- I don’t need SEO.

- It’s too expensive.

- I was ripped off by SEO in the past.

Well, here’s the cold hard truth about SEO:

You need search engine optimization to compete.

What happens right now when potential customers
are looking for your services?

Go ahead. Try it.

Type in a keyword about your products and services
in Google and see what comes up.

Are you listed? If not, who is?

Well, these are the people “stealing” your sales.

It’s worth the expense.

If you hire a good, SEO copywriter to optimize your
site for the search engines, it’s well worth it.

In the long run, the sales you receive from their SEO
efforts can pay for their fee.

And really. Can you afford not to optimize your site?

Find the right SEO service.

“I was ripped off by SEO in the past.”

O.k. I’ve heard this one a lot, and my sympathies go
out to you. But this is no reason to give up on SEO.

What happened last time?

Did you have clear expectations of what the results would be?

Did you thoroughly discuss your goals with SEO service
in advance and understand the process?

Did you get referrals?

When you pursue SEO again, make sure you know
exactly what you are paying for and what you can expect.

If this is not clear up front, you run the risk of losing time
and money. Plus, you will not get good results.

SEO is an important part of today’s marketing process. And
it doesn’t need to be difficult. Hire an experienced professional
and get your business posted in the search engine listings.

And when the sales calls start coming in, you’ll wonder why
you waited to move forward with your SEO efforts!

Do you have questions about search engine optimization for
your business and want some honest answers? Please let me know
at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’d love to help you get noticed
online!

Well, as most of you know, it can be very difficult to
keep a resolution. I always like to think of resolutions
as long-term “goal setting” instead.

This way, it’s possible to create an action plan and the
specific activities, support networks, and timelines
necessary to achieve goals throughout the entire year.

And while I can’t help you improve your health, I can
provide a few tips to help you reach your new sales
goals in 2011 – fast!

1. Got Content? It’s King!

First of all, what are you giving your customers other
than sales messages, products and services?

Today, content is king. Try to provide your customers
with additional value through content. Create blogs,
articles, white papers, social marketing campaigns,
eReports, and more to become the “go to” source for
answers in your industry.

Rather than spend your money on a big Website with
all the graphics, bells and whistles, focus on your
customers’ needs.

What can you provide that will make them tell your
friends about you and build positive, credible buzz?

And if you are not a good writer, it’s well worth it to hire
professional, search engine optimization copywriters.
Not only can they take this activity “off your plate,” but
they can also write copy that is optimized for the search
engines to help you build even more awareness online.

2. Contact the Media.

Once you have all of your content ready to go, let the
appropriate media members know!

Create a press release announcing your free content
and post it on no-cost sites (see http://www.rembrandtwrites.com
for a list) or use a low-cost service like PRWeb.

Also, write a personal pitch to the appropriate, media
members telling them why your free content is important
to their audience.

You may be surprised at how many new site visitors you
get from one, simple press release or call to a reporter!

3. Capture Data.

Well, now that you have your free content and are ready
to tell the world about it, how are you going to capture
data for all of the potential, new customers who visit your site?

Simple. Set up a newsletter registration form using one of
the many services available (AWeber, Constant Contact,
Infusionsoft, etc.) and ask site visitors to provide their
name and e-mail address.

In return, give them a free eReport, checklist, white paper,
etc. Then, keep in contact with your new sign-ups on a
regular basis. But be sure you provide value and not
just sales messages (more on this in a future blog entry)!

By giving customers what they want, providing valuable
information and forming relationships, you can reach
your business sales goals for 2011.

Try adding these activities to your action plan now,
and you’ll discover that this is one resolution you can keep!

In the meantime, if you need help setting up and creating
your newsletter registration, e-mails, free reports, and more,
please let me know here or at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com.

I want you to be able to capture customer information, provide
valuable content, and increase sales now!

I couldn’t believe it! Here I had access to free information and
answers that could make me money… so I asked question after
question and wrote notes like crazy.

When I got off the one-hour call, I was stunned. Boy! Did I get
some juicy information!

But it made me think…

Where was everyone else?

Sure, it’s the holidays and people are swamped with work. But
there are also a lot of people out there looking to increase sales.
And this call would have helped them do just that.

With this in mind, are you missing out on some great
opportunities for your business right now?

Maybe you are focused on finishing year-end reports so you can
enjoy a holiday vacation.

Perhaps, you are shopping for gifts or even thinking about being
kissed by that special someone under the mistletoe!

These are all good things, and I’m all for spreading holiday cheer. But
while these year-end/holiday activities are going on, keep your eyes
and ears open. After all, other people are out there trying to
get their work finished too:

• Sales reps are offering discounts on advertising and services.
• Media members are searching for sources for stories.
• Store owners are offering free shipping.

You may score a great deal, bring in new customers, learn some
valuable information at no cost, increase sales… the list goes on.

But to do this, you need to stay focused and aware of what’s going on around
you pertinent to your business success.

After all, Mr. or Ms. Opportunity may be knocking on your door
right now, but the jingle bells may be too loud for you to hear it!

Want free information to boost sales, awareness and credibility? Get your
free reports now at http://bit.ly/FREEReports.

And even though you are working like a dog, you
still may have to deal with…

“Why are we not seeing more sales?”

“Why did that reporter misquote me?”

“Why is the competition in this article and we aren’t?”

“I’m sorry. We just wrote about that topic. And while
you have a good pitch, we just can’t write the story
about your client right now.”

Or worst of all… the phone doesn’t ring, the e-mails
stop and nothing seems to be happening.

Welcome to the World of Public Relations!

When you get a big, media hit and the buzz is flowing,
it can be very exciting.

Your clients are happy.
The reporters are happy.
You’re happy.

And this final result usually comes from lots of hard work
and some amount of luck.

The whole process can be a very bumpy roller
coaster ride… so with this in mind, here are a few tips
to help keep you from stressing out as you pursue some
publicity for your business:

• Get organized.

Before pitching the media, figure out your goals.

Who are you pitching and why?
What are you going to say, and what do you hope to happen?

By pursuing your PR activities with the right mindset, you’ll have a
better understanding of what you’re trying to do. Plus, you’ll
give a better pitch and increase your chances of being heard.

• Have a back-up plan.

Let’s say your pitch is a total flop.

What are you going to do now?

Be prepared to have “Plan B” ready.

Think about how you can use this information in other ways.
Perhaps, you can create an article, write a blog or post the
information on a social media venue?

This way, you’ll still get some buzz out of your pitch and
be able to move on to your next, strategic idea.

• Communicate.

Whether your PR activities are going well or not, be sure to talk
to your boss, clients and appropriate co-workers on a regular basis.

Let everyone know what is going on. And while it may be difficult, if
a particular activity fails, talk about it.

What went wrong and why?

What steps are you going to take to remedy the situation
and improve the outcome next time?

This way, you have an action plan to move forward, and your
clients will know you are working on the issue and care about
the results.

Don’t worry. Everyone fails at some point.

