Great Copy Lives Here

So you’ve thought about sending out a press release to announce new services, new products, new prices, or even how current news is affecting your business or your customers.

You go online, and find a multitude of companies who will blast your press release out across the internet to various online news sites either for free, or for a fee.

But this is content that relates to your local business – is there really a need to send your press release to Google News and The New York Times?

Well, the short answer is yes and no.

Yes, you should send your press release out to services like Google News, especially if you have backlinks to your main site in the content. But no, you don’t really need to send out your press release to national papers if your target customers are purely local. There is simply no point.

Here is the best, and most effective way of sending out a press release that will actually make a difference in your business…

Step One – Write out the press release with a local flair. Include the name of the city you are from, or a local landmark, or make it relevant somehow to local people.

Step Two – Use a free online press release distribution service like PRLog.org to send your release to services like Google News, online blogs, etc. This is great for SEO purposes, but it likely won’t get you any clients at all. For that, you’ll need to…

Step Three – Find the contact information for the editor for your local newspapers. Small town newspapers may only have one editor, while bigger newspapers will likely have an editor specifically for the section you are targeting. Find their name, email address, or mailing address (perhaps even fax number.) Send them an email asking if they accept press releases via email, or better yet, give them a call. Tell them a bit about your story, and ask if they would accept a copy of the release via email. If they say yes, email it off – if they prefer another method, do that instead.

This pretty much guarantees that your press release is getting into the right hands to get coverage that will actually help you, and saves you a substantial amount of money over online services.

Of course, if writing press releases and talking to all of the various newspaper editors isn’t something you want to do, you can always hire a Marketing Integration Specialist. They can help you to integrate the online and offline functionality of an effective press release in a way that will actually get you more business – instead of online services that will be spamming your press release to newspapers that won’t publish your content anyway, because it has no local relevance to them.

To paraphrase, this article uses a recent eye movement study to analyze consumer viewing trends on the web. A few key points…

- The eye is pulled towards text headlines first (meaning too many graphics in your prime space is just a waste!)

- People seem to scan the left side of everything, from headlines to bulleted lists – so you want to put your most powerful words first!

- You have exactly 1 second to catch someone’s attention before they leave your page.

As you can see, some of these certainly have major web design implications. At least, for those of us who are interested in making a profit from our websites!

Check out the original article here.

Chilliwack, BC May 20^th 2009 — With approval of new anti-spam legislation looming in Ottawa, many business owners are concerned with what impact these laws will have on their marketing activities. The Electronic Commerce Protection Act, it would seem, has no interest in protecting electronic commerce itself.

While consumers are expected to embrace the new regulations with open arms, business owners may have a tough road ahead. “Email marketing is the most cost effective way to reach your target customers,” says local marketing consultant Cherilyn Woodhouse from http://www.TheCanadianCopywriter.com. “These new regulations could mean some big problems for small businesses, unless you have specialized knowledge in email marketing. Everything from $10,000 fines to more than a decade in jail.”

According to Woodhouse, a small business can easily add 20% to their bottom line each month simply by using an email marketing strategy. And the costs of becoming compliant with the new legislation are minimal, especially when compared to the profit potential.

“Consumers are moving online, more and more each day. Every business in Canada should be using email marketing to its fullest potential” said Woodhouse, “as long as they are being smart about it. Having an expert on your side can pay off in more ways than you can imagine.”

The new legislation has met initial all-party support in the House of Commons, and is expected to move into committee hearings in the coming weeks.

For a free email marketing consultation, including information regarding ECPA compliance, please visit http://www.TheCanadianCopywriter.com

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Okay, so since I worked hard to get this blog up and then pretty much abandonded it, left to function purely as a portfolio site, I’ve decided that enough is enough – I need to stop ignoring my faithful BCWebMedia.com! So every time I find something news-worthy for the online world to see, I will post it here.

Who might be interested in reading what I have to say?

Small businesses who are looking for cost effective lead generation solutions

Small to medium businesses who are looking to create/improve their online presence

Online businesses who are struggling with lead generation and/or are seeking other revenue streams

Internet marketing consultants who want to keep up to date on industry insider information

And anyone who likes reading material geared to the individuals described above!

First post… A press release that I just wrote up regarding the new anti-spam legislation soon to be passed in Canada. Could be scary stuff – worth a read.

I posted this on my old blog, last year… Just as relevant as ever, I thought I would repost it now that my new blog is back up and running. So, without further adieu, here is my 2007 Earth Day Rant!

My Earth Day Rant – Originally Published April 23rd, 2007

Tony started it, so I’m going to get in my 2 cents.

Global warming is NOT caused by us.

See, a couple million years ago, there was an “ice age”. Everything was all frozen, and you had to wear a jacket in the summer. (j/k, you probably would have died north of the 49th parallel)

(Ok, it was 20,000 years ago (thanks Maximus!) but I’m still saying a couple million years, primarily for effect. )

Slowly, the earth started to warm up. And now, we’re still warming up. Soon, we’ll start to cool down again, and go back into an ice age.

Get it? Its a natural cycle that has been going on since our lovely planet was created, and it will continue regardless of how much you drive your car or use aerosol spray.

Now, I’m not saying you should litter & just forget about our little planet. We don’t want it to get covered in garbage long before we have to worry about it getting too warm.

BUT – we are not the primary cause of global warming & climate change. The earth itself is.

SO – I’m going to still be conscious of our lovely planet. But I’m not going to be another fear monger, telling you to stop driving etc etc.

AND FYI – a study came out recently that shows some alternative fuels are actually WORSE for our environment than gasoline.

And no, our oil reserves aren’t just going to dry up. Thats our lovely government working with the oil companies to drive prices up and grab more taxes. See the connection there?

The earth – in all her infinite beauty – knows what shes doing. So stop freaking out, and enjoy our planet!

My earth day rant is officially over.

- Cheryl