Why Press Releases are Essential to Every Business in 2021

Why Press Releases are Essential to Every Business in 2021

Press Releases Can Increase Sales in Your Business

A press release can do a lot of good for a business. But perhaps the benefits business owners may love the most is that they can increase the sales in any business. And that’s the main reason why so many business owners invest in them.

So how can press releases do this?

Discover the 5 critical reasons why every local business should use a press release

They do it by allowing businesses to promote their new products and new services offered. By simply getting the word out, (something many businesses struggle with) that alone can increase sales and get more business through the door.

But that’s not all a press release can do, either. Press releases announce successes the business has recently achieved. Maybe a business received an award or a respected industry association noticed them. Maybe they recently embarked on a new technological development or joined with another prominent company to better serve their customers. All of these are great things businesses should want their customers to know about.

Why?

A customer automatically elevates a company in their mind when they make progress. If a business gets rewarded, they likely did something really great and know their stuff. If a business is a leader in their field, they must be the experts for their customers.

All of these benefits translate into new customers for the business. After all, the better a business is for the customer, the more customers will want to use that business. And that is always good news for both the business owners and the customers. A winning combination for all parties involved, and all thanks to a simple press release!

A Press Release Can Bring More Traffic to Your Website

One of the little-known benefits of press releases is that they can help businesses get more traffic to their website. While many business owners embark on press release marketing for various reasons, they may be surprised to find that traffic to their website also gets a boost.

This is because, in every press release, one or two links to a company’s blog or website can be included. If the press release is interesting, and the business knows how to establish themselves as an authority and provide useful, helpful content within the press release, customers will want to learn more. Customers will click on the link to learn more about the company or the product that piques their interest.

Want to learn HowTo.GrowYourBusiness? Click here for the 2x your sales discovery workshop

But it’s important that business owners understand that they must be careful when inserting links to their website or blog into their press releases. This is because Google, the biggest search engine in the world and the to most likely get a press release the most amount of views, will penalize shady tactics in which business owners are simply placing link after link in their press release.

Instead, inserting links within the contact information fields, or ending the press release content with one simple link after including “Learn more here” will be very effective. Google will not penalize such links, and both new and existing customers will flock to those one or two links.

Business owners try many tactics to get more customers to their site. This includes optimizing their website and blog with SEO tactics, including keywords, descriptions, and meta tags. Press releases are not a reason to stop using those strategies, but they definitely give them a very big boost!

Get More Organic Traffic By Optimizing A Press Release

Do a quick Google search on how to increase SEO, search engine optimization, techniques on your website, and you’ll find a whole slew of websites and links that will tell you how to do just that. There are different ways businesses can increase their SEO efforts, but creating press releases is one of the best ways.

This is because press releases can be optimized just like the content on a website or blog is. Search engines pick up press releases that include valuable keywords or keyword phrases any time a user searches for those same words or phrases.

Press releases sometimes include metadata for titles and descriptions, which also helps search engines pick them up. Metadata entices people to click on your link and get more organic traffic to your website. It’s also used by Google and other search engines to understand what your page is about. Since press releases are released online, they can also include these, too.

Press releases optimized for SEO climb higher in the search engines. The company’s blog and website that publish the press release may also climb in those search engine result rankings, too.

Increasing organic traffic to their website or blog is something all business owners want to do. The more traffic that’s coming to a site, the more word is getting out about that business, and the product or service they offer. And perhaps best of all, getting organic traffic is absolutely free. All it takes is some strategizing and determining what SEO tactics to start including, and where to include them. Spreading the word for free? That’s something any business owner can get behind!

press release marketing stats and facts

Press Releases Make Archiving Easy!

Ask anyone in any business to dig through their archives, and you’ll likely be met with some reluctance. And perhaps your own business has a stack of archives that you dread having to go through at any time. Even when archives are kept digitally, finding that exact thing you need at the exact time you need is difficult. But, press releases can change that. With a press release, you just need to keep one folder on your computer, transfer all press releases to that folder, and find whatever you need in just one click.

By doing so, you’ll quickly be able to see at a glance, all the events and activities your business has embarked on in the past. And that’s important, because sometimes you may want to revisit those events and let customers know about them.