Public relations is a fast-paced world filled with stress. Most of the time,
you will work hard and not see big media hits. But when you do, all
of your efforts will seem worthwhile.

In the process, please don’t take it personal. After all, this is business.

Try to put your personal feelings aside and think about the goals
of your business and/or clients.

Develop a thick skin for rejection by focusing on your plan, staying
organized and communicating with the appropriate people involved.

This way, you can reduce your stress and enjoy more publicity success.

Do you need help with your search engine optimization
copywriting, marketing and public relations to increase
credibility, sales and awareness fast? Please let me
know here or at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com, where you’ll
find lots of different levels of service at numerous
price points.

How often do I need to update my website?

Well, the answer is, if you have not updated your website in the last few days, you may be losing out on a lot of new business. Now, this may seem like a lot of work, but it may be a matter of adding some SEO copy, fixing an error or adding a news item.

To start, take a moment to review your site now.

Is it speaking to the needs of your customers or does it focus on product and service features?

People want fast information that is cost-effective, credible and helpful. If potential customers can’t find what they need on your site within seconds, you’ll send them right to the competition – and this is a big problem.

Instead, make it easy for site visitors to find solutions. Now, I know you have other priorities, and updating your website may be a huge project. But it doesn’t need to take a lot of money.

Simply take some time to review your site with your customers in mind, and remove all of the content that they just don’t care about.

Check for:

- Long-winded company information;

- Unnecessary technical details about all of your product and services;

- Grammatical errors and misspellings;

- Old news and information;

- Requests for private information; and

- Any boring content that doesn’t benefit customers!

Just by spending a few minutes looking through your site, you may find some big mistakes that can be fixed quickly and boost traffic and conversion rates fast.

Then, you can turn your focus to the bigger SEO projects, articles, podcasts, newsletters, and other online activities on your list to help grow sales.

This is just one of the many questions I am asked often. That’s why I wrote, “Simple Publicity – How to do your own public relations to boost sales, awareness and credibility fast… without spending a lot of money.”

Well, I hope this is helpful. I’ve got to get back to work – even if it is 6:00 in the morning!

For more information, please check out http://www.rembrandtwrites.com and my brand, new newsletter subscription.

Is this newsworthy?

If you are announcing a major news event, statistic, research result, or other important activity, that’s fantastic. But many times, you will write a press release simply to announce a new staff member, upcoming event, partnership, etc. These announcements are not newsworthy to everyone so it’s usually best to send them to a limited list of pertinent investors, partners, customers, and media members.

Another idea is to simply post the release on your site. After all, you want reporters to take notice when you have a big story to report. And if you just send out press releases to everyone on your media list all the time, they may stop listening to you all together.

Is this boring?

Are other people really going to care about what you are saying? Check to see if you are focusing on facts alone without providing any benefits. You can significantly increase the odds of your release being read if you offer unique and interesting information that is pertinent and valuable to your audience.

Do your quotes offer value?

As I’ve mentioned before, if the quotes in your press release include, “we are excited,” “we are thrilled” or “we are honored,” please change them. We know you are thrilled, excited or honored with the news. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be writing a press release in the first place! It’s best if your quotes provide new information, a specific opinion or other, newsworthy information. (For more on this, please see the great article from Ragan.com at http://tinyurl.com/7br5yt.)

These are just a few quick tips to make your press release more reader-friendly and newsworthy. With a few simple changes like these, you can write a good press release that generates awareness and sales.

By adding appropriate keywords to all of your online copy (Website pages, blogs, newsletters, articles, e-mails, case studies, etc.), you have a much better chance of “being found” by the search engines and potential customers looking for your products and services.

It’s a very cost-effective marketing tool that your competitors are probably using right now. (See http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/918-Chart-of-the-Week-SEM-SEO-Most-Important-Marketing-Tactic.)

But SEO is not just a matter of finding keywords on free services like WordTracker, http://www.wordtracker.com and KeywordDiscovery, http://www.keyworddiscovery.com, and plopping them into your copy. It takes a little more time and effort, so you may want to get help from a pro, http://www.seomoz.org/blog/what-makes-seo-sem-so-damn-hard.

In fact, a good SEO copywriter can help you:

• Find the right keywords for your business or organization;
• Insert the appropriate number of keywords into your copy;
• Create pertinent codes in your copy for the search engines;
• Write content that provides valuable information to your target market;
• Monitor results and make changes on a regular basis; and
• Build awareness online.

Good SEO provides information and value. And the search engines recognize blatant keyword use—so if you don’t think SEO will work because you want to stay honest and avoid “advertising” your business, you are missing out on a cost-effective opportunity to build buzz and sales. Instead, find a good SEO copywriter who can help optimize your copy the right way!

With this in mind, why not spend a few minutes each day working on future projects and writing down deadlines and timelines for all of your PR and SEO activities?

After all, you never know when you’ll get sick, have a family emergency or a last-minute media call that requires your attention. Plus, if you fall behind in your work, you can bet your competitors will be right there to grab your potential, new sales!

Most of these messages go into your trash with a simple click of the delete button.

After all, all this data is overwhelming, and you need to focus on your work priorities.

You’ll deal with your search engine optimization (SEO) later.

Does this sound familiar?

There is a lot of search engine optimization information out there, and it can make your head spin, especially if you’re not quite sure what it is or what to do with it.

Well, to make it simple, SEO is simply providing valuable content to your target market and the search engines in order to increase online awareness.

Do you need to optimize your site?

With all of this being said, it’s important to deal with your SEO activities now.

After all, if your competition has an optimized site and you do not, guess where potential customers are going to go first online?

By optimizing your site for the search engines, you can increase the number of people who visit your site and buy your products and services.

“But Melanie, I’m not a techie, and I have no idea where to start with my SEO activities.”

Is this running through your head? Don’t worry.

SEO does not need to be difficult. To deal with the overwhelming amount of SEO information out there, think about one word:

VALUE

The key to having a good Website that attracts traffic is value.

With this in mind, ask yourself these questions:

- What keeps your target market up at night? – How can you solve their problems? – What words do you think your target market will use to search for your products and services online? – What words do your competitors use?

Think about your answers, research what your competitors are doing and develop your messaging based on this data. Then, use this information to provide your target market with the solutions they seek.

Write your website copy so that it includes this information and provides value. Your content should be easy to read and get to the point fast.

And in your writing process, sprinkle in your top keywords in your headlines, sub-headlines and links. This way, the search engines, and your customers, will start to notice you.

This is just the beginning of your SEO activities…

Now, this simple process will help you start your SEO activities. But note that you’ll need extensive keyword research, special coding, monitoring, and regular updates to fully optimize your site for the search engines.

And while you can learn this process yourself, you may want to set aside a budget for an SEO copywriter to help you. This way, you can focus on your core, business responsibilities and avoid wasting time and hassles. Plus, the amount of site traffic and sales you receive can more than cover the cost of outsourcing your SEO needs.

And if you need more assistance, please contact me below or at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com. Thanks!

