Tools for Tuesday- Week of September 31st, 2008

Good morning everyone!
Today we are going to go back in time, as we have a lot of people (and I do mean a LOT), who have recently joined the small business congregation. One of the biggest questions we have been getting is about visibility, so here is the column we wrote a while back regarding that subject. Enjoy!

One of the most common issues affecting the success of small businesses, at least which we have noticed, is a lack of visibility. Many small business owners, lack the financial resources to invest in any sort of media advertising, let alone pay the rent. One way of gaining exposure, without investing loads of money, is to put out press releases. Press releases do not have to be significant events. They can be the launch of a new product, a hiring of a new employee, an expansion to your building, etc. Distributing these types of releases to local media, not only gives your business tons of free exposure, but shows a commitment on your part, to the local community/economy and may help to create a sense of customer loyalty.Below we have assembled a number of links to press release templates, which can help you to easily assemble your press release. We highly recommend customizing these templates to create a standardized template, which includes your company logo, to create a sense of familiarity with local media.Here are the links:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101439021033.aspx (Microsoft Templates)http://marketingpr.suite101.com/article.cfm/press_release_template (Suite 101)http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp (Publicity Insider)http://advertising.about.com/od/pressreleases/ss/prlayout.htm (About.com)As always, have a great, profitable day!