This question might seem a little elementary but really think about this. What do you want to be as your company matures, many of my clients over the years have not considered or planned for what they want to be down the road, they simply focus on getting the company started and off the ground. This thought process is very dangerous when your company succeeds, especially if it grows fast. Everyone who starts a company plans on it success and wants it to grow fast!

Let me ask you a question? Have you ever known anyone who built a home? Did they start putting up walls and framing the roof without a foundation? If you went to your local municipality and showed them a set of plans that didn’t include the plumbing or the foundation they would not only think you were crazy, but would not allow you to start construction! However there’s no such building department for starting a company, so on a regular basis entrepreneurs start direct selling MLM and party plan companies without any foundation.

I call build strategy the foundation for your company. Let’s take a look at some of the questions you should be asking yourself when starting an MLM/direct selling or party plan company.

What style of compensation plan are you going to use?

This really isn’t the first question that should be asked but since it’s the one everyone always asks first I’ve listed it first. Until you’ve answered some of the following questions you can’t really even talk about compensation plan.

Is your strategy business/opportunity first or is it product first?

And once you have determined this question then the question becomes what are the ratios. Do I want 60% opportunity 40% product or 70% opportunity 30% product or do I want 70% product 30% opportunity. Understanding this question and determining this ratio can be quite a process, but moving forward this will always give you a yardstick to measure if you’re on the track you planed.

Do you plan to gather/attract customers at the corporate level?

This is an important question as a company to be successful, you have to think like a top distributor and always look for ways and systems and tools to attract customers that can be happy users of your product or be converted into distributors. The customer is king. Whether you build your company with customers or whether you use the customers to attract key distributors either way is a valid concept.

What level of leader/home-based entrepreneur do I want?

This question is key to your building strategy. It’s very simply. Do I plan to build my business in a one-on-one grass-roots way? Or do I want to go out in the marketplace and attract MLM/direct selling or party plan professionals? You can use one or both as a strategy to build your business if you choose to use both then we have to discuss what are the ratios?

What is your burn rate versus capital?

How much capital do you have to do this venture with and what will your expenses look like moving forward. Said another way how long do you have to make the company work? This is critical to understand as it helps you choose all of the correct build strategies as we work together through the above questions.

Today Jeff Jordan focuses on his consulting practice to the Network Marketing & Direct Selling industry. He specializes as an Interim Vice President of Sales for a few companies at a time, which allows his clients to afford the VP of Sales & Marketing expertise without the expense of hiring a full time executive.

The next question to ask would be, what are the main reasons MLM companies fail? There are perhaps 5 main reasons why MLM companies typically fail. The first three are what I would call primary reasons, with two secondary reasons. The first reason MLM companies fail is capital, or lack of it; the second is management or mismanagement; third is sales and marketing (which includes build strategy); and then the two secondary reasons are compensation plan and product.

It’s been my experience, as well as my opinion, that the very first reason MLM companies fail is funding. Funding doesn’t always mean not having enough money. One of the advantages that you have with having enough capital is the ability to get the right software, the right consultants, the right people, the right office staff, and negotiate things correctly—instead of on a shoestring. That doesn’t mean shoestring companies can’t make it. But I believe the No. 1 reason companies fail, is because of their lack of funding and their lack of staying power.

The second reason that companies fail is management. You can have lots of funding, but if you have management problems, it won’t work out. There are a lot of things that can relate to management problems. For example: partner problems. It appears to me that partnerships, and getting through the ruffle of partnerships, are one of the primary reasons that companies have struggles. I’ve seen this with new startup companies and I’ve seen it with existing, stable companies: a difference of opinion with partners, or partners worrying about everyone doing their job. These two items cause everybody to stop focusing on the primary thing, which is building the company. Partners tend to want to argue and debate with each other.

The third reason companies fail is sales and marketing—when they don’t do the proper job of launching their company, of getting their company out in the marketplace, and of attracting the proper leaders to the company. They then run out of time, because they’re out of funds to be able to keep doing that over and over again. Recruiting and MLM building is a numbers game. And it’s like any other sales game or any other sales development in the marketplace. You have to keep testing and testing and testing again to find what works and attracts people to your company.