You realize that your site is not showing up in the search engines for your top keywords, and your competition is stealing your sales. It’s time to hire a search engine optimization (SEO) specialist to help you rank higher online.

But before you hand out your hard-earned cash for SEO services, beware! There are many scam artists out there preying on entrepreneurs just like you.
To help you choose the right person for your goals and budget, here are some questions to ask a potential, SEO specialist:

1. Are you a trained copywriter?

If you are hiring a company that specializes in technology only, you will be in trouble. The search engines are looking for content that provides value.

Sure, you need the right keywords and codes in the right place, but you also want to provide information that makes sense to your customers.

With this in mind, look for an experienced, SEO copywriter who can optimize your site for the search engines AND provide valuable content too!

2. Can I see samples of your work?

Any, experienced SEO copywriter can show you results from previous work he or she has done. If not, look for someone who can!

3. What do your fees include?

Get specifics on exactly what you’ll be receiving for your money. Basically, you’ll want the database of keywords your specialist will create after extensive research, the coding he or she adds to each page of your site and estimates for updating each page of your site (or creating new pages). Communicate with any potential, SEO specialist to make sure he or she is a good fit for your business.

4. Do you have a standard contract?

Once you know what you’re paying for, get it in writing! Make sure you both know what is expected in the working relationship and what happens if you are not satisfied with the results. This way, you’ll have some legal paperwork in place in case you are dissatisfied and your SEO company runs off with your money!

5. Can you provide references?

Check references, information online and The Better Business Bureau for notes about the company or person you plan to hire. If you see a lot of complaints from disgruntled customers, you’ll know it’s time to look elsewhere for SEO help.

Also, be weary if an SEO copywriter guarantees a number-one ranking on Google or other, search engines. It’s impossible to do this because the final ranking is out of his or her control!

Research is Important.

You don’t need to know the intricacies of search engine optimization in order to hire someone to help you. However, you do need to take the time to conduct research first so before you pay a big-name SEO firm to help you, because it’s the easy thing to do, stop!

Get some references for SEO copywriters from business associates, ask questions so you know what you will get for your money, look at samples, call references, and create an appropriate contract.

Consider your SEO copywriter a member of your team who can adequately share your message and communicate with your target market.

After all, you want to hire someone who can provide value to your business, your customers and the search engines… not just a techie who will add some mumbo-jumbo coding to your site that you don’t understand.

For help providing value to your customers and the search engines with SEO copywriting, please visit http://www.rembrandtwrites.com for your free reports and more information.

But, what do your customers think?

If your site traffic is low (check your Google analytics to find out), it’s time to take a closer look at your site.
The good news is, you can make a few, free changes that result in drastic improvements. To start, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you answer visitors’ questions immediately?

When people visit your site, they are looking for solutions. Give them the information they need right away so they don’t go elsewhere.
It’s important to be succinct and focus on the benefits your business offers. It’s all about your customers.

2. Is your site user-friendly?
When visitors arrive at your site, do they know where to get the data they need, or is your site a confusing mess of graphics, videos, links, audio, and more?

Keep things simple, and make it easy for your site visitors to know what you have to offer in just a few seconds. Provide the most important information at the top of your screen so people don’t need to scroll down your page to get it.

And don’t forget to put ample space between headlines, paragraphs and graphics. You want your site to be easy to navigate and read.

3. Are you stuck in the past tense?

Take a quick look at your content. Do you talk about things in the past? If so, change all of your verbs to the present tense.

For example, replace copy like this:

“Our customers saved over $2,500.00 when they used our Widget.”

with:

“Our customers save an average of $2,500.00 per month when they use our Widget.”

You’ll add a boost of action to your online copy by changing your verbs to the present tense.

Small Edits Can Lead to More Traffic.

These are three, small things you can do to improve your Website right away. Take some time to make these updates, and then check the results.

- Are site visitors spending more time on your site? – What links are they clicking on most? – Are you making a better, first impression?

You may be surprised at what a few, small changes can make!

Having a good site doesn’t need to be difficult.

When it comes right down to it, customers want solutions to their problems.

Provide value and an easy way for them to find answers, and you’ll significantly improve the overall results of your Website… without spending a lot of money.

Do you need help boosting sales, awareness and credibility with SEO copywriting and publicity? Please write to me here or check out the free information at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Well, I just heard from another entrepreneur who hired a
big, SEO research firm. Unfortunately, things did not go
well, and this new business owner needed some help.

With this in mind, I thought it was time for a quick review so
here are:

The Top 3 Ways to Get the Best Results from your Search Engine
Optimization Copywriter:

1. Research.

When hiring a new SEO copywriter, have an extended conversation
with that person and get all of your questions answered. Ask about costs,
expected results, timeframes, what is involved in reaching your
specific goals, etc.

Also, call references, review work-samples and check for a good rating
with the Better Business Bureau.

This way, you’ll have some confidence starting your work relationship
and know what to expect.

2. Communicate.

Once you start working together, keep in touch with your SEO copywriter on
a weekly basis. You should know the status of all current and pending activities
at all times.

And when you start a Pay-Per-Click campaign, launch a new Website,
send out an e-mail auto-responder series or have another SEO project in place,
ask for a report.

Since it is SEO, you can track clicks, top keywords, open rates, and other
data to see what is working and what isn’t.

3. Review.

When you have some data for your SEO projects, review them with your SEO
professional.

Stop the campaigns that are not getting results. Change keywords,
overall copywriting, e-mail distribution times, subject lines, and more.
Then, test the variances to see what works best.

Your SEO copywriter should keep track of the changes and keywords
in a main database (note that you should own this database and
all materials your SEO person creates for your business).

Communication is Key

SEO is an ongoing process of research, tracking and changing so it’s essential to
talk to your SEO copywriter on a regular basis and have a good, working relationship.

By monitoring activities and knowing which keywords and processes
provide the best results, you can make the appropriate changes quickly.

This way, you save time and money while reaching your goals faster. More
importantly, you will know what is going on and avoid being ripped off!

Do you have questions about SEO copywriting and how it can help
your business boost sales fast? Please write to me here or at
http://www.rembrandtwrites.com.

This way, you can practice your pitching skills
with a smaller venue and begin creating media
relationships to help your business grow.

But how do you start your small business
public relations efforts?

1. Research.

First, you want to read the local publications and figure
out who writes about your industry or “beat.” Check out the
archived stories online and also look for appropriate
contact information.

If you don’t see a particular writer or reporter who
covers your particular area of expertise, contact the
managing editor or assignment editor. These editors are
usually in charge of assigning stories to various reporters.

2. Practice.

What are you going to say?

Well, you could just pick up the phone and introduce yourself!

Tell the editor your area of expertise and the value you can provide
as a resource to that publication.

You can also pitch a story pertinent to the publication’s audience.

But with both of these methods, it’s essential to:

Offer valuable information that relates to the local community.

After all, that’s what the local publication is all about and
what the editor wants to hear!

For example, you can talk about how a national story or trend
relates to your business and the local community, provide a
case study about one of your local customers or offer an
original opinion-piece or article pertinent to the publication’s
editorial calendar.

