lifestyleadvice
YOUR WEBSITE IS A GREAT PUBLICITY TOOL SPREAD THE NEWS AND KEEP IT UP TO DATE All too often, companies overhaul their website and stop. Why? I’m often told that updates take too much time or are too much trouble. That’s a big mistake. When potential customers first read about you in a news article or ad - they are going to Google you. What will they find: A blog that hasn’t been updated in a year? A news article from 2010? You think the website is current, but visitors know it’s not. And then you’ve blown your chance to make a good first impression. Worse, you may have damaged your brand. Your website must be regularly updated, especially in this 24/7 world. Standard pages such as “About Us” and “Contact Us” can stay the same, but you have to post fresh content to keep it interesting and relevant. The Web is now the go-to place for news and information, which is great for your company. You do not have to depend on traditional news media for publicity. Everything your company does can – and should -- be posted online and spread across the Internet. Take, for example, Canyon Ranch Living Miami Beach Residences. Its website went live more than two years ago and has been updated dozens of times. Click on the news tab and you will see well over a dozen articles and TV reports just this year. They are in English and Portuguese and are taken from magazines, newspapers and
trade publications. Why go to the trouble? Because before potential clients spend money with you, they want to know who you are. They learn that from reading about what you’re doing now. That’s why Canyon Ranch Living updates weekly its schedule of healthyliving activities. Potential buyers of residences will discover the lifestyle that sets Canyon Ranch Living apart from other oceanfront communities. Keeping a website fresh doesn’t take a lot of time. Your articles can be short. Sometimes all you need is a few paragraphs and a photo. Updating is also simple. Once upon a time, you had to hire a geek to tinker with your website. Now, if you know how to update your Facebook page, odds are you can keep your website current, too. What do you put online? Talk about what your company is doing: offering new products and services, welcoming new customers, promoting important new hires, participating in community activities, attending industry conferences and so on. You don’t need Big News either. If you’re quoted by a newspaper or TV report, let everyone e
JULIE TALENFELD President at Boardroom Communications 1776 N Pine Island Road, Suite 320 Plantation, FL 33322 954.370.8999 www.BoardroomPR.com know with a link to the article or video. The most important thing is that you continue to talk about your company, your brand and your people. People like that stuff. Trust me. I’m a PR professional. Julie Talenfeld is president of Boardroom Communications, an integrated public relations and marketing firm with offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa and Orlando. www.boardroompr.com. 954-370-8999.
LIFESTYLEMAGAZINEGROUP.COM | MAY 2012
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