Are You Creating Word-of-Mouth with Publicity?

Do you think of social media first when it comes to word-of-mouth-marketing? Well, before you start tweeting, posting photos on Facebook and adding videos to YouTube, tell your story to the media. After all, if your business is featured in a major news-story on radio, television, print, or online, you can build buzz while obtaining third-party credibility you simply can’t purchase. With this in mind, here are a few activities to consider prior to posting your news via social media:

• Research specific media members. Who will be interested in your story and reach your target market?

• Figure out a unique story angle for each press member. Do you have a client “before-and-after” story to share? How do your products and services relate to a current trend, holiday or industry event? Think of a specific story idea for each media member on your list.

• Pick up the phone. Contact the media members on your list and pitch your story. You have nothing to lose and some free publicity to gain!

• Write a press release. Take your story idea and create a press release. Optimize it for the search engines with the appropriate keywords, or hire a freelance, SEO expert to do this for you. Post your release on free, press-release sites, http://www.rembrandtwrites.com/FreePressReleasePostingSites.htm, and industry sites or use a press-release distribution service like PRWeb or PR Newswire. Also, post the release on your site, and give it a specific website address. And if you haven’t set up Google Analytics to monitor your site activity, you’ll want to do this right away.

• Time for Social Media. Once you’ve pitched your story to the press and posted it online, then tell the world about your news using social media. You can provide a link to the specific website address you created for your press release and monitor the results. Social media is a great way to build word-of-mouth, but don’t forget about public relations in the process. After all, with a simple call or press release, you may garner a feature story that catapults your business to the top of the news fast!

By Melanie Rembrandt