Online press releases offer the ability to speak directly to a large audience that includes your best prospects and the media.

The days of solely reaching the media alone via press release are over - press releases now have an extensive reach worldwide.

Our featured guest in this episode of Small Business Trends Radio is Joe Beaulaurier, Interactive Marketing Manager, PRWeb. Joe discusses the benefits of using press releases to reach your best prospects.

For instance, did you know that:

• Bloggers are — the new media. Bloggers attract an interested audience within a particular industry. Millions of blogs exist. If your press release is linked to from a blog site, it maintains a long shelf life online as the content is never deleted and the links remain indefinitely.

• The more links — to your press release, the better it will perform in the search engine rankings. Blogger links and links to it from your web site are beneficial. PRWeb has a feature called Press Release Trackback. This feature shows blogger links on the press release page and will advise you of the link via email so that you may follow the “buzz” surrounding your press release.

• PRWeb — publishes press releases geographically through email RSS feeds to media channels, Yahoo! News, Google News, and secondary industry specific sites. PRWeb’s SEO gives top search engine results and page rank.

In this episode, Joe Beaulaurier discusses the benefits and services offered by PRWeb and invites everyone to begin taking advantage of online press releases and the exposure they offer.

Stay tuned at the end of the program for the Today’s Trend. Today’s Trend is: The Migration Of Small Retail To The Web.

Gain access to Joe’s discussion by clicking the player below to listen to the full interview. For additional discussion on this topic, please visit our forum.

Listen Now:

 Use Online Press Releases To Get Prospects [53:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (6) | Permalink

If…? If you hear this two letter word, run away. Beware any question that begins with “If…”

This is the First Law in Public Debate known by media savvy professionals: 1) Don’t do Hypotheticals.

If a question or a rebuttal starts with “If” change the subject. If you are thinking “If” change your mind. >> Read more

Posted by Jack Yoest | Comments (2) | Permalink

Marketing: Reach, Frequency and Awareness. The fastest venue to reach large numbers of ears and eyeballs is to mention your small business on radio and TV.

Everyone who pines to be on radio or TV wants to “be something” or “do something.” But usually if you want to do something for your company, you must be somebody. And shamelessly self-promote.

Just like Carly Fiorina from HP…

(…oh…nevermind…)

The large number of talk shows, pod-casts, radio and TV have created an exploding demand for on-air experts. Talented talking heads. >> Read more

Posted by Jack Yoest | Comments (0) | Permalink

Not long ago, Your Business Blogger was working an event and was looking at a life-threatening…media interview.

Not every small business owner is in danger of death when facing a hostile journalist. The business leader should always expect to be ambushed.

But these days, it might be more.

Aljazeera was at our doors asking — in a tone that sounding demanding — and asked Charmaine for our CEO.

Actually their tone was quite reasonable; it was the scimitars that were threatening. >> Read more

Posted by Jack Yoest | Comments (0) | Permalink

Your Business Blogger was honored to be the Master of Ceremonies at a recent fundraising event. Donors were called, Honorary Sponsors highlighted, invitations mailed, the room readied. There was one thing left to do.

Invite C-SPAN.

As I talked with the producer in making the request, I was reminded of a recent article featuring the book Setting the Table reviewed by Jack Covert in the 800-CEO-READ Blog.

The only thing worse than being turned down by a big media outlet … might actually be getting the gig. Be careful what you pray for: Your marketing dream come true could be a nightmare. >> Read more

Posted by Jack Yoest | Comments (0) | Permalink

Woody Allen once said that 80 per cent of success is showing up. And to succeed in business as well as show business: you must show up.

Radio Row at an exhibition show.

Your Business Blogger was observing (and trying to stay out of the way of) a radio and blogger row a few weeks ago. We were lucky — guests and hosts seem to link up with minimal scheduling challenges.

But this is becoming more unusual.

Your Business Blogger is learning of a most disturbing trend: Guests who don’t show.

In sales training 101, the first step is always to establish rapport. But it starts before that, of course: First, You must get the appointment and Second, you must Show Up.

>> Read more

Posted by Jack Yoest | Comments (4) | Permalink

Only the dead have seen the end of gluttony.

With apologies to Plato. Unless you are skinny as a post don’t read this one. Read on if you need a reason to win the war with your weight. It’s not what you think.

Candy Crowley from CNN can get away with it. Rush Limbaugh did for a while.

But not you. Even though one-third of Americans are overweight and trending heavier, this should not be an excuse for you, the small business owner.

As you become a heavyweight in your business you will be speaking on radio and TV. And even on radio, you will have a publicity shot to advertise your interview. You better look good.

And as a public figure, you will soon learn the inverse rule that rules show bizziness:

The more weight you carry, the more you will be seen as a light weight.

Isn’t this, well, profiling? Is this fair? Would it be right to judge a book by its cover?

Nope. Not fair.

But why is this? My favorite answer comes from Joan Lindsey, a world class instructor from (where else?) LA.

Here’s the insensitive question: Is there a poundage penalty?

Lindsey uses a world-class vocabulary, dealing with micro and mass persuasion. She says that the most effective spokespersons must have:

Lean Body Mass

This is the issue framing that commands not-so-lean consulting fees.

The Lean Body Mass person is perceived as energetic, believable, smart. The not-Lean Body Mass (if you know what I mean, and I think you do) person is perceived as lethargic, deceitful, dull.

Always? Camryn Manheim won an Emmy. Churchill won a war.

Marilyn Monroe was a size 12. Go figure, so to say. And it didn’t seem to hurt their believablity.

Or maybe it helped her. Being overweight “symbolizes an inability to control oneself or to maintain personal health.”

The Boston Globe quotes Myrna Marofsky who runs a diversity consulting firm ‘’Size generates subtle biases as well as blatant ones…You might hear, ‘If she would just lose 25 pounds, she would have a better chance at that promotion.’”

And this is just not fair.

However, the purpose of this post is not self-esteem. BigFatBlog can do that and argues persuasively on the world of overweight.

I am concerned less about your psyche than your gravitas. What counts is that you, as the small business owner, are able to be liked, able to sell, to persuade.

Lean Body Mass sells. And communicates.

But didn’t Jackie Gleason communicate?

Indeed, but as Shakespeare’s ‘fat knight’ Falstaff says in Henry IV, “I am not only witty in myself, but the cause that wit is in other men.”

Unless you are running a small business comedy club, it might be best not to have people laugh at you.

David Lakhani and Jeffery Gitomer in their book Persuasion, write on this, perhaps subconsciously,

Over Sunday brunch you and your spouse decide it is time to buy a new car. You want something newer than you have, but you don’t want to spend the money for a brand-new model year car, so as you eat, you hear those magic words on the television from an overweight, mutton-chopped used-car salesman…

Emphasis mine.

Your Business Blogger can provide advice on most any topic — I will not pretend to tell anyone how to lose weight. Goodness, even marathon runner and blogger Brad Feld complains about losing that last 10 pounds.

But I can say that persuasive communication and selling is a thin person’s competitive advantage.

Creditable, likeable, believable. Your job is to sell.

At every meal, think, Lean Body Mass.

I hope to take your appetite away, and perhaps give you something better.

Posted by Jack Yoest | Comments (4) | Permalink