Part of sales and marketing is build strategy. What is your build strategy as a company? I’ve seen companies fail because they didn’t have a build strategy. They had products, they had their compensation plan, a good management team, good funding, but they really didn’t have their strategy to where they were going and how they were going to build the company. Build strategy is definitely a key to success. After these three (dollars, management, sales and marketing) come the two secondary. Many would call compensation plan and product primary reasons why MLM companies fail, but I disagree. When you take your company out into the marketplace, you have to have a good compensation plan and product. The better these are—the more competitive—the more it will allow you to attract people. You can’t use a comp plan that was exciting six years ago and expect it to work today. The compensation plan has to be tailored to your current product, your current strategy, your current sales and marketing, and build strategy. Your comp plan should be tied to those areas. You need someone to help you write the compensation plan who knows how to write it and professionally put it together. If you get the right software company, you won’t fail because of your compensation—if you’ve got a good compensation, even when some don’t like it, others will.

Of course, your products have to work. Testing is key. You don’t want the product that you believe will work—and which you have a story around—to get on the marketplace and not deliver the results you were hoping for. If you develop a technology product and launch it, and it’s exciting and sizzling—what happens when it doesn’t work and there are errors in it? These will be some of the reasons key people in your company will leave, ultimately causing your company to fail. Overall, there are three main reasons and two secondary ones as to why companies fail. You’ve got capital, management, sales and marketing (including build strategy), compensation plan, and product. And remember that 95% of all businesses are likely to fail as they start up—this is not just MLM companies. MLM companies are just more noticeable than other business that fail because of how many people are involved.

Today Jeff Jordan focuses on his consulting practice to the Network Marketing & Direct Selling industry. He specializes as an Interim Vice President of Sales for a few companies at a time, which allows his clients to afford the VP of Sales & Marketing expertise without the expense of hiring a full time executive.

Keeping on is a principle that is important not just for MLM distributors but also MLM businesses. Those who succeed in the MLM business are those who keep on. Keeping on means that not only do you master the sales, marketing and the building of your business, you also don’t give up.

The most successful distributors in the MLM business are those who have the success mindset, who would be successful at anything they put their minds to. If they chose to go into the dry cleaning business, for example, or set up a corner deli, they would be just as successful. Being a success-minded person means not only that you have the will to succeed but also that you don’t accept failure as an option. They face the problems they have in their MLM business squarely and continue to work through them until they triumph.

The basic secret of the success mindset is that you have the will to succeed no matter what obstacles you face; and network marketing has a particular set of challenges different from those faced in traditional businesses – ranging from the difficulty of finding leads and recruiting team members to helping them maintain their enthusiasm so that they’ll continue to maintain their productivity. In addition, there is the fast-pace of the MLM business, which can lead to impatience on the part of distributors.

Many people who get into the MLM business are hyped into believing that this is a get-rich quick scheme. But the truth is that as with a traditional business, MLM requires a long-term commitment. The difference is that in MLM, you can achieve in three to five years what it might take twenty-five years to accomplish in a traditional business. Hence, there is a sense that you can, and should succeed very quickly.

There is also another unfortunate expectation in MLM – that all you have to do is recruit a few people to build a downline, and then you just sit back and collect residual income. However, it is not that easy and you might not get the results that you expect, but this is also a big selling point of MLM and one reason many people go into it.

The people who enjoy success in multi-level marketing are ultimately the ones who focus on the end-result rather than short-term gains. When people come into the network, they believe that they should already be generating four-figure incomes within the first two to six months; but as with any business, you have to build it from the ground up. This means finding prospects, converting them into distributors to be in your downline and then coaching them so that they’ll be productive. And as with anything, building your network marketing business, one that will stand the test of time, will require a sustained effort on your part – in other words, keeping on keeping on.

