the opportunities to create press releases for your business, then it’s time to look at your other ongoing marketing strategies and plans. Identify opportunities to integrate your tactics and channels. Remember to keep your goals for press release marketing at the forefront. For example, if you’re hosting an event and are distributing a press release to build excitement for the event then you might also share the release on your social media channels, email the release to your existing leads, and publish the news on your blog.
4. Implement Analytics
You want to create a way to measure your success. You’ve established goals for your press release marketing, so how are you going to know if you’ve achieved them? Utilize analytics to help you test and track your press release results. Make sure your press release distribution service has a dashboard and provides you with the data that you need.
5. Identify Your Resources
Your strategy should also include your resources and press release distribution channels. That can include anything from the local journalists and reporters that you want to build relationship with, to the distribution service you’re going to use to get your release into the hands of thousands.
Savvy marketers and business owners leverage all of the marketing tools at their disposal. Don’t neglect the power of press releases for business. They can help you achieve your financial and brand recognition goals.