3. Follow-Up.

After you introduce yourself to the appropriate media contact,
follow up with an e-mail or snail-mail letter. You want to remind them
what you have to offer their audience.

Remember to focus on their needs and how you can provide value.

And after your initial contact, you want to keep in touch with your new
media contact. On a monthly basis, send a note about a recent article in
the publication, provide information about an upcoming community event
or ask how you can help.

Most local media venues are tight on staff and cash so they will appreciate
your efforts.

Get Results.

By starting with these simple activities, you may end up with an immediate interview or a writing assignment.
If not, at least you will build a strong, working relationship with the local press
so they know who you are and what you have to offer.

Then, when it’s deadline time, and they need an expert
resource for an upcoming story, you’ll be at the top of their list.

And if you are a new business owner, this process can teach you how
to talk to the media at a low risk-level. After all, if you mess up
your pitch with a small, local publication, you can learn from
your mistakes and avoid them when you move on to bigger,
national media venues.

With this in mind, try contacting your local media venue within
the next week. It won’t cost you anything but time. Plus, you’ll
increase your pitching skills.

And who knows?

You may end up with a media clip that builds buzz about your products
and services, a new working relationship with the local press
and third-party credibility you simply can’t buy!

Have questions about boosting sales, awareness and credibility with
search engine optimization copywriting, social media strategy and public
relations? Write to me here or at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Blah. Blah. Blah. Things are tough for many people
right now, but that’s no reason to just sit back and
wait for things to get better.

It’s time to take action!

No one said being an entrepreneur is easy.

Your business is going to be filled with ups and downs…
so instead of whining about sales and the economy, here
are three, simple steps to help you get back on the road to
recovery fast:

• Make a List.

If you haven’t already done so, make a list of all the
people you know. This includes old classmates, past
employers, peers, associates, etc.

Discover what they are doing now and how to reach them.

• Be Creative.

Look at your list and figure out how you can help each
individual with your products or services.

How can you provide value to them?
How can you help them succeed?

Perhaps you can develop a trade for services, conduct joint
advertising to save money or share customer lists?

Be creative and come up with some interesting ideas.

• Make Contact.

Call or e—mail the people on your list and share your ideas.
Try to work together to help each other improve business results.

And if that person is not interested, ask for a referral.

One call can lead to new customers… just remember to thank the person
for the referral business if it goes through!

Help Others.

Right now, you can help yourself by thinking of others. Not only
will you increase your support network and ignite some energy
back into your business, but you just may increase sales in the process!

Do you need help boosting buzz and sales with search engine optimization
copywriting, social media and small business public relations? Please
let me know here or at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Great! Now, what do you do?

A. Sit back and watch who signs up.
B. Communicate with your new registrants right away.
C. Send valuable information to your list on a regular basis.

If you answered B and C…Ding, Ding Ding! You are right!

Newsletter Set Up is Just the Beginning.

The whole reason you have an online newsletter registration
is so that you can collect the contact information for potential
customers.

Once you get their names and e-mails, the real
work begins…

1. Send a thank you.

Immediately after people register for your newsletter, send them
a personalized, e-mail thank-you note. It should include a welcome
message, all the benefits they will be receiving and any kind of
free e-report, survey, white paper, etc. that you agreed to send
them if they registered.

2. Schedule e-mail auto-responders.

What are they?

Well, after you send out your initial thank-you
and welcome e-mail, you need to communicate with your
list on a regular basis.

With e-mail auto-responders, you send e-mails to your
audience to remind them about your business. And these 5-10
e-mails are scheduled for automatic delivery over a matter of weeks.

However, you want to ensure these e-mail messages are personal
and provide value to the readers.

Perhaps, you can share a story about something that happened
to you recently, provide a business tip or talk about a current,
news story?

At the end of your e-mail, you remind your list about
a particular product or service that you are selling.

This way, you communicate with your list in a way that provides value,
reminds them you are around and allows them to get to know you
over time.

It is a fantastic way to build long-term, customer relationships.

3. Are you blogging and using social media?

In addition to sending out the e-mail auto-responders mentioned above,
you also want to let your list know when you have a new blog entry,
article, sale, etc. And this is just a simple process of scheduling an
e-mail to go out whenever you have a new entry.

For these services, check out:

http://aweber.com/?324776
http://www.constantcontact.com
http://www.icontact.com
http://www.myemma.com
http://www.verticalresponse.com

This way, you can easily stay in touch with your list on a regular
basis and keep your products and services top-of-mind while
providing value.

4. Monitor e-mail auto-responder results.

Once your newsletter-registration and e-mail auto-responder
process is in place, be sure to monitor it regularly.

By checking your e-mail service, you can see how many people
opened your e-mail, the most popular content and clicks,
the best subject lines and send times, undeliverables, spam notices,
and more.

This is valuable information you can use to get the best results
for your e-mail efforts. Plus, you can use this data to discover key
trends with your list members, conduct follow-up, stop issues before
they become big problems, and create new content to meet their
specific needs.

Take Advantage of This Process.

Having a newsletter registration allows you to create and
grow your own list of customers. But this is just the beginning.

Once you offer your newsletter, it’s important to provide
personalized information to your list on a regular basis via
an e-mail auto-responder series.

Now, you may think that your customers will turn away if you
send them too many e-mails. And sure, you will get some
unsubscribes. But you do not want these “uninterested” people
on your list anyway.

Just be sure to send valuable information your customers can
use. And note that there is an art to the content and timing of these
e-mails… so I strongly advise that you hire an experienced, SEO
copywriter to help you write and send them.

But it’s well worth the time, cost and effort. With good, e-mail
auto-responders, your list will actually look forward to
receiving your e-mails.

And this means you can build valuable,
long-term customer relationships that will catapult your business
above the competition and dramatically increase sales.

Do you need assistance setting up your newsletter process and
e-mail auto-responder series? Please write to me at
http://www.rembrandtwrites.com. Your site traffic will increase!

A. Sit back and watch who signs up.
B. Communicate with your new registrants right away.
C. Send valuable information to your list on a regular basis.

If you answered B and C…Ding, Ding Ding! You are right!

Newsletter Set Up is Just the Beginning.

The whole reason you have an online newsletter registration
is so that you can collect the contact information for potential
customers.

Once you get their names and e-mails, the real
work begins…

1. Send a thank you.

Immediately after people register for your newsletter, send them
a personalized, email thank you note. It should include a welcome
message, all the benefits they will be receiving and any kind of
free e-report, survey, white paper, etc. that you agreed to send
them if they registered.

2. Schedule e-mail auto-responders.

What are they?

Well, after you send out your initial thank-you
and welcome e-mail, you need to communicate with your
list on a regular basis.

With e-mail auto-responders, you send e-mails to your
audience to remind them about your business. And these 5-10
e-mails are scheduled for automatic delivery over a matter of weeks.

However, you want to ensure these e-mail messages are personal
and provide value to the readers.

