Article Review: PR Packages Part 2 – ‘PR Provides the Social Proof’

To read the full article (and others in the series), visit: buzzwords.ltd.uk/free_reprint_articles.htm

Although I’ve written extensively on the way PR Packages can create unexpected synergies, this article is the first to explore ‘social proof’ as a powerful marketing benefit. 

Evidence of social proof can come from many quarters, yet few would consider case studies to be up there with the best.  As a complementary offshoot, using case studies in what must be any company’s seminal collateral – its annual report – will showcase third party endorsement in the most prestigious and persuasive way.

Although this particular PR Package may be seen as an almost notional – if not accidental – creation, it highlights the potential of combining seemingly standalone PR techniques.  I would go even further and say that it makes just one small part of a very big case for integrated marketing (including social and digital media as well as offline traditional marketing).

Article Review: PR Packages Part 1 – ‘SEO the Easy Way!’

You can read the full article (and others in the series) by linking from  Buzzwords’ website page: buzzwords.ltd.uk/free_reprint_articles.htm

This article outlines the SEO benefits of combining Online PR and Article Marketing.  Both techniques have intrinsic value in their own right by providing useful information and by generating those all-important inbound links to your website. 

As a PR Package, the two together are an unstoppable and affordable SEO resource.  Whilst the emphasis with Online PR will obviously be on what’s newsworthy, Article Marketing presents valuable information that should ideally be timeless and therefore more likely to generate links for the long term.

The complementary aspects of these marketing tools will appeal to organisations of every type and size.  Each makes full use of the burgeoning numbers of online publishers and directories.  Information suddenly becomes easily and quickly accessible, as well as being available to targeted audiences in almost any country or marketing sector. 

Equally important is the scope for targeted SEO and optimising your website landing pages with the keywords of your choice.  To say this PR Package provides ‘SEO the Easy Way’ is probably the understatement of the year!

‘PR Packages’ Articles Complete the Online Jigsaw

Of the recent articles I’ve written for online submission, there are three (so far) in the PR Packages series.  Each of these focuses on a range of PR and copywriting skills that can be bundled together to achieve various objectives.  These could be for SEO purposes, generating a wider awareness of a company’s products and services, building business or protecting reputations.

The articles are, of course, as much about the SEO process of article marketing as they are about the benefits of Buzzwords’ PR Packages!  I make no apologies for that.  Everything that’s written online should, wherever possible, have the capacity to be re-cycled and fit into your online jigsaw.

Copywriting is a time-consuming business, so it makes sense to make it as cost-effective as possible.  Article marketing is probably at the top end of the spectrum as far as time input is concerned.  And yet, a lot of people don’t realise just how much of a ‘slow burn’ process SEO and link building actually is!

Blogging and online PR will probably give a quicker return per hour spent, but for staying power and generating a wider awareness of you and your field of expertise, articles are more expansive – and definitely more enduring.

Over and above the ‘slow burn’ effectiveness of article marketing, another concern that clients have is centred on how much skill and hard cash need be invested to do a good job.  As a copywriter, I have the skills at my fingertips, so the cost is nil (except for my valuable time, that is!).

What I would say to companies who doubt the power of article marketing is that it will pay off in the medium-term (we’re not talking ‘quick fixes’ here), especially if you hire a professional copywriter who can also help you to integrate all your social media activities.  Like any other form of marketing, you need to invest in the best to see a decent return.

Article Marketing – A Revival!

Writing articles is back on Buzzwords’ SEO agenda – as is blogging! It’s all part of an inter-linked approach to generating more traffic to the main website using social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

There’s a lot of scepticism about using Facebook and Twitter for business. Personally, I think the best approach is to leverage every digital marketing opportunity to generate a buzz around what you’re up to! Simple, but there’s no doubting the rewards that plenty of online activity brings in the SEO stakes.

