This is a guest post by Gerald Heneghan on behalf of PR Fire that explains why press releases are still valuable for business promotion.

Online PR has been pivotal in lowering the marketing bar for companies up and down the scale, but has arguably been a double-edged sword.

Because it’s easier than ever for brands and businesses to promote themselves, competition has intensified rapidly.

New tools like social media, blogs and video attract so much of the attention these days that it’s easy to overlook the value of tried and tested marketing methods. In this guide, we’ve compiled some of the most effective examples of traditional PR and will make a case for their continued relevancy.

Video Killed the Radio Star

Television has been a firm favourite with marketers for many years, but the cost has typically proved prohibitively expensive for companies at the smaller end of the scale. However, studies indicate that TV is one of the most effective channels in its effect on purchasing decisions and is still miles ahead of YouTube video adverts and website banners in terms of efficacy.

Direct Mail

Used for millennia, this format is as tried and tested as they come yet is something of a novelty these days. Research indicates it’s particularly effective among older people and has significant conversion rate. Physical correspondence also seems to engender more of a response, with this Millward Brown Case Study finding that more emotional processing is involved when dealing with direct mail.

Press Releases

Invented over a century ago, press releases are favoured by organisations with something to shout about and are one of the most common ways to gain press coverage. The digital era has made creating and distributing these easier than ever.

The growth of sector-specific and niche news sites, alongside free or low-cost online repositories means that even the smallest companies can put together a release – although there are countless companies to which you can outsource elements of this process.

For those of you worried about detracting from your SEO efforts,

research seems to indicate press releases have SEO benefits.

Print

Despite decreasing circulation and online publications usurping many readers, print is still a favoured resource for advertisers. Regional publications are especially useful for companies looking to promote themselves on a local scale, with the UK’s IPA finding 5.8 per cent of advertising budgets deployed in this area during 2011.

Online

It’d be remiss of me not to note that online channels are still seeing the most growth and are positioned to be forerunners going forward. Among these, email marketing and social media are the clear favourites and are only set to grow as more companies realise their effectiveness.

Marketing is getting ever-easier for companies and this trend looks set to continue. However, by tying together new-fangled digital technologies with proven, traditional methods – companies can stand heads and shoulders above their narrowly-focused competitors.

This article was brought to you by Gerald Heneghan on behalf of PR Fire, a leading provider of online press release services and marketing tools that aims to help companies connect with both consumers and the media.

Image used courtesy of Shutterstock.