Using Content to Establish a Marketable Presence on the Internet
Getting great media exposure is something every expert would love to have. Television and radio placements are highly desirable to your campaign. However, professionals who wish to promote their book, product or service are realizing the enormous numbers of people who flock to their favorite website or read their weekly newsletter on a regular basis. Internet Publicity, when managed through the delivery of high quality content is a very effective way to promote your products or services.
Connecting with these sites and establishing a solid foundation for placing your content on their home page is not always a simple task. It can be daunting and time consuming to search sites for the proper contact and then somehow have the magic formula to connect with that contact in a way that gets their attention. And if you do connect, what do you do then? Knowing what to ask for is crucial in creating a permanent and marketable position with top websites. Ongoing relationships with prominent websites means that a client can be placed on the home page of sites and seen by millions of people within a short period of time. Often, placement on certain sites will spill over to national radio, print and television opportunities. Authors have written new books based on the content generated on expert boards. A client is put in regular contact with the public, giving the client a great perspective on what people are looking for.
Here are some essential tips to remember in structuring your online campaign:
• A complete campaign includes all facets of Internet Publicity. However, the core of your strategy requires assessing your website or creating one if needed, to focus primarily on content. Your website should be a resource center rather than a sales tool. Next, utilize articles from your site to promote your work. By offering this highly creative and desirable content to sites that are very large and therefore in need of content you will secure a position with that site on an ongoing basis.
• Most sites require articles that are 500-800 words in length. Quizzes and tip pieces are very popular. Present a package of perhaps an article and/or a tip and quiz. The articles should reflect a timely or crucial issue of interest to the largest audience possible in that specific genre. The articles should be purely informative, not commercial in any way. Your bio and site links are mentioned at the end of the article.
• One of the most crucial aspects of what you need to do is to create “an identity” beyond the scope of your work. Become a “Pro” in your given genre. Make it as specific as possible to carve out a unique and highly identifiable niche for your work. If you are a parenting expert, then promote the unique aspects of parenting that you address. How are you going to be of value to the reader? This is the critical question you need to answer to set yourself apart. In some cases, starting with smaller sites to establish your credibility within a genre can help open the doors to bigger sites.
• It can be frightening to hand over your content to a large site, but rest assured you maintain complete control over your content, unless paid by the site. You are giving the site permission to post the article and beyond that, the content remains your property and can be used in any way you choose. If the site does offer compensation you will retain the rights to the content, but you will allow them exclusive rights for 90 days.
• Utilize a resource like Bacon’s Media Guide to seek out contact information. Keep your e-mail introductory letter brief with a short statement of who you are and what you have to offer. Include a sample article in the body of the email. Offer topic suggestions for future articles. Don’t offer testimonials at this point. If you have given previous credentials and good content, that is what they will notice. They will then refer to your site, which if formatted properly with content and not commercial products and services, will motivate them to work with you.
• Do not link to a commercial page in your site. Prominent websites will only link to an informational page or a home page that is structured with content.
Online editors need to have a profound understanding of what you have to offer. They need to have the information presented in a complete and professional manner in accordance with their editorial guidelines. They also need you to do the job of researching great topics. They have to please their editors, and the better content you offer, the more the door will be open for future postings.
Other elements of an Internet campaign are crucial, including search engine placement. However, ultimate success on the Net is achieved by securing ongoing placements in sites that appreciate and want a client’s content. In exchange, the client will receive great publicity and credibility in being associated with some of the best sites.
Anne Leedom is the owner of Net Connect Publicity, an online content management and placement agency for authors, experts and websites who wish to promote their work via the Internet. Net Connect opened in 1999 and handles clients in various topics including parenting, health, business and spirituality. The company is in Northern California. Contact Anne at anne@netconnectpublicity.com
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