By Bob West
So much of our blogging on this site focuses on how you as a marketer can (and should!) use assorted digital media options to reach potential customers. But one of our online editors recently noted that you can (and, again, should!) use your website to engage the relevant trade media that cover your industry.
Too few companies have invested the time to build an online press room, which can make it easier for editors to write about your organization and increase the likelihood that your story gets out there in the press. Here are our recommendations for a couple of simple steps you can take to build a worthwhile press component to your website.
- Post all press releases. First of all, your press releases are content. They all should be on your website. Secondly, the fact that you’ve sent them out to your editorial contacts does not guarantee that they were seen or read, so post the releases here for future viewing.
- Post images in hi-res and web-ready formats. (This includes all product and general stock images in your library.) Editors are always looking for quality digital images they can use for stories in print and online. Offering your images online doesn’t cost you anything but reinforces your company’s value as a resource while boosting the odds of featuring your products in an upcoming issue. Â And don’t forget to note how the photo should be credited when it’s used!
- List areas of specialty. Editors want to know what kind of technical experts your company has for interview sources or as potential contributing authors. Just as with photos, editors are always on the lookout for new story ideas. If you give them an idea they like and sources who can help with it, they odds are good the final story will feature your company.
- List a press contact, with email and phone number. Including that individual’s photo would be a nice touch, too, so the editors know who they’re dealing with. Making it easy for editors to work with your company increases the odds of them doing that.
- Include links to all of your social media accounts.
The author is Direct of Interactive Sales for Meister Media. He can be reached at 440/602-9129 or [email protected]. Feel free to contact him with any additional questions you have about developing an online press room.