A S A LOCAL HUSIW-SS OWNKR, YOU'VI- NO DOUBT KX-perienced the wonder the internet can offer for your business. You"ve heard of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), maybe played around with Google AdWords, and hopefully have a website up and running. (If you don't have a website, stop reading this and get one set up right away!) One resource you probably have not looked into is writing a press release for your local office. A press release gets the attention of local (and sometimes national) reporters, directs web traffic to your site, and improves your rankings on search engines like Google and Yahoo. If 1 asked you "Why haven't you published a press release?" you would likely answer with one of these statements: "1 don't know how to write one." "1 don't have anything newsworthy to say." "Press releases are for big corpora- ™™"""™™""™""'"■'■■™~"""■"""""«—— tions with new product launches and annual reports to brag about." "Where would I publish it? Don't I need to hire a PR rep?" These are concerns that even the most savvy chiropractors think about when approached with the idea of submitting a press release. Let's explode the myths right now. You do not need to be a big company to have a press release, and you do not need to have something revolutionary to say. If you look at what the big companies issue in their press releases, they're generally not events the public cares about anyway. The events are newsworthy because the companies involved decide they're newsworthy. You have the same power as a business owner in your chiropractic practice. Have you started a local charity fund? That's news. Have you expanded your office? That's news. If you've added a new service to your practice, you might not get an interview with the New York Times, but you can still generate search engine traffic and brand yourself as the chiropractor in your area who's getting talked about. In the age of the internet, more and more people research their medical professionals online before calling up for an appointment. 11" a potential patient is referred to you and a competitor, and you have five press releases in your name, while he has none, who do you think is going to get the appointment? Even if your competitor has a flashier website and a nicer location. you will be the professional with the most credibility. In terms of getting a press release actually written and distributed, there are more options than ever. You have sites like PRWeb.com and MarketWire.com whose whole lifeblood is accepting submissions like yours and distributing them. What's the best case scenario? You get a phone call from a reporter (most likely local), who wants to give you a spot in his or her newspaper, or maybe the nightly news. Worst case scenario? Assuming you have a properly written press release, you will get high ranking sites linking to your office's website, and Google will give you higher rankings as a result. The best press releases get passed around and posted on many sites, so you could have a ton of links building up for you if you write a good one. Sound like a ton of work? For a lot of people, it's a hassle to set up, and that's why you have such an advantage by taking the initiative in marketing yourself. The good news is that for a surprisingly low price, you can have professionals create and submit your press releases for you and take care of the hard work, while you reap all the benefits. If you are ready for a much higher level of exposure for your business, creating and submitting a press release is the best move you can make. Chris Plneger is Director of Sales for ChimMutrix. ChiroMatrix writes and submits press releases as part of their online marketing packages. Website design and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are included as well. For more information visit www. ChiroMalrix.com or call 1-800-462-8749.