To illustrate the point, every article I write is linked from ezinearticles to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. My blog posts go direct to LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Squidoo. Twitter goes straight to Facebook. And there’s a dedicated ‘Free Article Reprint’ page on Buzzwords’ website - buzzwords.ltd.uk/free_reprint_articles.htm – which features all my articles (as standalone and optimised web pages) for use by anyone, anywhere.

The net effect of all this is to create a virtuous cycle of activity and interest in what Buzzwords is doing – and of course generating traffic to the main website. A major reason why social media doesn’t work for so many companies is because they aren’t active enough in writing and creating the various blog posts, tweets, Facebook entries, articles and website updates needed to shake Google’s tree.

The reasons for this are really quite simple: lack of time, commitment and the opportunity cost of time and attention wasted doing what is a non-core activity – not to mention the lack of confidence in some quarters to write what’s needed to the standard that won’t let the side down.

All of this is a great shame. To give social media a fair crack of the whip needs confidence and commitment. Without it, the endeavour is doomed to failure. To coin a phrase, it’s really a question of reaping what you sow.

Buzzwords’ Article Marketing – Free Reprint Articles

For a taste of article marketing in action, visit the new Free Reprint Articles page on Buzzwords’ main website.  You can read a selection of  Mike Beeson’s recent articles at buzzwords.ltd.uk/free_reprint_articles ( just add the ‘www’ and stir!).

These cover SEO copywriting, article marketing, PR packages and case study copywriting.  All articles are available for FREE reprinting by webmasters, bloggers and publishers of e-zines and online newsletters – anyone in fact who needs high quality online content.

All that’s asked in return is that the article wording isn’t changed and that Buzzwords’ URL as it appears in the ‘resource box’ is included in full.

Buzzwords on Twitter at COPYWRITINGBUZZ

Buzzwords is now on Twitter at:

http://twitter.com/COPYWRITINGBUZZ

Follow Mike Beeson’s updates about copywriting, SEO and PR!!!

Check out Buzzwords’ new ‘Guest Blogger’ article on huliq.com

The following article by Mike Beeson was published today on US online news portal www.huliq.com:

http://www.huliq.com/1/82686/new-greed-stalks-financial-neverland

‘New Greed Stalks Financial Neverland’.

Check it out – Huliq’s a good place for some interesting stories!!!

Mike Beeson is ‘guest blogger’ at Huliq.com

The article below – nothing to do with copywriting – was Mike Beeson’s response to an invitation from huliq.com to provide a piece as a guest blogger.  This follows a successful article ‘SEO copywriting breaks down the doors of recession’ which scored almost 200 hits within 24 hours of publication.

 

‘UK banks over-dose on the noughties good-life’
 
The irony of the UK government being forced to nationalize at least some of its banks will not be lost on a news-weary public.  This is the same government that prided itself on setting up the ‘independent’ Monetary Policy Committee, overseen by the Bank of England.
 
It’s fair to say that the government’s hand has been forced by ‘events’.  Shoring up bank balance sheets with taxpayers’ funds was intended to start money flowing around the economy and thereby put an end to the credit crunch.
 
As we now know, the banks have used the cash to strengthen their own balance sheets and thus ensure their survival.  The hoped-for reality of boosting lending to businesses and home-buyers has not happened.
 
In the meantime, the ‘toxicity’ of bank assets has turned out to be much worse than was once feared.  Dire financial results have seen the markets give bank shares a pasting, thus further undermining bank valuations and credibility.
 
The clamour to nationalize the banks is intended to force them to start lending again and unclog the UK’s financial arteries.  The ‘hands-off’ approach of the UK government, however, will do little to reverse this impasse.
 
Although we’ll never know, the ‘tax credit’ policy of the Tory opposition party may yet have much to commend it.  For the moment, we have an economy following a determinedly downward spiral and a Prime Minister whose early fiscal initiatives have been lost amid the international economic turmoil.
 
Ultimately, the situation regarding banks in both the UK and the US is all part of an international meltdown.  Globalisation was the mantra to which we were all expected to sign up.  What those people in banking and politics forgot to tell us was that  – as with all things financial – the value of banks can go down as well as up.