The reality is that in many businesses, there is an expectation that it will take months or even years to succeed; and in order to earn a degree, you will have to finish years of education. Why is it then that we expect that in MLM after just a few days of training? Do we know enough to make it? People try out network marketing for just a few months and when they are not getting the results that they expect, they then ask themselves, “Why am I not succeeding?” They don’t do the hard work of networking and making connections with people that is the basis of MLM. They don’t realize that it takes time and effort to make the business connections that you need to succeed. Networking is hard work.

To sum up, the key to success in MLM is keeping on keeping on. If you will focus your efforts on building your business rather than expecting to earn a big income at once, and you have realistic expectations, then you will have a bigger chance of achieving success in multi-level marketing.

For news media, they’re in the business of revealing good stories for readers, TV viewers or radio listeners. The more interesting a story – the better a news editor feels about satisfying the never-ending curiosity of their targeted audience.

A good story will always interest a news editor or reporter when presented factually as a solution ‘unique and different’ enough to attract the interest of their captured audience.

When it’s published or aired on television or the internet– it will generally pull 10 times the response of readers or viewers versus the company paying for a full-page ad in a national publication. That’s because a news story carries the credibility of that news organization behind it. An ad – using the same words – is immediately forgotten.

So when a company releases a new product, service or innovation, management should first focus on defining the strongest elements for creating a news story around it. News means: What’s really interesting, unique or compelling?

By way of example, a lot of companies are doing well in the marketplace today with a nutritional product. In order to create news about supplements or the like, you must provide the science behind it. You need to show some credible research – particularly a well-documented clinical trial – from someone such as an independent medical expert not associated with the company’s revenue stream.

In many ways, today’s media landscape is more receptive to legitimate news stories than ever before. Where once there were only newspapers, magazines, network television and syndicated radio shows, the universe is overflowing with hundreds of TV channels and thousands of online news and blog sites. Competition between them is fierce.

With all these news outlets and TV channels competing for audience, real news is paramount for ratings and corporate profits. Meaning the news-universe is on the prowl 24/7 for legitimate reader-and-viewer interest stories.

It doesn’t matter if the new product comes from an MLM company. If it’s a really effective product that will interest many people – it likely rates as a ‘news story.’

Every newspaper, magazine, TV news show and online news site is competing for news copy that grabs their audience’s attention.

Consider the morning TV-news shows such as ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, CBS This Morning and of course the news channels like Fox, CNN, MSNBC. They all have audiences listening for new ideas to get excited about. Any company – even an MLM company — with a good product has a chance to get on one or more of those shows.

News programs require an ‘expert’ to appear and when you can create that kind of third-party credibility for your company you can claim an enormous advantage in the marketplace. Hundreds of thousands of people might see the story. The news outlet will generally publish a website or 800-number to direct the audience to buy – or get more information. This represents pure corporate revenue.

And when the product delivers the expected result, an awful lot of people from the news universe are going to become repeat buyers. Thirty days later when they return to re-order, management has the perfect new candidate to be a new distributor for your company. Why?

They were excited to buy off your news-story, they’ve now had a great product experience and they see personal dollars (through direct selling) in sharing their ‘results’ with others. It’s NOT selling – it’s sharing WHAT they read or saw on TV and going forward representing this 3rd party credibility ‘endorsement’ with everyone they know, friends and family, neighbors, people at church and temple.

Media can have a powerful influence on a network marketing company when it reveals a newsworthy product. Unfortunately, not everything is newsworthy. That’s where skill and experience comes in. Is there a story about your product or not?

One downside of positive media attention is the loss of market exclusivity when your story is told. The lifecycle of Monavie’s first product is one such example.

Monavie was the first company to introduce acai berry to the marketplace. They had an incredible run. Revenues reportedly topped $600 million globally in one year. Today, you can buy acai for half price in major retail outlets like Costco, Sam’s Club ,Target and Wal‑Mart. When a network marketing product becomes a commodity the company needs to go develop a new product. Hopefully with another good news story!

I believe it’s both.

There are multiple ways to generate customers including:

Print media
Radio
TV ads or infomercials
Direct mail
Sampling programs
Internet campaigns via email

Today I want to focus on email campaigns via the internet.

There are three major keys to success in any internet marketing campaign—I call it the rule of three: Test, test, test. Success or failure in a single campaign means nothing, however. This is about testing and about averaging.

