10 PR Tips for VARs and Tech Companies in 2010

Identify what type of media your ideal customer follows. Examples include daily newspapers, radio, journals, blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. A VAR may service mostly traditional customers that only rely on email and more traditional news sources like business journals and community newspapers. Many tech companies have a more technically aware audience, which means Facebook and YouTube are good avenues to pursue.

Create an attractive marketing message to appeal to your target market. Do you have several customer types? Many small VAR companies may serve many different types of industries. Nevertheless, it's critical you customize a marketing message to appeal to each one (or the most significant ones). Try and address their individual “hot buttons” or issues that trigger purchases of your company’s offerings.

Write powerful press releases designed for a specific audience, such as one that reaches out to your existing customers or one that is directed at prospects. It’s highly recommended to further segment your customers so you can tailor your marketing message to appeal to the pain points of each one (see #2 above). If you don't know how to write a press release, contact me at 512-255-7243 and I will send you a free document entitled (you guessed it!) "How to Write a Press Release A-Z."

Utilize press releases in marketing campaigns that used to be reserved for direct mail post cards or sales letters. Press releases inform, educate and inspire action without the pressure of a sales pitch. Press releases are highly effective at creating interest from both customers and prospects for your company’s products or services. You can also send out press releases in an email or letter with a brief introduction to prospects and/or customers as a way to pique their interest and drive them to your website. (Speaking of the website, you should seriously consider creating a separate landing page in response to a call-to-action you include in the press release.) More often than not, if your message is on target and well presented, some existing customers will call you to inquire more about how your offering might benefit their company. For instance, a press release about a CRM add-on that's specifically designed for real estate agents might get the interest of several real estate customers.

Press releases boost your website search engine rankings (SEO) by layering keywords in the release header and body. Choose 2-3 key words to optimize per press release as the density of each key word should be around 3-7% of the total number of words contained in the release. And be sure to use 1-2 keywords in the title of your press release as far to the left in the sentence possible.

Send press releases to an online distribution service like WWW.PRWEB.COM, which helps you get consistently higher organic search rankings on Google and Yahoo. Organic search engine rankings should not be confused with pay-per-click advertising such as Google AdWords, which allow you to pay for a position (usually on the top or right side of the search results) in response to certain key words. Keep in mind, organic search results are traditionally much more effective at attracting visitors to your website than paid ad placements. Don't know how to use an online press release distribution service? Call me at 512-255-7243 and I'll gladly show you how!

Follow up press releases with a social media campaign sending abbreviated messages from the press release using LinkedIn and Twitter.  Social media must be consistently engaged in order to be effective, so continue sending out messages capturing different angles of your core message. Also, try to drive interest in your website by including a condensed URL in your social media communications; be careful to have relevant content that’s worth the visitor’s time, such as a free document to download or a blog entry elaborating on your shorter social media message.

Consider creating a video press release similar to the written version but which can be posted to video websites like YouTube; it’s a fantastic way to raise your SEO rankings while also improving brand recognition. I've even got a few tips on how to produce your own video press release, so give me a shout when you're ready to start! Call 512-255-7243.

Send press releases to newspapers and business journals to give your story local coverage. Don’t be afraid to call up an editor or journalist if you feel your story is highly  newsworthy; when you talk to a journalist or editor, think about how your story would interest their readers and do your best to “pitch” your story in a way that is short, sweet and compelling.