What is an Online Press Release?

A professional, online press release is a strategically written piece designed to inform potential customers any exciting news or events happening with your company. This is not a marketing piece; it should be distributed through reliable news channels and offer quality information.

The advantages of using an online press release rather than the traditional format are two-fold:

* Get your announcement and valuable information about your company quickly and efficiently to a large audience
* Reap SEO benefits that you can build on for long-term optimization efforts

Whether you offer products for purchase on your site and expect increased sales over the holiday season or offer services and anticipate a lull, an online press release can help you take advantage of this time to capitalize on the end of year status of your company. Get started now to launch a release that will get 2010 off to a great start!

How Do I Formulate an Announcement?

Basically, an announcement can be anything that is of value to your potential customers. It does not have to be groundbreaking events, just information that is new to your company. An announcement can be changes in your organizational structure, changes related to your industry or community, or other events you participate in.

Here are some examples:

* Announce a special offer or sale
* Announce changes to your site
* Alert people to awards you have won or recognition you have received
* Detail your participation in community or charity events
* Announce a new product or innovation
* Discuss changes in the industry and your involvement

Working with a professional can help you determine a solid announce and help you launch the release successfully through the proper channels. And launching the release after the holiday season is an optimal time to begin your 2010 campaign.

What is the Benefit of a Professional Release, Rather Than Writing it Myself?

There are a number of benefits to working with a professional. First and foremost, a professional writer can make sure the announcement is viable for news sources, the text is grammatically correct and expertly written, and ensures that the release is distributed through the right channels to get maximum exposure. Furthermore, they can incorporate quality keywords that will offer SEO benefits.

A press release helps search engines crawl your site and the Network Solutions® Online Press Release service incorporates three backlinks, also favorable for SEO. Your release will be distributed to major media channels in targeted industry categories. Simply put, you will get a professional news article distributed via PRWeb® and other media channels to reach an audience of the tens of thousands. Benefits continue with the permanent backlink from PRWeb and the basis for a continued online marketing campaign.

What Can I Expect After the Release Goes Live?

Okay, now that you’ve decided to launch your 2010 online marketing efforts with an Online Press Release, piggybacking on the holiday season, you should start looking for way to use the release to branch out into other endeavors.

Here are a few ideas:

* Print the release and mail to community organizations and local media outlets. You can also make it a standard component of your marketing materials
* Email the release to your current customer base
* If you have a blog, post a link; if you don’t consider setting one up!
* Look for other social outlets, such as Twitter to announce your news

You can embark on your own to initiate new ways to maintain your online presence or you can get help from an SEO professional. But get started today to take advantage of the holiday momentum!