Five Easy Ways to Make Holiday News

Looking for new and innovative ways to remind prospective and current customers about your products and services? Nothing beats a little local or online PR for generating leads and business. Increasing media visibility during the critical holiday shopping season can help your local business get its fair share of holiday-related revenues.

And for businesses that aren’t geared toward holiday sales, maintaining visibility with customers and prospects is important for reconnecting once the holidays are over.

As a bonus, a mention of your business on a news site creates another way for your business name to appear on search return pages.

Online press releases are an easy, cost-effective way to generate exposure for your business and get your message out without engaging in traditional sales tactics. Here are five topics to consider for a press release that has a good shot at getting noticed during the holiday season.

1. Local Charitable Activities

Businesses that engage in charitable activities or make donations of cash, goods or services locally can create a press release announcing those philanthropic activities, while introducing your business. Your release will help promote the cause or charity you’ve chosen to support while giving valuable media exposure to your business. Best of all, this type of announcement can enhance your online reputation while boosting visibility and findabililty during the season of giving.

2. New Products, Services, Features and Benefits

Announcing the arrival of new products or services can attract new customers while reminding current ones to check out your full selection. Be sure to mention any special features and benefits those additions offer. This is especially useful for high-demand items or specialty products that may be difficult to find locally or online.

3. Holiday-Related Promotions

Holiday promotions are a natural topic choice for PR announcements. Your release should include any special offers, percentage discounts, free shipping or other promotions you are offering or plan to offer during the holidays. By including a specific time period for these offers (good only through a specific date, for example), local businesses can instill a sense of urgency and drive increased traffic.

4. Year-End Roundup

A clever and timely way to snatch some PR and boost online visibility is to recap your achievements over the year. For example, perhaps you remodeled, expanded, hired more employees, moved or added new product lines. Press releases of this kind are newsworthy and will not only increase online visibility but also keep the media up to date on milestones your local business has achieved.

5. Special Holiday Schedules or Hours

Announcing holiday schedules for ordering and shipping purposes, and extended (or limited) holiday hours can help consumers plan their shopping. Providing detailed information on shipping schedules can ensure that customers shop early enough to receive their items for holiday gift-giving.

Posting your news releases online is easier than ever. PR Newswire, for example, offers press release services geared to small businesses. Their PR Toolkit provides tools to develop an affordable public relations plan that will show up in search results, generate interest from potential customers and help grow your business.