Perhaps, you can share a story about something that happened
to you recently, provide a business tip or talk about a current,
news story?

At the end of your e-mail, you remind your list about
a particular product or service that you are selling.

This way, you communicate with your list in a way that provides value,
reminds them you are around and allows them to get to know you
over time.

It is a fantastic way to build long-term, customer relationships.

3. Are you blogging and using social media?

In addition to sending out the e-mail auto-responders mentioned above,
you also want to let your list know when you have a new blog entry,
article, sale, etc. And this is just a simple process of scheduling an
e-mail to go out whenever you have a new entry.

For these services, check out:

http://aweber.com/?324776
http://www.constantcontact.com
http://www.icontact.com
http://www.myemma.com
http://www.verticalresponse.com
This way, you can easily stay in touch with your list on a regular
basis and keep your products and services top-of-mind while
providing value.

4. Monitor e-mail auto-responder results.

Once your newsletter-registration and e-mail auto-responder
process is in place, be sure to monitor it regularly.

By checking your e-mail service, you can see how many people
opened your e-mail, the most popular content and clicks,
the best subject lines and send times, undeliverables, spam notices,
and more.

This is valuable information you can use to get the best results
for your e-mail efforts. Plus, you can use this data to discover key
trends with your list members, conduct follow-up, stop issues before
they become big problems, and create new content to meet their
specific needs.

Take Advantage of This Process.

Having a newsletter registration allows you to create and
grow your own list of customers. But this is just the beginning.

Once you offer your newsletter, it’s important to provide
personalized information to your list on a regular basis via
an e-mail auto-responder series.

Now, you may think that your customers will turn away if you
send them too many e-mails. And sure, you will get some
unsubscribes. But you do not want these “uninterested” people
on your list anyway.

Just be sure to send valuable information your customers can
use. And note that there is an art to the content and timing of these
e-mails… so I strongly advise that you hire an experienced, SEO
copywriter to help you write and send them.

But it’s well worth the time, cost and effort. With good, e-mail
auto-responders, your list will actually look forward to
receiving your e-mails.

And this means you can build valuable,
long-term customer relationships that will catapult your business
above the competition and dramatically increase sales.

Do you need assistance setting up your newsletter process and
e-mail auto-responder series? Please write to me here or at
http://www.rembrandtwrites.com. Your site traffic will increase!

Yes, this is terrible copy for a Website. But look at all the
businesses out there that use this kind of language.
And while you may not want to admit it, you could be guilty!

Take a look at your home page, and answer these questions:
(Be honest. After all, it is the New Year and time for a “fresh start.”)

1. Does your first paragraph start with the word “We”?
2. Do you use over-used words like leader, best, innovative, and first?
3. Do you talk about how great your business is?
4. Do you list a bunch of products and services right away?
5. Do you focus on features and not benefits?

… so, how did you do?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, it’s
time to make some changes to your online copy…
changes that can significantly increase site traffic and
new sales.

I’m not kidding.

Why?

You have just a few seconds to impress
people who visit your site. And if you don’t tell them
the “juicy” stuff first, “ba bye” potential new customers!

To help you fix these issues, here are a few suggestions:

• Hire an SEO copywriter, if possible.

In the long-run, you’ll save time and money and have
a site that brings in new visitors and sales.

• Review your site.

If you can’t hire a professional SEO copywriter, start
with an overview of your site. Remove all of the language that has to do
with how great your company is and the features you provide.

Replace this with simple information on how your
customers will benefit from using your products
and services.

• Answer questions immediately.

What do you want potential customers to know as
soon as they get to your home page?What solution do you offer for their problem? Give visitors the
information they need so they know they have
reached the right place, right away.

• Keep it simple.

Guide site visitors, and make it easy for them to learn
how you can help them and what they need to do
get assistance.Ensure that your links work and that your purchasing
process is quick and convenient.

• Provide contact information.

Duh. This is a simple one but often ignored. If customers
have questions, make sure they can reach you and get
answers fast.Good first impressions can mean the difference
between making a sale or losing it to the competition.

These are just a few, quick tips to help improve your site fast. By
making these changes, you help visitors get the information they
need to purchase your products and services.

After all, it’s about them, not you. And your “we” site needs to go
“We, We, We, all the way home!”

Do you need help with the copy on your site? Please write to me
here or at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com. Thanks!

Well, here are three things you can do right now that will help you get the word out… fast:

1. Write to your local paper.

Check your local paper to see if they have an “Opinions” or “Letters to the Editor” section. Send in a note describing your opinion about a particular article in the paper. Then, sign your name with the name of your company and a link to your Web site.

Your article should provide your opinion and information the readers will care about. It should not be a sales piece. Your byline will be all the “promotion” you get, but it will be enough to get your site, and business, some extra awareness.

And if you are not a good writer, have a friend or ghostwriter help you with the writing and editing process. After all, you want to send in a letter than sounds professional and get your point across.

2. Post a press release.

Write a press release about the benefits your business has to offer. You can tie it in with a current trend, holiday or special discount you are offering. Then, you can either spend the money to distribute it online through a service like PRWeb, PRNewswire, BusinessWire, etc., or you can simply post it on free, distribution sites online (check the list at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com).

And if you really want to get some good coverage, hire a professional, SEO copywriter to optimize your press release for the search engines. This way, people searching for particular words in your release will be more likely to find your press release online.

3. Create a partnership.

Find another business or charity in your local area that you can work with on a particular event, fundraiser or other, joint activity. By teaming up, you’ll share the time, effort, marketing lists, and overall costs.

Plus, you’ll create a larger event that will build more buzz with the local media and potential customers.

Time to Get Creative

If you need to generate sales and build awareness for your business, don’t wait for funds to start coming in. Be creative. Think of ways to get people to talk about your products and services without spending money.

By contacting the local press, distributing news and information your potential customers will find valuable and working with partners who complement your business, you can grow your business without spending a fortune!

Need additional tips on how to build buzz without spending a lot of money? Check out, “Simple Publicity — How to do your own public relations to boost sales, awareness and credibility fast… without spending a lot of money,” at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com.

If you are trying to get the most out of your marketing, SEO and PR campaigns, you’ve probably run into this issue more than once. Well, I have good news for you! There are two ways resolve the issue and boost sales at the same time:

1. Use AP Style.

The Associated Press issues an updated book every year called the “AP Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law.” It’s available at http://www.apstylebook.com/. Basically, it provides a dictionary-like guide to correct spelling and grammar that is used by most media venues in the U.S.

And since press releases need to follow this style anyway, why not use it to settle word disagreements?

If your clients insist on using a certain word or style, point to the entry in the book and show the correct usage. You have set guidelines for everyone to follow, and the disagreements end.

2. Test words.

Another way to end disagreements about word usage is to test variations. Simply write your Web site page, newsletter, e-mail, PPC ads, or other copy, and post two different versions.

Monitor the results with a tool like Google Analytics, https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/login?ctu=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fanalytics%2Fsettings%2F%3F, AWeber, http://www.aweber.com, Webtrends, http://www.webtrends.com, or another, online program. Then, see which version received the most attention, and you have a winner!