The first thing you need to do in an internet campaign is use a quality, qualified email broadcaster. To me, qualified means they are qualified and registered with all the search engines out there to get the leads through to the readers.

Second: good quality, cost-effective leads are a very important part of the campaign. You may have to buy leads from different vendors until you find the lead list that works best for your campaign.

Third: the subject line of the e-mail is critically important. It is what determines how this email will go through the spam filters. It’s what determines, once it gets through the spam filter, how many people will open it.

Back to the idea of test, test, test.

You have to use the qualifying tools in the marketplace, and any good email broadcaster can help you with that. The tools I recommend have the ability to look at that subject line and instantly tell you how it’s going to go through the spam filters.

The email you use has to be well-written, short and to-the-point. The purpose of this is, once we get someone to open it based on the subject line, we want people to read it quickly. The email should have a few links in it for free sample; click here for more information, click here to buy. Those links will allow multiple opportunities for someone to click and go through to the landing page.

The next important element in the process is the landing page.

It is vital to give good testimonials and information on the landing page for your product – but not too much information. We only want to tell them enough so they’ll give us their contact information to get more product information.

The very best landing page offers something free. It could be a free sample of your product, a free report, a free month of a service. The advantage of free is that people will give us their name, address, and good contact information if they know we’re sending something to them.

Once you have put together the elements of the campaign, go back to my first three keys to success and test, test, test. You run 5,000 to 10,000 emails at a time. Test how it works on certain days, certain times of the day—try weekends, and holiday weekends to determine, for your product, when is the best time.

Do all of that with small-volume tests, so you can determine what the best time to do your broadcasting is. After that, turn the volume up and start doing 100,000-plus emails at a time.

Once that’s happening and you’re generating leads, the final key to your success is to correctly follow up with your customers. It’s important that somebody is following up well with these people. I even like calling them, thanking them for their interest, telling them their sample’s on the way.

Follow-up is how you’ll turn email recipients into customers, those customers into ongoing customers and ongoing customers into good distributors or affiliates for your program.

Jeff Jordan has a lengthy history building organizations in network marketing. He currently works as a consultant with Jordan and Associates in Phoenix, AZ.

Next is conversion or data imports. What are the imports that come in, because that will cost you. The last area you should think about would be regulatory constraints.

Ask yourself: What is my timeline? This is before you even start to select a software provider—find out when you will have product ready. Are your partners lined up? Is staff in place? What about credit card processing? A website? Is it up and running so the software can just plug into the site? What about the legal complete? Have you had an MLM attorney review your documents, especially the policies and procedures? If you’re an existing company, the conversion would be an issue—what would the timeline be for that?

What is your budget? What can you realistically afford? Can you postpone some of the features you want to maybe phase 2 or a phase 3 approach?

When you look at software providers, see if they have a flat rate or per unit pricing. Another area to pay attention to would be hosted versus on the premises. Something very popular these days is a subscription model where the software provider hosts a system for you. It’s a lot less money, unless you go with a perpetual license—you take the software and take it in house and put it on your servers.

Look at free support versus paid support—what is the support line? And then also, model pricing versus one size fits all.

Compile a list of software providers: I always recommend you look at least two or three because software in this industry is not inexpensive. Go to experts in the industry: trade publications like the DSA and the DSWA. Talk to existing direct sales companies—call them. Sometimes you can get on Google and search (a little more chancy than the other options). Talk to consultants or advisors in the industry that deal with companies.

Make sure you check out the providers’ references, and define your compensation plan before you go with any software provider—you don’t want to sign an agreement and have your software provider coming back to you asking for more money.

Be prepared for a demo. Determine if they are just trying to close the deal or if the software really is right for you. Demos should last between 45 minutes to an hour, and if it goes much longer than that, you might not want to go with that provider—your time is important.

Ask for a dummy demo site or a sandbox you can experiment with after you’ve viewed the demo. They should allow you to play with their software. Review their service agreement before signing.