And there are many times when business owners want their customers to know about events that happened in the past! Maybe you want to release a campaign outlining the history of your company. Or maybe you just want your customers to look back on the grand opening as you get ready for your business’ first anniversary. There are many times you may want to take a look back, and press releases can help you do it.

So forget about using that search function on your computer until it’s burnt out. And forget about sorting through all those archives that are down in the basement. Just start releasing press releases and then when you need to reach back into your company’s history, you’ll have everything you need at your fingertips.

Press Releases Can Follow Your Customers Wherever They Go

Did you know that 80 percent of all Internet users today own a smartphone? And that Google drives 96 percent of mobile search traffic? Or that over 50 percent of smartphone users grab their smartphone immediately after waking up? Why are these stats important, and what do they have to do with the press releases your company should be releasing?

The stats are important because business owners need to know that their customers are going mobile. And it’s not a trend that’s going to slow down any time soon. Most businesses think that this only concerns them when it comes to their website and blog. And still many business owners don’t bother to make their website or blog mobile-friendly. Not only does that get their page ranking docked with the search engines, but it also means that customers can’t properly view it when they’re on their devices.

But if companies just issue a press release, they’ll reap all the benefits of mobile usage by their customers regardless of the mobile status of their website. Since Google is optimized to perform well on mobile devices — as are the PR distributors that release the press releases — when a press release is created and viewed on these devices, business owners can still reap all the benefits.

That’s not to say that business owners who don’t have a mobile-friendly website and/or blog shouldn’t try to make it mobile-friendly by the time their press release is published. Ideally, links are included in the press release to both of those sites. Customers will likely click on those links when the press release is done well. And sending them to a mobile-friendly site will definitely be helpful for the customer.

want more leads? download the free report, "5 Reasons Why Every Business Should Use Press Releases!"

But press releases can definitely be an added boost to any business’ mobile efforts, particularly those that haven’t delved into the mobile-friendly world yet.

JVI Mobile Marketing will happily help your business send out your first press release. Just fill out the fields below and email us at support@jvimobile.com to get in contact with us!

5 Creative Ways to Use Facebook Messenger to Promote Your Business

5 Creative Ways to Use Facebook Messenger to Promote Your Business

5 Creative Ways to Use Facebook Messenger to Promote Your Business

Facebook Messenger is a tool many of us use for instant messaging with our friends – but did you know that it’s a useful marketing tool, as well? It has become one of my favorite ways to connect with existing and potential clients on social media.

There are some useful options included with Facebook Messenger that you can use to improve customer service, promote your products, and more.

Not convinced? Here are some numbers that might do the trick.

  • Open rates for Messenger marketing are 70% higher than for email marketing.
  • There are more than 300 million active bots on Facebook.
  • Facebook Messenger has over 2 million monthly downloads in the United States.
  • Facebook users exchange more than 20 billion messages with business every month.

Those numbers are impressive by any standard. So, now that I’ve convinced you – you are convinced, right? – here are 5 creative and easy ways to use Facebook Messenger for marketing.

#1: Remind Customers About Appointments Via Facebook Messenger

If you allow clients to book appointments with you on Facebook using the “Book Now” button, then you should be using Facebook Messenger to follow up and remind them about their appointments.

To turn on the button, simply click the blue call to action button on your business page. Choose the “Book with You” option and fill out your appointment preferences. When you’re done, go to your Inbox and click the Automated Responses menu.

Scroll down until you see the Follow-Up options, then click to enable Appointment Reminders. Messenger will send an automated reminder 24 hours before the scheduled appointment.

#2: Start a Facebook Messenger Conversation

Do you have a killer piece of content to promote? If you do, then I strongly recommend using the “Get Messages” feature on your next Facebook post.

When you create a post on Facebook, you’ll see a list of options below the message space. One of them is “Get Messages” and it allows the people who see your post to click to send you a message.

The best use of this feature is to promote a lead magnet. When someone wants the content you’re promoting, they’ll click the Send Message button to request the content. You can then get their contact information and send them a pdf of the content or redirect them to your download page.