Why spend time on dumb arguments over word usage, grammar and style? Instead, use one of these solutions to enhance overall results and focus on more important, core business activities.

1. Is there old copy on your website?

Try to take a few minutes to review your website. Check all of the pages for old copyright dates and outdated information. In the process, you’ll probably notice additional updates that need to be made right away.

After all, you want to provide current, fresh information. Otherwise, you may lose new customers…and sales.

2. Is your media list old?

How long has it been since you checked your media-list information? Due to current economic conditions, many media members have moved to different employers or organizations. If you automatically send your press releases and news to an old list, you may be wasting time and money. Be sure you have the right contact information for the right people.

These are some quick changes to make now that can significantly increase sales and publicity. And to start 2010 off the right way, try to set aside time to review your goals and actions. Update your website and media information now, and you’ll avoid problems later on. Plus, you’ll start the New Year off on a good note.

1. Sending information all about your company’s products and services rather than offering valuable information to each media member?

2. Focusing on features and not benefits?

3. Bothering reporters with repetitive phone calls, e-mails and mailings?

4. Sending hundreds of packets without targeting each media venue and reporter?

5. Spending a lot of time and money?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you need to stop and revise your strategy.

Before you contact any media members, it’s important for you to know what they focus on and how you can provide them with unique and interesting information. For example, you can:

- Prepare information that offers benefits specifically for their audience. – Offer yourself as an expert resource for future stories. – Give them an exclusive case study specific to their readers. – Write a press release that focuses on the benefits of your products and services and more!

These are just a few ideas, and there are many ways to capture media attention. It’s a matter of always asking “What’s in it for them?”

By targeting a unique pitch to a specific media member’s needs, you’ll establish yourself as a valuable resource and get more press mentions. But if you continue to focus on simply selling your products and services alone, you’ll be waiting a long time for your phone to ring!

It is easy to get too close to your business and marketing messages and miss some major mistakes that may be costing you sales.

Perhaps your website has broken links?
Maybe there is a grammatical issue on your press release or brochure?

By having the appropriate outsiders review your information, they can help you see your materials with “fresh eyes.” With this in mind, share your pertinent materials with people who will provide honest answers and valuable input. Then, ask them appropriate questions such as the following:

1. What is the overall message you receive from this piece?
2. How does it make you feel?
3. After reading it, do you know what you are supposed to do next?
4. Is it interesting? If not, where did you lose interest?
5. Did you see any blatant errors?
6. Did all of the links work?
7. Is there anything we can add or subtract from this piece to make it stronger?
8. What suggestions do you have for improving this website, brochure, etc?
9. Do you have any other comments you would like to provide about this piece?

In return for their time, perhaps you can offer a free e-report, special discount or other thank-you gift?

And once you have the responses, look at them carefully. Then, make the pertinent changes. You may be surprised to see that your piece has blatant errors that you have overlooked for months!

This may seem time consuming, but it is well worth it. By having others regularly review your work, you can present a stronger message and more professional image. This will help increase credibility for first-time visitors, media members and potential new customers that can lead to new sales.

Tell us about your business and why you chose to go into it?

I’ve always been an avid traveler, and I’ve always had an interest in photography, so with the advent of digital photography, and all the wonderful ways there are to present slideshows, make photo books and create websites, etc., it was a natural to combine the two, travel and photography, into a business that I absolutely love and couldn’t imagine not doing. Plus, I’ve found that I really enjoy teaching and helping people to make better pictures of their travels, whether around the world, or around the corner.

What has been your biggest challenge starting and running your business?

Just getting the word out on a shoestring budget is always a challenge, but with a lot of hard work and persistence, I’ve been very successful at creating news and buzz-worthy reasons for the press to want to know about my story.

Just a few examples are that I’ve recently finished my first book (“Ralph Velasco On Travel Photography: 101 Tips for Developing Your Photographic Eye & More” – http://www.ontravelphotography.com). It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted, but it was something that I’ve always wanted to do and was a natural offshoot of the photography classes I teach and tours I lead throughout Southern California, and the world.

I’m bringing a small group of photographers to Eastern Europe in December, and in March I’ll be leading a group on a humanitarian trip to Cuba, a country that has always fascinated me. And I was recently notified that I was #6 overall in the “StartupNation Home-based 100 Highest Vote Getter” category and “Top 10” in the “Most Slacker-Friendly” category.

What marketing and PR activities have you used successfully and why?

One thing I’ve been very good about doing is maintaining an e-mail list of the over 1,000 people I’ve taught photography to over the last year or so. I use Constant Contact to keep in touch with my list, more or less on a bi-weekly basis.

I keep them updated on new tours I’ve developed (I have over 20 local tours, several domestic and several international tours), new classes I’m teaching (I have 3 that I teach now), and any special tours or announcements I need to make, like about my new book.

I also take advantage of every opportunity to speak in front of groups that are interested in photography. I exhibit my work at a number of places, and because the budgets of so many arts programs have been slashed over the last few years, I’ve even developed a photography program for the Boys and Girls Club of the Harbor Area where I volunteer. I want these kids to be exposed to the arts.

What one piece of advice do you have for other people thinking about starting their own business?

Just do it! You can spend a lot of time talking yourself out of it, but one thing that Mark Twain said has always stuck with me:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Endeavor.”

Love that quote!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

This less than ideal economy has actually been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It forced me to really focus on my business and to get lean and mean, and that’s been nothing but a good thing for both me and my clients and students.

Congratulations on your success Ralph, and thanks for your great tips and insights!

First, build credibility. By having your business mentioned in a major media venue, you obtain third-party credibility you simply cannot purchase via advertising methods.

And a well-placed media mention can help you build awareness in front of your target market. Plus, you can also use this press clipping in your marketing efforts.

Second, promote your successes. If your customers have an impressive “before and after story” from using your products and services, be sure to get permission and tell the media their stories.

Not only do reporters love to hear exclusive stories about real people with real results, but this kind of publicity also helps your customers get some media attention for their own marketing activities. It’s a win-win situation.

Third, write about your customers. If you are preparing an original article to post on your site and share with the media, consider including a quote from a potential customer, sponsor or investor.

This allows you to develop a relationship and enhance the possibility of working together on future projects. Plus, it will give potential clients some free publicity for their businesses.

And if you decide to take this approach, be sure that your article offers important information and expertise without being a sales piece. You’ll get a lot more coverage and media respect for you and your customers if you provide valuable content editors can use and share with their audiences.

These are just three quick tips, but by using public relations activities like these, you can build awareness for your business, increase credibility and build relationships with customers without spending a lot of money.

Not only are holiday cards a fantastic way to spread some cheer during tough times, but they offer a great way to get through to potential new clients, investors and sponsors, renew relationships with media members, and thank valued customers. After all, most people appreciate a personalized holiday card and will open this type of mail.

