Your,Website,Spreading,Stories marketing Is Your Website Spreading Stories About You?

Automation technologies represent a fundamental aspect of any modern industry. The major types of industrial automation solutions, such as DCS, PLC, SCADA, and MES, are used on a large-scale in process and discrete industries.DCS technologie Awhile ago, I got an email from one of the "gurus" I follow and it shocked me. The gist of it was this person wanted to trade services for a household item.To say it floored me would be an understatement.What was worse was a few days later t

If it's not, then consider changing its format to make sureit DOES.Although many brick & mortar entrepreneurs know theimportance of having their own websites, most of them stillhave few ideas for maximizing them, and often end up withnothing more than an "online brochure.""But a brochure is all we need." some of them say, or "Wecan't afford to put up anything else."But what if you discovered that -- with just a few revisions& for exactly the same cost -- you can actually transformYOUR OWN ordinary brochure site into something more dynamic?And what if I told you that everything you need to knowabout this "something more dynamic" is already outlinedright here in this article... and all you have to do isread?Click Here For Publicity------------------------This dynamic thing we're talking about is none other thanthe "online press kit," and it isn't really as mysterious asit sounds.In the real world press kits are used to get media peopleinterested in your product, your company, and even in you.But it could also be rather costly, particularly if you wantit to leave a good impression.The online press kit offers business owners the chance tostill make that good impression, but at much more affordablerates.Four Ws, One H--------------At its most basic level, the press kit is simply a "packet"that contains the most important information, tools &details that a reporter would need to intelligently writeabout an event, person, or company.Take this concept and translate it for the online medium,and there you'll have an online press kit.In much the same way that media people depend on the "fourWs and one H" to effectively cover a story, there are also"four Ws and one H" that you need to know about creating apress kit... especially when you plan to use them online:* WHO should benefit from an online press kit?----------------------------------------------If your answer to this question is "the company / websiteowner," then you're not quite right. (Not "wrong." Just"not quite right." :-) ) Although it's only logical to expect that an online kit willbring in additional publicity for you & your company, itshould first & foremost be designed to benefit someone else:The Press.The reporters, researchers, segment producers, broadcasters.These are the people who are constantly looking forinteresting stories & running against tight deadlines; theseare also the people who have the ability to shine aspotlight on you & your company... as long as you offer themthe right kind of story.* WHAT should be included in an online press kit?-------------------------------------------------Because the press kit is designed to entice & satisfy thepress, try to keep their needs in mind when putting togetheryour online kit.Essentially, the most important components of your kit willbe:1. Your Press ReleaseLike we said, the media are always on the lookout forinteresting stories, and your press release is the firstplace they'll look if they ever expect to find any on yoursite.So apart from making "new product" announcements and tyingup your business events with the latest controversial news,you can also gather interesting press release material from:- your unusual hobbies, interests & accomplishments, or those of your employees- your staff's experiences with famous (and infamous) people- your company's involvement in outreach programs, sports, or community events- and just about anything that has happened to you & your staff that reporters have never heard of... but have a good chance of becoming interested in.2. Articles You've Written, or Articles Written About You---------------------------------------------------------Once you've hooked them with an interesting idea/story,reporters would want to assess the reliability of thesource (you).The best way to establish your credibility at this point isto show them how much you know about your industry, and howother press people have turned to you as an expert/authority.3. An "Interview" With YouSo you've hooked them with a story, established yourcredibility, and now they want to do an interview with you.The most logical step they can take now is to contact you &set up a meeting... But what if they don't have the time?What if their deadline's in an hour, or you're living in adifferent time zone, or the show is due for taping in 2days and they're not sure if you can still book a flight?Then do the next best thing, only made possible because ofthe magic of the internet: provide them with an instant"interview with you."This "interview" can come in 3 different forms: - A Q&A document file where you provide answers to the most frequently asked questions about you and your company. - A streaming video file showing you answering the same questions, or - An audio file containing basically the same thing.This way, any media person interested in your story willhave no excuse NOT to feature or talk about you, becauseeverything has been provided for in advance.Aside from these "Top 3 Things" to include in your kit, youcan also put in:4. The general history of your company5. Biographies of key staff members6. Your brochure7. Photographs of your people & products (all captioned)8. Your business card9. Interesting quotes / stories from relevant personnel10. A calendar of future events11. Downloadable product samples12. And other downloadable (or at least deliverable by mail) promotional items.* WHERE do you put your online press kit?-----------------------------------------Because of the Net's interconnectivity & flexibility, youronline press kit can actually be created as a stand-aloneURL with its own domain name, or you can link to it fromyour index page to within your main site, maybe with aspecial icon designed to attract the attention of the press.* WHEN should you turn your site into a press kit?--------------------------------------------------Although you can choose to revamp your site anytime & have ayear-long accessible press kit online, you can also chooseto make the change in time for a specific event, like: - When you're launching a new product. - When you've published a new book. - When you're lowering your prices, or when you're raising them. - When you'll be appearing as a guest speaker or lecturer. - When you'll be interviewed on television or radio. - Or when you'll be participating in a press conference or trade show, and you only have a limited number of printed kits to go around.* Finally, HOW do you maximize the publicity potential of an------------------------------------------------------------ online kit? -----------As with everything else on the web, the simple act ofbuilding a kit doesn't automatically compel the press togravitate towards it.In order to be effective, people should know about it first;here are a few strategies to make sure your kit reachesthe RIGHT people -- who will hopefully also give you theRIGHT kind of publicity: - Create CD copies of your online kit, package them with attractive labels & designs, then send them to the press via postal mail. You can also distribute these CDs in place of business cards... particularly if your clients are on the brink of saying "yes." - Update your press releases regularly to reflect a keen awareness of the most current issues, then submit them to the search engines for ranking & filing. - Submit your press release to the online press release services, remembering to provide a URL link to the entire kit on your website. - Finally, you can also make use of trade show opportunities to distribute flyers or small cards containing your press kit's URL.Cheaper to print than a full color press kit, these cardswill nevertheless point the media towards the right stories& information... stories & information about YOUR company &YOU. © Tatiana Velitchkov