Go through these steps, what I like to call the nine questions to ask before selecting the software, before making your decision. Ask a software provider: what are your weaknesses? What are your strengths? If they tell you they don’t think they have any weaknesses, that should raise a red flag. Remember this in closing: there is not a perfect software provider out there off the shelf, and if you find one, call me. There are good, bad and ugly just like anything else in this industry, and it’s very important to know that it isn’t perfect. I wish you the best as you go through. Keep in mind that the software is essential because it’s keeping track of everything in your business.

Factor No. 3: Unreasonable Expectations

Many people drop out of a MLM simply because they feel they were misled about what it’s going to take to make it. Their sponsor said all they had to do was mail out brochures and they’d get a 5 percent response; Or, they were told it wouldn’t take very much time, they wouldn’t have to talk to anybody, etc. It doesn’t matter what was promised to you when you joined your MLM, the fact is making money in MLM takes work.

You should treat your MLM like you would a traditional business. If you owned a McDonald’s would you devote your time and energy into running it? Of course you would. So why do most people in MLM today fail? Because they don’t give their program the attention it needs in order to make it work. If it cost them $25 to join they treat it like a $25 investment. If they would have paid $250,000 for it, I guarantee they’d be doing the things necessary in order to make a profit! I call it the “easy come, easy go” syndrome in MLM.

So what does this mean? Set up a schedule to work on your MLM, be it 9-to-5 or whatever sets of hours work for you and your business. And in that time, work and only work. Don’t do laundry or work on your garden for a while, and go back and forth between tasks. Make lists, follow up on phone calls, network, and whatever else you need to do to make your MLM successful.

As long as you expect to get rich while doing very little to achieve it, you’ll always be disappointed in MLM and eventually drop out. Remember this key point: You get back what you put into your MLM.

Factor No. 4: Dream Big

Even if you do join a MLM with unreasonable expectations, don’t believe in yourself, don’t understand the system, don’t even know what your company does, you can succeed in MLM if you have a big enough reason.

I call it the WHY factor. If you have a big enough WHY you’ll stay in the program long enough to acquire or overcome all the other factors.

So what is your WHY? Do you want to:

l Have More Time?

l Get Out Of Debt?

l Build Your Dream House?

l Travel The World?

l Buy Your Dream Car?

l Give More To Your Favorite Charity?

l Quit Your Job?

You can’t be successful on a large scale unless you have a burning desire to achieve more than you’re already achieving not being involved in MLM. Without a big reason to get ahead of where you are now in life, you’ll NEVER have the drive and ambition to do what it takes to learn how to make money in MLM.

Sit down with your wife and family and identify why Mom and Dad are going to be spending 10 to 20 hours a week on building a residual income in MLM. Get the entire family involved in your venture. That way, when it doesn’t seem to be moving as fast as you want it to (and I guarantee some days it will seem like that) then you’ll have the encouragement of your family members to urge you to not quit and keep at it!

If you’re single, then you have an edge on the married crowd. You have even MORE time to go out, learn and implement successful MLM techniques. Lucky you! Take advantage of your time to put in the extra effort to succeed, and you fill find yourself rewarded with results.

In conclusion:

This article, and the advice in it, can be summed up in this one quote:

“There is no traffic on the extra mile.”

So get on the extra mile today. Get in a MLM, learn what it takes to make money – I mean learn from someone who IS making money, get on the extra mile and put the pedal to the metal and don’t look back until you’ve reached your goals or dreams!

By J.Michael Palka

PART 1 of 3

Most small to medium sized companies tend to skip press releases and focus only on the advertisement side of marketing. One common misconception is that press releases are best left to large-scale companies and are ineffective when used by businesses with a smaller coverage of the market. This is actually untrue. What most business owners do not realize is that when done correctly, press releases can be the most cost-effective method of getting their venture known by the public.

What is a Press Release?

Prior to discussing all the advantages of press release for SMBs (small to medium businesses), it is important to first define exactly what a press release is. Note that a press release is first and foremost a communicative tool. Its main purpose is to provide information about a company. It is only through careful wording and placement that a press release can become a marketing tool that is effective in boosting a website’s ranking and reputation.