Now, you may think it will take too much time and cost too much money to send out cards, but with today’s technology, it can be very easy and cost-effective. Some services will even take care of printing and mailing for you! (Check out http://www.printingforless.com/holidaycards.html, http://www.kinkos.com and your local print shop for help.)

And if you are really short on funds, you can always send electronic greetings through Hallmark, Yahoo! and others.

If possible, try to set aside a few hours to create an address list and send out holiday cards in the next few weeks. It may be a lot easier than you think and well worth the effort. Not only will you help build business relationships, but you’ll spread some holiday cheer…and we could all use some of that right now!

Well, don’t get too upset. That CEO may be:

• A good friend of the reporter;
• Advertise in the publication;
• Spend a fortune on a big PR firm; or
• Know the one secret to publicity success.

And if it’s the last point above, you’re in luck. Well, here’s the big secret so you can start 2010 off on the right foot:

Create a unique story angle for a specific reporter and contact that media member directly.

I’m not kidding. There is so much hype about building buzz that is really comes down to this factor. You just need to be willing to conduct the appropriate research and develop a unique and newsworthy story angle that a reporter will really care about.

And even if the reporter doesn’t like your pitch, at least you will start to establish yourself as a reputable source and create a working relationship with this media member for future stories.

Sure. Many business owners are lucky enough to get big, media stories right away. But don’t let this get to you. For true publicity success, you need to work hard, be creative and have some patience. And if you keep going, eventually you’ll be the one with the front-page feature!

To start, check out the many newsletter services available such as AWeber, Constant Contact, MyEmma, Web Marketing Magic, and others. Next, use their simple template process to create a unique newsletter for your business. You’ll want to provide current company news, a brief article, information about pertinent sales or new products, and other data that your customers can really use.

And if you’re not sure what to include, check out what the competition is doing and look at the newsletters of the businesses you admire. You can also create a brief survey or contest and ask your customers what they’d like to see in your newsletter.

Just remember to keep it simple, short and easy to read. Focus on providing valuable information to customers and solving their problems. And before you know it, you’ll have a huge subscription list of people who care about what you have to say!

Want more free tips and information to help boost sales with public relations and SEO copywriting? Please let me know here or at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’d love to hear from you! Melanie

In addition, offer interesting quotes in your press releases. For example, try to avoid statements such as “we are excited,” “we are thrilled” or “we are honored” in relation to the news. After all, if you weren’t thrilled, excited or honored with the news, you wouldn’t be issuing a press release in the first place! Instead, try to include quotes that provide new information, a specific opinion, credible statistics, or other, newsworthy information.

When it comes right down to it, people want to read a press release that offers current, unique and interesting information. Does your press release fit the bill?

Pick up the phone. That’s right. Simply call the producer, editor, reporter, or writer you’re trying to reach and introduce yourself. Provide valuable information specific to that person and offer yourself as a resource.

Now, you may not get a feature story right away. But at least you’ve started a working relationship that can lead to media mentions, new clients, and sales in the future.

Want more help with your PR and SEO copywriting needs to boost sales fast? Please let me know here or at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’m here to help!

And depending on your budget, you can post your press release on free Web sites, send it to your own opt-in list, or work with a press-release service such as PRWeb, http://www.prweb.com, PR Newswire, http://www.prnewswire.com, BusinessWire, http://www.businesswire.com, and others to target a specific audience.

Press releases are a great way to build buzz and remind people about your products and services, especially if they are optimized for the search engines. But if you don’t send them to a targeted audience with a specific purpose in mind, you will waste time, money and effort.

Giving a good media pitch is just a matter of researching the reporters, editors and producers you want to talk to and then creating a unique, story-idea for each.

After all, media members want to know how your story idea provides new information that their audiences will want to know about. They don’t want to hear about how great your business is and the specific features of your products and services. Instead, they want to know about the benefits you have to offer and what’s in it for them.

And if you can create a current and interesting story idea that provides value to a specific, media member, you’ll have a good pitch. Now, this takes time and practice, but it’s well worth the effort. After all, one good media pitch can lead to a feature story worth thousands in advertising dollars and new sales.

Now, you’ll see extensive media kits online that include video, audio, photo galleries, links to major press-stories, and more. This can be overwhelming, especially if you are just starting a new business.

But don’t worry. You can start small and enhance your media kit with the appropriate features as your business grows.

Just keep it simple, and include basic and current information you want press members to know about such as: the background of your business, bios and photos of key leaders, a list of unique benefits for your products and services, and any business news and events that you feel are important.

And don’t forget to add your contact information so that media members can easily reach you. For help creating your media kit, you can always check out those of your competitors and other industry sites online.

It takes some time to create and update a good media kit. But by giving media members the information they need at any time online, you’ll be more likely to land some press and bring in new sales.

First, you need to figure out what your customers want and how you can answer their questions on your site. Then, you need to update your site so that it is user friendly, easy to find by the search engines and most important, provides value.

Once you have a good site free of mistakes, then it’s time to create tactics and marketing strategies that focus on your target market. And your plan may include using social media like blogs, online forums, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and others. Or it may involve posting articles, search engine optimization, working with affiliates, Pay-Per-Click campaigns, press releases, or a combination of these and other activities.

The point is to prepare an action plan for your Web site with the results you hope to obtain from each marketing or promotional activity in advance. This way, you can set goals, save time and money, and get the best site results possible.

Whether it’s to build customer relationships, offer valuable articles, provide discounts, or communicate marketing messages, know what you want to accomplish with your newsletter before you start sending it out.

Also, check the newsletters from your competition and other industry-related organizations to see what you like and dislike. You’ll get some great ideas about content and a unique niche you can fill.

Then, create your newsletter with your customers in mind. And there are many services available to help you write, send, test results, and manage the entire, newsletter process. These services range in price but are well worth the money as they’ll handle your opt-in issues, update lists automatically, personalize e-mails, and many of the other, time-consuming processes involved with managing a newsletter.

Newsletters can be a cost-effective way to communicate with current and potential customers, provide value and increase sales. But for the best results, just be sure to have an action plan and goals in place before moving forward.

It’s picking up the phone. That’s right. By talking to media members directly, you’ll create a working relationship, be able to act as a valuable resource and help them with their stories.

To start, conduct research and find out which reporters write about your industry. Study their past and current stories. Figure out why they will be interested in your products and services and want to hear from you.

Then, contact targeted, media members directly, introduce yourself and give your pitch. If they are not interested, at least you have started a working relationship. And who knows? You may call at just the right time and have a feature story published the next day!

Getting good press coverage is all about research and providing value to specific media members. If you take the time and effort to do your homework and practice your pitch, you’ll start enjoying media attention that boosts sales, awareness and credibility fast!

Printed media-kits are usually created for conferences, speaking engagements, special mailings, and other important events where a physical handout works best. But an online version is necessary so that media members can access the data at any time.

And by having your media kit available online, you’ll save time and money in printing and shipping fees.

Media kits are a valuable tool for small business owners and offer a cost-effective opportunity to gain media attention. After all, if you don’t have an online media kit and your competition does, guess who is going to have a better chance of scoring stories from reporters with tight deadlines?