If you don’t have content to promote, you can still use this feature to allow people to request more information about your business. It’s a great way to initiate a conversation. Just keep in mind that Facebook has rules about how often businesses may send messages to people. Make sure you stick to their guidelines.

#3: Answer Frequently Asked Questions

Most businesses have Frequently Asked Questions on their websites, but you can use Facebook Messenger to provide responses to your followers as well.

To set up FAQ on Facebook, you’ll need to go to your Facebook inbox and scroll down to Automated Responses. Then, enable the option for Frequently Asked Questions.

You’ll get a screen that allows you to tap a plus sign to add questions. It works a little differently from a regular FAQ. When someone messages your business page, they’ll get a list of FAQs and can tap the question they want answered. When they do, they’ll get the response you entered.

To make the best use of FAQ on Facebook Messenger, follow these best practices:

  • Keep your answers short and to the point.
  • Ensure that information provided matches the information on your website.
  • Make it clear that the response is automated.
  • Double-check all links to make sure they work.

Setting up an automated FAQ is a good way to make sure that questions are answered quickly. It will also help turn on the badge that lets customers know that you respond quickly to messages.

#4: Use Facebook Messager to Contact People Who RSVP to Your Event

woman holding coffee smiling  at facebook messenger on phone

If you use Facebook to create events and invite people to them, you can set up Facebook Messenger to allow attendees to message you and to start conversations with them.

When you set up an event, you’ll see an option that says, “Allow Guests to Message [Your Page] About Reservation.” Once enabled, you’ll get an automated message whenever someone makes a reservation for your event. You’ll be able to respond, thus starting a conversation with an attendee who may turn into a paying customer.

Of course, this option works in reverse too. Attendees will be able to message you directly with questions about the event.

#5: Create Ads Targeted to People Who Have Messaged Your Page

While all the above methods for using Facebook Messenger can be effective, I’ve saved the best for last. You can use the Custom Audience feature on Facebook to create ads targeted to people who have messaged your business page in the past.

You can choose any time frame. Simply click the “Add People to Your Audience” option and then select “People who sent a message to your page” option. Next to it, you can fill in your chosen time frame. I recommend going back a full year unless there’s some reason that you want a narrower time frame.

You can get even more detailed if you want to. For example, if you’ve ever used Facebook Messenger to conduct a survey, you can create ads targeted to specific responses. If you gave your respondents four options, you could create ads targeted to each response.

What I like about this tool is that it offers a very affordable way to engage in targeted marketing. When you take the high open rate for Facebook Messenger into consideration, there’s a good chance that your targets will see your ad. That’s not something you can count on with traditional Facebook ads that display on the News Feed.

Facebook Messenger is more than a fun way to connect with friends. If you use it properly, it can be a powerful marketing tool that allows you to connect with your customers on a personal level, boost your conversions, and increase your profits to grow your business.

JVI Mobile Marketing uses Facebook chatbots to easily keep your customers in contact with you in all these ways and more! Go to our website to learn more about what we do and book an appointment so we can chat.

CTA Buttons For Organic Facebook Posts

CTA Buttons For Organic Facebook Posts

Want to put a Call To Action Button (CTA) on an organic Facebook post? Well, you can. Until yesterday I didn’t think this was possible. Thanks to my colleague Bryan at 10X Interactive, we learned how to to this using Business Manager. Facebook’s Business Manager constantly adds new things all the time.

You can put a button on a link post, carousel post, photo/video post, or just a simple status update!

When you are in Business.Facebook.com, you will want look at the left side drop down menu(scroll down to the section that says “Engage Customers” and create your post with a button.

You will create it as an ad, but you can then publish it to your page without spending any money on it!

Maybe this is a Facebook Ad Secret.  Maybe this is a Facebook Loophole. Maybe this is a Facebook trick.

Who cares. These tips and tricks are incredible fun to learn about!

Want to learn more Facebook Tips and Tricks for small business? Need help setting up your Facebook Business Account?

Book an appointment today, read our blogs, or watch our LENS Method social media posting webinar!

HowTo.Agency

Watch Our Webinars

Hope you enjoy the content