Are your online press releases newsworthy?
With consumers becoming increasingly web savvy, it is important for companies to produce online content that is credible, informative, relevant, up-to-date and consistent. Content marketing is an Internet marketing technique which consists of creating and distributing valuable and solution oriented content to attract, acquire and engage a target audience – with the goal of driving conversions. Two effective components of content marketing are online press releases and articles. In many ways the two online marketing vehicles work together but are structurally, very different.
Of course excellent copywriting is essential to both the creation of online press releases and articles, and both press release and articles are optimized to contain targeted keywords for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. But the relationship between article marketing and press releases ends there. When you distribute online press releases that read like an informational article, you may be acquiring some backlinks, but you will most likely experience little luck when it comes to attracting the media, social networkers or niche bloggers who can create quality traffic and effective branding.
Press releases are time sensitive. They are used within a narrow window to make an announcement, draw attention or build excitement. Here are some Press Release Examples. However; it is common that a press release refer to a particular article by linking where it makes sense. Article content that is stretched enough to look like press releases are not newsworthy. Both readers and search engines can spot this type of content, and neither is interested in it.
Articles are usually longer and contain more in-depth information in comparison to a press release. The main objective behind article creation is to supply the reader with useful informational, to sell, to suggest, link to, and to drive targeted traffic to your site. Unlike press releases, articles are written specifically for the target demographic that is to read them, so utilizing keywords and looking at current trends in your particular industry is essential.
If your content is not newsworthy and more of a general information piece, it is an article, not a press release. However, just because it is not ‘newsworthy’, this content should not go waste. You can increase the promotion of your website by submitting different articles to article submission sites, also known as article marketing. Article Marketing is the distribution of well-written, informative articles to article directories in the hopes that they will get syndicated by or reprinted on other websites and blogs. The more you continue to publish unique content the better your chances to extend the attention of the reader and ultimately increase conversions. Article marketing can be of great value to SEO, since the search engines favor fresh and regularly updated content.
Writing and then publishing articles using online article directories, such as E-Zine articles, can be one of the best ways to improve your content marketing strategy. By linking from these articles back to your site you are not only able to generate more visitors to your site but more importantly you will be building a network of relevant back links to your website which will be picked up by the search engines. The search engines such as Google having seen that your site is linked to other credible, relevant sources will then improve your search engine ranking.
In conclusion, in order to succeed in content marketing, you need to be able to communicate in different ways. When it comes to content marketing strategies, such as blogs, articles, press releases, white papers..etc, it is important to understand how to effectively write content for each individual platform in order to increase exposure and attract the attention of readers. While the search engines have dramatically changed the way in which we write for the web, one aspect has remained constant, the best marketing strategy remains to find a worthwhile angle to a story and to create quality content that is visible to your target audience.
Looking to increase your online visibility with content marketing? Our team can write, optimize and distribute your press releases and articles to improve your company’s overall search engine marketing strategy. Contact The Net Impact to increase your brand’s online exposure.