But before you begin a blog, it’s important to make sure it’s part of your overall marketing plan and that you are reaching your target audience. After all, if you don’t know what you want to talk about, or your customers aren’t going to read it, you’ll waste a lot of time, money and effort.

And if you decide to move forward, you’ll also want to make sure you have a dedicated writer for your blog who can supply new entries at least once or twice a week and monitor comments. Blog entries need to be current, provide value and have a voice or style people can relate to reading.

Plus, it’s important to monitor and respond to comments to keep the blog on track with your marketing goals and build relationships with customers…so in a nutshell, if you can create a blog with fresh, new content that has a purpose and focuses on your target audience, go for it. You’ll create value for your customers and help build online buzz for your products and services.

To start, look at your site and ask yourself if you are providing value. As soon as site visitors arrive on your Home page, do you answer their questions and provide a solution to their problems?

If not, add articles, links to resources, contact information, and other key data that is important to potential customers. Focus on the benefits you offer your customers.

Next, use free sites like KeyWordDiscovery, http://www.keyworddiscovery.com, and WordTracker, http://www.wordtracker.com to find appropriate keywords.

What words are people searching for online to find products and services like yours? Make a list, and add these keywords throughout your site, using three to four keywords per page, three times each.

Next, add a title tag no longer than 60 characters and a description tag no longer than 175 characters to your Web site coding. To see samples of how this is done, simply visit sites online, and click on View then Source in your menu. You’ll see the title and description tags at the beginning of the site’s coding.

As a new entrepreneur with a limited budget, you can do your own search engine optimization and improve your site’s popularity, but it does take quite a bit of time and effort. You need to know what your customers are looking for, be aware of what your competition is doing and update your site regularly.

It all comes down to providing value and giving site visitors what they want. And as soon as your business grows, you can hand this important work over to a professional and concentrate on your core business activities.

Start by reviewing your site as if you were a potential customer. First, ask yourself how this person arrived at your site. Is your site optimized for the search engines so that people looking for your products and services can find you online?

If not, find an SEO specialist to help you, or research the many, free or low-cost do-it-yourself SEO articles and programs available. And if you haven’t already done so, set up a free, tracking system via Google Analytics, http://www.google.com. This way, you’ll know more about your site visitors and be able to make appropriate changes to fit their needs.

Also, look at the content on your site. Are you solving your customers’ key questions and problems when they arrive at your site?

You want your site visitors to know they are in the right place and be able to find the solutions they need quickly and easily. Provide valuable articles, resources, product-and-service benefits, contact information, and other key data that is easy to find and read. You’ll get more site traffic from the search engines and impress potential customers without spending a fortune.

The results that appear on the left of your screen show Web sites that are optimized for the search engines because they appear first on the list.

And how many times do you scroll down the page or go to the next page of listings?

Probably not too often. That’s why it’s important to optimize your site for the search engines. If your site doesn’t appear near the top of the search list, potential customers won’t be able to find your products and service, and you’ll lose business to the competition.

If not, add copy and information pertinent to your customers’ needs. Then, make sure your site is optimized for the search engines so potential customers can find you online. If your site isn’t optimized, you may be missing out on potential sales that are going to the competition.

Next, talk to specific media members who target your audience. Tell them about the unique qualities and benefits of your products and services, and offer your expertise for future stories. Your discussions may lead to a feature story in a major publication that gives you third-party credibility and free publicity. With a good Web site that offers value and a few, published stories about your business, you’ll have a good chance of seeing a quick increase in site visitors and sales.

You can write one yourself following the standard releases at PR Newswire or BusinessWire. Then, you simply send it out to specific media members and customers and post it on free sites (see http://www.rembrandtwrites.com/FreePressReleasePostingSites.htm).

And if you add keywords for the search engines, you’ll get more coverage online. It takes a little time and effort, but you can build buzz with press releases without spending a fortune.

If you are just planning to send out a press release to a massive number of media members in hopes of getting major publicity, you may not get the results you are looking for. For example, if you want to reach a specific audience, you may be better off talking directly to a reporter at a targeted media venue and sharing your specific story idea. On the other hand, if you want to announce some news to a large audience, remind media members you have current products and services, and get the word out quickly, a press release is probably the way to go.

If you write a press release yourself, post it on the free sites (like those listed at http://www.rembrandtwrites.com/FreePressReleasePostingSites.htm) and share it with specific media members, it will cost you nothing but time and effort.

But if you are not a skilled writer and want to reach a large audience, you can take advantage of cost-effective, press-release writing and distribution services. To start, check out the services at PRWeb, http://www.prweb.com, PR Newswire, http://www.prnewswire.com/ and BusinessWire, http://www.businesswire.com.

You can always start with a minimal budget and spend more on bigger news as your business grows.

Press releases are a great tool for building buzz about your business. But before you spend too much on writing and distribution, review your goals and research all of the possibilities. You may want to pursue other publicity opportunities that will give you better results.

If you decide to move forward with a Twitter account, Facebook page or other social media sites, have a plan of action. It can be easy to start something new and exciting and then let it slide as other priorities come up. But with these social media sites, you want to be current and provide valuable information on a regular basis. Assign someone to be in charge of these pages, and monitor results daily. This way, you can track your progress and make necessary changes to meet your goals.

First, conduct research. Figure out what your target market watches on television, reads, listens to on the radio, and looks at online.
Second, create a story idea about your business that each of those particular media venues will be interested in hearing.

Perhaps you can relate your products and services to a current news event, trend, holiday, or other activity? Figure our what you are going to say and practice giving your pitch.

The third step is to contact the appropriate media members and pitch them your story ideas.

And that’s it. Over time, you’ll perfect your skills and be a PR pro!

Then, all you do is start with a clear headline that conveys your main message and the top benefit for readers. It should be short, void of gimmicks, cliches, or sales copy and written with action verbs in the present tense. And if you can’t fit all of your information in the headline, add a sub-head. This is just another brief headline under your main headline.

Now, move on to your opening paragraph with the who, what, when, where, and why of your news. You’ll want to place the most important data at the top of your press release. After all, media members often stop reading after the headline or first paragraph.

Next, write the body of your press release in a few paragraphs. Include quotes and statistics from credible sources, and provide valuable information your readers will find interesting.

Then, at the end of your release, add an “About” section, also known as a “boiler plate.” This is just a short paragraph about your business and the products and services you provide. Keep it brief, and offer contact information at the end so people know how to reach you.

And when you are finished, have someone optimize your release for the search engines or do it yourself. To do this, simply include keywords in your release, and then check your work at free sites like PRNewswire’s iCrossing.com, http://www.icrossing.com/tools/calculator.htm, or Hubspot’s press release grader at http://pressrelease.grader.com/. This way, you’ll get the most online visibility possible and attract site visitors.

Finally, proofread your release for errors and send it off. Press releases are not difficult to write. But it is important to take the time to think about your audience and the message you are trying to convey before putting pen to paper.