A good press release should be able to address the questions of what, where, when and how.

Other purposes of a press release include:

· Get coverage from the press, preferably from a wide-reaching syndication.

· Build inbound links

· Start ranking for new keywords.

· Boost the company brand.

· Gain authority within the industry.

· Make it easier for clients to find you.

Why Use a Press Release?

A press release allows exposure to a wider range of market possibilities compared to other advertising attempts. However, that is not the only reason why press releases are deemed to be weightier when it comes to impacting the target market. For small to medium businesses that are currently considering the advantages of press releases, following are some reasons that may help sway them into the decision.

· Consumers consider it more reliable. Advertisements usually stir doubts in most people since they are so obviously put up by the sellers. Hence, any claim made will be matched with cynicism. The same doesn’t hold true for press releases. Since they are provided by third parties, target markets view it as more honest. Hence, they tend to believe them even more, increasing the brand’s reputation. Think of press releases as reviews coming from highly reliable sources – this is the kind of big impact that they can provide.

· Good for link building. With links placed in various syndications, there will be lots of incoming links for the business. This will allow for the steady and quality accumulation of links, helping propel the business onto the top pages for keyword-related searches.

· Boosts search engine ranking. Practically all company efforts online is to boost their ranking in Google, Yahoo and other search engines. Considering how online publications get quality hits on a daily basis, publishing a press release is always a good idea. This increases the inbound links to the website – and from a reputable domain at that! For anyone who is familiar with Google, this search engine does not just take the number of inbound links into account but also where the links are coming from. If these links come from high-ranking websites, they are worth more and could propel the business into the first page of the search engine results.

· Allows for easy searchability. With press releases, companies will have no problem being found by the people that could really use their product/services. Suffice to say, a press release manages to keep the business on the spotlight without having to spend too much money on the task.

· Increases web site traffic. This is directly related to the increase in search engine ranking. Studies show that more than 50 percent of web surfers click on links found at the first page of their searches. Hence, managing to land on the first page will ensure that websites are getting more traffic than usual for their domains. With more traffic in, businesses are in the position to create more enticing selling campaigns for their consumers, significantly increasing their sales.

· Introduction to new users. Press releases make it possible for businesses to reach not only their target but beyond that. Publication syndications are usually read by individuals from all walks of life, ensuring that many of those will be exposed to the information.

· Look better than competitors. Another reason why press releases are so much better is because they attain a certain level of quality not present in other businesses. You see, most people view published works to be the best in a niche. If the product, service or company has deemed the right to be news-worthy, then there is a good chance that it is the best in the field. Hence, press releases actually improve a company’s branding, allowing the target market to believe that that one service/product provider is the only go-to when it comes to their needs.

· Press releases are cheaper. Compared to the more complicated aspects of advertising, a press release is definitely cheaper. Advertising can take on many forms from radio, tarpaulins, TV and brochures. Press releases, however, are pretty straightforward and offer a more extensive distribution without the price tag attached to it.

· Provides constant exposure. With press releases, businesses can make sure that they are constantly on the spotlight. By being seen often enough, the company can slowly yet effectively build their brand to the public. Being published also makes their business appear larger than they really are, increasing the perceived value in some clients.

Of course, those are not the only reasons why issuing press releases is a good idea for small and medium sized businesses that would like to conquer their target market. As business owners try out this technique, they will find that there are so much more leeway for press releases, allowing them to get as creative as possible. Done correctly, press releases can help small and medium companies gain the reputation equal to multinational ventures.

J.Michael Palka has been involved in the MLM industry for over 30 years. He is known as one of the Godfathers of the industry for his promotional and PR work in helping give birth to the industry in the early 80’s. He also co-founded Millionaires in Motion, one of the most successful training programs in the industry. Today J.Michael helps companies understand and implement public relations campaigns.

By J.Michael Palka

PART 2 of 3

Press Release and SEO

One thing SMBs need to keep in mind when creating press releases is that the news world today is more prevalent online. This means that instead of targeting press releases towards old school publications, individuals should instead gear their marketing campaigns online. For this reason, paying close attention to SEO is crucial in order to gain the attention of search engines.

