BALTIMORE, Aug. 4, 2009 — Scores of businesses wounded or simply frightened by the economic downturn have slashed marketing and public relations budgets, yet press releases continue to roll over the wires at a steady pace.
“Smart business leaders are not retreating to their fallout shelters or raising the white flag,” stated Mickie Kennedy, founder and CEO of eReleases(R) (http://www.ereleases.com). “They are in the game for the long haul and are devising creative solutions to survive the stalled economy. These businesses may even be at the peak of their creativity, training staff to reinvent their roles and participate in public relations and trying outside-the-box ideas they were hesitant to test in ‘safer’ periods. These are the trendsetters of the new economy, and they know press releases are a no-brainer approach to reinforcing their market position.”
eReleases works in the trenches with these businesses every day, helping craft press release messages and disseminating them to achieve optimal media and online visibility. Based on this experience, eReleases has formulated the top five reasons press releases should be in any businesses’ recession survival kit:
- Out of sight, out of mind. Consumer confidence is low, and members of the traditional press are distracted by their own problems in a shrinking market, but no one will know how great a company and its offerings are if heads are buried in the sand. Companies can invest in maintaining a public presence – and even attract some business – with a persistent stream of press releases. They should not let their competition’s voice be the only one heard.
- Savior of shoestring budgets. Press releases are as close to shoestring as a company can get when it comes to marketing and PR strategies. Here’s the basic formula: Write a few hundred words about your latest news then pitch it to the media. This costs staff time, but not a great deal of it. Affordable services like eReleases that will take charge of this effort are also within reach.
- This too shall pass. The slowdown will not last forever. How are companies going to account for what they were doing all those months? Were they licking wounds, or cheerleading for business-as-usual? Businesses can document their outreach to the media and public with press releases, and a consistent thread of communication will be in place when the economy revives.
- Lemonade from lemons. Any positive message is a glimmer of hope. The media are on the hunt for stories that cut through the melancholy. A new product or service, an award, an initiative to boost employee morale or lend a hand to the community: These are all positive topics that show a company is making the best of tough times.
- Virtual multi-tool. A press release may in itself be the ultimate hard-times survival kit. When a company uses a press release distribution service that includes Tier-1 newswire distribution, trade media targeting and online visibility, it is employing a self-contained PR campaign that places the company on the media’s radar while also providing SEO benefits. This is one of most cost-effective site traffic, branding and buzz boosts around.
For examples of how investments in press releases have paid off for numerous businesses and entrepreneurs, visit http://www.ereleases.com/testimonials/.
About eReleases(R)
In its eleventh year of business, eReleases (http://www.ereleases.com) is the low-cost leader in press release distribution and writing services. The company was founded on the principle that professional press release writing and targeted press release distribution should not be out of reach for small and medium-sized businesses. The company earlier this year launched CauseWire(TM) (http://www.ereleases.com/causewire/), a press release service for nonprofit organizations, and GreenRelease(TM), a press release submission program designed to offset global warming. Through its PR Fuel blog (http://www.ereleases.com/prfuel) and newsletter, eReleases.com features press release tips and resources for visitors who want to learn more about press releases, including the article “The Public Relations Upside to an Economic Downturn” (http://www.ereleases.com/prfuel/the-public-relations-upside-to-an-economic-downturn/).
Contact:
Mickie Kennedy
Founder/CEO
eReleases(R)
1-888-792-3140
http://www.ereleases.com
http://twitter.com/ereleases
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