Out of the Fog Marketing

Press Release Wire Service Comparison

Which wire service is best for small business press release distribution? Like so many things in small business marketing, it depends. Here is my take on the top press release wire services and the best use for each.

1) PR Newswire - when I first started in PR, this was THE wire service and all we used. It's the oldest,largest, and most expensive newswire service. However, their delay in adopting new SEO technology was a big mistake. Also, the Account Managers assigned to us were not helpful and turned over frequently. We rarely use this service anymore unless it's a co-release with a large corporation that still uses this wire.
2) BusinessWire - the other Tier 1 wire service. BusinessWire is large but progressive. Through their partnership with PR Web, you can get one of the best deals on the Web. For $399 you get distribution on PR Web and BusinessWire's US 1 distribution. For B2B companies with the budget, we go directly to BusinessWire. For smaller B2B companies and startups, we use the BusinessWire package with PR Web.
3) PR Web - probably the most well-known online wire service, distributing over this wire gets you LOTS of links, although the quality is not always the best. We do get amazing results on this wire for special interest B2C press releases such as travel and tourism offers. They also have great offers every once in awhile like free Podcast interviews when they first introduced the Podcast service.
4) Marketwire - We tried Marketwire's SEO press release package last year. They have very competitive rates compared to PR Newswire and BusinessWire. While their SEO console is not as polished as PR Web's reports, we did get great media pickup on a local Michigan story. We recommend Marketwire for local market releases that need SEO on a budget. You can get Michigan-only wire coverage plus SEO features such as reporting and anchor text links for $150, significantly below PR Web's $249 entry-level SEO package. We also get great friendly support from our Account Rep.

Some PR companies are advocating releasing over multiple wire services. This choice is not an option for many small businesses on a tight marketing budget. My advice - try a different wire each time until you find the one that works best for your business or industry.

Copyright 2007, Clarity Quest Corp.

Labels: marketing, Michigan marketing, Michigan PR, public relations, wire services

Page 4 Google Still Counts

In the course of providing search engine optimization for clients, I invariably run into companies that think they will die if they can't get a particular keyword or keyphrase on page 1 of a natural search on Google. For firms totally reliant on the web for business, this may be true. However, for firms with many lead generation avenues, presence on page 1 is not always a necessity.

It's true that 60 plus percent of folks do not search past page 1, but that means about 30 percent do!

Here's a real life example on how being on page 4 worked for our company. When we moved headquarters from Seattle to Ann Arbor, MI last July we knew online marketing was going to be the fastest way to find Michigan clients. So we went to work trying to rank for a popular term "Michigan marketing". For the first 8 months we were on page 4 (we are now on page 1) However when we were on page 4, Vision Computer Solutions, a local IT company was looking for a marketing firm and found our site. We were the first firm in the search results that targeted technology firms, had a message that spoke to their needs and a site that was visually appealing. Now we have a business development partnership with this firm.

So don't fret if you are on page 2, 3, 4 or 5 and my all means don't give up on a keyphrase. Keep plugging away trying to improve your rankings and in the meantime you may get a surprise lead or two.

Copyright 2007, Clarity Quest Corp

Labels: Google ranking, Michigan marketing, Michigan SEO

Seth Godin to Speak in Ann Arbor

Renowned marketing author Seth Godin will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan on May 22nd speaking about his latest book, The Dip. His 2005 book, Purple Cow was one of my favorite marketing reads.

The event takes place at the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty in downtown Ann Arbor. Doors open at 2 p.m. and the program will run from 3 to 4:30 p.m. A book signing for Godin will follow at SPARK Central, 300 E. Liberty, prior to a Marketing Roundtable program on New Marketing: blogging, web 2.0, social media, podcasting and consumer-generated content.

You can register for the event through the Ann Arbor Ad Club or by clicking the icon below.

Labels: ann arbor michigan, Michigan marketing, seth godin

What's in Your Tradeshow Box?

In the course of helping many startups plan their first tradeshow event exhibit, we've put together a list of extremely useful list of items you should bring to a trade show (in addition to your booth graphics and business cards, of course):

• Scotch tape
• Packaging tape
• FedEx forms
• Breath mints/gum
• 2 electrical power strips
• 2 pair scissors
• Pens
• Roll of Velcro
• Bandaids
• Roll of bubble wrap
• Large envelopes
• Sharpie pens - black
• 2 literature stands (wrapped in bubble wrap)
• 4 business card holders (wrapped in bubble wrap)
• Extra light bulbs for overhead lights in booth
• Case of bottled water
• Return shipping labels
• Stapler
• Notepads
• Heavy duty extension cord
• Aspirin/Tylenol
• Roll of paper towels
• Spray cleanser or wipes for computer screens
• Antibacterial gel (Purell)

If you have additional items you have found useful at past tradeshows, we'd love to hear from you.

Labels: Michigan marketing events, tradeshow event management

Use Marketing for Sales not Egos

As a small company you have to make every dollar count. Before spending even a minimal amount of time or money on marketing ask yourself "Will this campaign add value to my company or it is a ego strut that makes me or my boss look good?"

Often clients come to us emphatic that they need public relations in order to get their name or face on the front page of newspaper or trade publications. When asked why, they often don't know.

If the campaign doesn't add value or address a certain marketing goal directly, don't do it.

Labels: marketing, public relations

Greetings. I've finally taken the leap and commit to getting a few zany and hopefully useful marketing thoughts out of my head each week.

Why "Out of the Fog"? Well despite moving our headquarters from Seattle to Ann Arbor, Michigan last July, my blog title refers not to leaving the mist of Seattle behind, but rather the fog of marketing options a small or even medium-sized business must cut through. Even as an marketing professional, I feel overwhelmed with the number of new marketing, advertising and public relations avenues and technologies being created every day. Rich media, social networking, SEO press releases, viral marketing...the average small business but has little to no idea on how to best use these tactics or if they should even use them at all. In this blog I will offer thoughts and advice on marketing strategies and tactics that have worked or failed for small businesses and startups in the 7 years we've been providing outsource marketing services.

Our first piece of advice: take just 15 minutes each day to read something about marketing online or in print. MarketingSherpa is one great area for news, articles, and blogs all related to online marketing. When you come across an interesting topic, don't rush to implement it for your company but dwell on it a little and then enlist the advice of an objective marketing specialist.

The path to successfully marketing your business gets wilder and more interesting every day. I hope you enjoy taking the journey with me. Thanks for reading.

Labels: marketing, Michigan marketing, SEO press release, small business, virtual marketing firm