How to Create an Effective Press Release

It’s true that with the new standards in press releases, abandoning the traditional methods in favor of the new ones is best. However, there are some basics in press releases that should still be followed regardless of how old they are. For businesses that are currently contemplating on having a press release published, following are some tips on how to create an effective one.

· Keep it Simple. Remember that the goal is for the target market to understand the press release and react to it accordingly. Using complicated words will not really make it easier for the public to relate to the news. Make sure that the terminologies utilized are simple and straight to the point. This way, there is a good chance that the target market – and maybe even bigger than that – will appreciate the announcement. Make it clear, concise and factual.

· Keep it Short. A long press release is really ineffective since it may cause readers to lose interest. After all, a press release should only contain the barest facts and stretching it to more than necessary will be missing the point entirely. In most cases, news writers find it more interesting to print releases that go straight to the point and do not utilize extra space unnecessarily.

· Make it Compelling. Grab attention! Press releases are meant to get the reader’s interest enough for them to follow the link provided. If the writing is not good enough, there is a chance that the target market will stop reading after the first 50 words.

· Use the Keywords. Of course, you should not forget the fact that the press release is targeted towards online publication. Make sure to use the keywords when creating the press release. In fact, it is a good idea to use anchor texts together with the keywords, making them more effective in the long run. Make sure that there isn’t just one keyword used though. As much as three relevant keywords must be adapted to, allowing the business to capture a larger following. Note that when it comes to keywords, utmost care should be practiced. Make sure to choose one properly, using different tools like Google AdWords for maximum effect.

· Include hotlinks. Hotlinks are basically embedded into important words that may require further definition. Typically, they are added in to make it easier for readers to seek additional information.

· Bold and underline critical words. If there’s anything in the press release that the business wants to emphasize in their writing, this is the best way to do it. This immediately draws the reader’s attention forward, regardless of where the word is placed in the paragraph. Don’t litter the press release with too much highlight though as this would defeat the purpose. One to three well-placed critical words would work perfectly.

· Use strategic formatting. Remember that press releases are nothing like the generic articles out today.

They provide factual with highlight on the when, where and what. These are the very same information that readers will be looking for so make sure that they are easily located in the press release. Utilize bold characters, italics, bullet and multiple paragraphs to.

· Use images and logos. Have pictures ready for a press release for branding purposes. It’s also possible to link images and even videos to the press release, allowing individuals to click and follow other items for description purposes. Although words are very powerful, the internet already offers a wide array of methods for presenting information – use them. It’s also easier for clients to relate if they can see an image of the product or service rather than just describing them.

· Link to relevant pages. One of the biggest mistakes people make when linking press releases is directing it to their home page. Instead, the links should be directly related to the press release, providing readers with immediate access to the information they are searching for. For example, if the business is announcing their new line of shoes, make sure that the press release link directs the reader on the shoes for sale page. This makes the effort more relevant and makes it easier for search engines to connect keywords together and rank the pages.

· Proofread. Of course, do not forget to make sure that the press release is free of any spelling or grammatical errors before printing. There’s a good chance that they will be checked first by the publication before submission but it’s always a good idea to have these done personally.

· Include contact information. Always place details on how the business may be reached at the end part of the press release. This can be the website, an email address or even a phone number if the business happens to be local. Here is a very important point. Most SMBs use a publicist as the contact person. The publicist is familiar with dealing with the media and most media prefer dealing with a publicist.

· Keep it fresh. Some companies provide just one press release when they open up their business. This is rarely followed by anything else which is really a waste in opportunity. It’s important that small or medium sized businesses will make sure that they always have something new to offer, allowing potential clients to see them on a routine basis. Remember that press releases are basically considered as NEWS so keep them coming.

J.Michael Palka has been involved in the MLM industry for over 30 years. He is known as one of the Godfathers of the industry for his promotional and PR work in helping give birth to the industry in the early 80’s. He also co-founded Millionaires in Motion, one of the most successful training programs in the industry. Today J.Michael helps companies understand and implement public relations campaigns.