“How COULD press releases be your next hottest PR trend?”

We live in a world of trends. We buy fancy shoes, green cars, raw foods, and even vegan cheese! Today, everyone is a trendsetter. People want change. We are all creating changes. Being a trendsetter is risky, but also very beneficial. It makes us feel renewed, younger and motivated! Trendsetters get noticed and publicized!

For the past two weeks, I have conducted research, writing and putting together content for my PR client. He is a trendsetter. He always has been… From the beauty industry to creating a successful business in less than 5 years, he has set the trends to bring families back together, working together, creating together. He is a master of relationship marketing!

When I think about trends in Social Media 2011, I often think how our world would be if we did not have social media. Social media is a catalyst. It has accelerated everything we are doing online.

When it comes to creating publicity, online marketers only have blogs, articles and video marketing in mind. They forget one of the most important elements. A good salesman is the one who tells the best story and knows where to share it. He knows the right channels.

Now…Do YOU Want to learn how to WRITE a social  media release? Did you know online business owners believe that press releases are no longer an effective source of marketing? They still believe it is some sort of  voodoo marketing strategy that is boring and has no results. With the huge wave of social media marketing, many business owners only focus on Twitter or Facebook marketing and forget one very important method that has been used for generations: PRESS RELEASES!

Some marketers still feel that press release marketing no longer serves their purpose. According to David Meerman Scott’s new book “New Rules Of PR and Marketing”, press release marketing is no longer about announcements or cheap sales pitches, but instead about conversation directly with your buyers.

The “Good Old Days” are gone. Spending Big Bucks On Publicity is NOT necessary.

Just last week I was on the phone with an amazing business etiquette coach who created great publicity for her from the USA Today newspaper to even the NBC Daily Show. Her presence was amazing offline, but she realized after we spoke that she needed an online presence. She saw the importance of having a blog and started immediately on creating her blog and her online persona.

Press Release marketing MUST be on the top 10 list of marketing methods you use. I often compare press releases with cappuccino, topped off with extra espresso! Marketing campaigns without press releases are like drinking a decaf cappuccino, thinking it will give you buzz!

My new friend asked me why she needed press releases as a part of her marketing campaign. At first, she really did not understand why she needed to use them to tell her story and why press releases are important. I am sure David Meerman Scott would agree that press releases can bring the right buyers to a website… not just curious readers. It is all about the angle we use in telling our story.

With the growing role of public relations in social media, more business owners are turning their heads toward new and creative marketing strategies instead of looking at them as something dull or boring. Recently, I interviewed the amazing Deirdre Breakenridge about her book “Putting People Back into Public Relations” and role of social media and PR for business owners. In the book, Deidre Breakenridge and Brian Solis mention that “social media releases are bright and shiny objects.” I can say they stick out like a sore thumb!

Press Releases are about creating dialogue online.

As a marketing strategy, Social Media Press Releases are not “the new kid on the block”. They have been around for many years. Brian Solis became a pioneer in learning and applying social media releases as one of his PR and social media strategies. Social media releases are a very effective form of marketing. A Social Media Release is an “energized” version of a dull press release that used to be a tool for many journalists and business owners who wanted to make announcements.

Let’s look at this scenario to help you understand how social media releases can be one of the best methods to generate traffic and establish authority. Let’s say you have a traditional business and have decided to put together a Facebook page, Twitter profile and a marketing company blog. Now what?… Here is what you can truly experience by embracing the power of social media and online communication with your clients.

Online Presence is A Big Happy Family!

1. Family effect

You  must understand that a Facebook fan page is your family. Your Twitter cirle of friends is your family. How can you bring your older clients that you had in your business to Facebook or Twitter? What should you do? The first thing you need to do is emphasize that you want to reconnect with your clients on Facebook or Twitter, so you can share latest news, special offers, your loyalty program and coupons. You want to express thanks to multiple clients and build a tight, inner circle. I promise you they will want to know your news. Who doesn’t?

2. Engaging into social media

Once you createa Facebook fan page and Twitter Profile, you can send promotions, loyalty programs, and discounts to your products and services. In my recent post “Who Took Face Out Of Facebook” I talked about the importance of being transparent, authentic and innovative. You can share stories of your clients with photos, videos and events your company has conducted. It is all about communication. Now the best part- your clients will want to share with their network and now your big family will have new members because you were able to establish trust and relationships with your older clients and customers. That is powerful! The key here is TRUST.

3.  Your new hub: your company blog

As a blogger, I can encourage you to take advantage of having a wordpress blog. Many fortune 500 companies are changing their platforms to blogs and a blog platform can make your social media release presence much easier. A Blog post on its own can serve as a press release platform if you utilize social bookmarking services and widgets. Video posts are great for SEO purposes as well.

4. Online Newsroom

You can create your own online newsroom as I did with Pitchengine. They offer monthly and annual memberships and even free trials to their service for 30 days. Online newsrooms allow you to create your social media releases and they play a big role in establishing your brand; your company name. If your company provides services for various clients, you can utilize it for your marketing purposes. You can add your related links, quotes from top professionals in your field, your recent videos related to your subject along with the main keywords you want to target. You can be on the first page of Google within just few hours!

Here is what Rhonda Cort has to say about Press Releases:

“Tatyana Gann writes press releases packed with power and authenticity. Through her clever methods and strategic placement of keywords, video, audio, blog posts, images and links, she brings your press releases to life! I could stop there and it would have been well worth the investment, but there’s more… My press release was on page one of Google in just hours! Why struggle doing it yourself when you can get stellar results? Contact Smokin’ Hot PR immediately.” Rhonda Cort “The Magnetic Woman” CEO, International Speaker, Mentor and Stylist http://MagneticMojo.com

5.  Share, Share and Share

You can share your social media release via tools available in the backoffice of Pitchengine.You can create instant tweets that are ready to share with others and also have an opportunity for others to create viral marketing campaigns. On my radio show I spoke with Deirdre Breakenridge the author and PR 2.0 expert and she told me something amazing… She said that her book “Putting Public Back into Public Relations” with Brian Solis got the most views and book sales from utilizing a social media release!

I hope that you can see a bigger picture of social media releases being the hottest PR 2.0 trend and start using them as part of your marketing campaigns! This little shiny tool can spark your business and set the web on fire!

Tatyana Gann