St Louis, Missouri (June, 2011) The press release, once used primarily as a tool for reporting large-scale announcements and world events, is now considered an essential part of any successful sales and marketing strategy. In today’s Web-driven world, an aggressive online press release campaign can be one of the most powerful and proven tools in a company’s marketing arsenal.

Press release campaigns are like most ventures; their success begins with good planning; and in this case, good writing. With that in mind, the Academy of Virtual Professionals at http://www.academyvp.com has teamed up with Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com to present a powerful and informative teleseminar on writing and distributing professional press releases. The 90-minute session, entitled “Mastering Press Release Writing and Distribution” will be conducted by Diana Ennen, president of Virtual Word Publishing and a leader in the PR world.

The class, geared towards businesses, entrepreneurs and other independent professionals is scheduled to take place on June 28, 2011 at 3:00 pm EST, and will provide listeners with everything they need to know about writing and distributing professional press releases.

The teleclass will cover such topics as:

· Importance of regular press release distribution
· Key points to include in a press release
· Secret to making a press release rock
· Common press release writing mistakes and how to avoid them
· Best ways to distribute press releases
· Keys to repurposing your press release for multiple things
· Results you can achieve from your press release campaign
· Importance of including press release distribution in your marketing plan

Kelly Poelker, the president of the Academy of Virtual Professionals, as well as a colleague and co-author of Ennen’s, had this to say: “Diana and I are very excited to present this teleseminar to help businesses who may be considering launching a press release campaign, but aren’t sure how to start, or are struggling with a current campaign that simply isn’t getting the results they’re after. At the close of the 90 minutes, listeners will take away the tools they need to create and launch a successful press release campaign for their business.”

Poelker is discounting the cost of the teleclass to just $39 until Monday, June 20 at midnight. Along with that offer, Ennen is offering 20 minutes of one-on-one coaching to all participants who register within that same timeframe. In addition, one of the leading online PR submission sites, OnlinePRNews.com has come forward to offer a special discount to all attendees.

A solid press release campaign can do wonders to promote a business, a book, a product or a service. The key is knowing how to write a good press release and get maximum distribution. To learn more or to register for the teleseminar, visit 
http://www.academyvp.com/mastering-press-release-writing-distribution/.

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About:
Kelly Poelker is president of the Academy of Virtual Professionals, LLC (http://www.AcademyVP.com) and a recognized leader in the VA industry. Kelly shares her knowledge and expertise in the virtual assistant industry as a coach through the Academy of Virtual Professionals, through Twitter and Facebook, and as an industry speaker. She is also an accomplished author, having co-authored several books, including Virtual Assistant – The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, which she co-authored with Diana Ennen.

Diana Ennen is president of Virtual Word Publishing (http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com) specializing in PR and marketing. She’s also the co-author of numerous books including Virtual Assistant – The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, which she co-authored with Kelly Poelker. In business since 1985, she knows what it takes to get great PR results and has been featured in or got her clients mentioned in Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Readers Digest, Entrepreneur, AOL WalletPop, Woman’s World Magazine, Smart Money, Fox News, CNN Radio, CBS4 News, Homekeepers TV, and so many more.

Self-publishers and published authors alike often need assistance with the most vital aspect of their book journey, marketing and publicity. Successful authors know that to sell books, you need to do PR. And even more importantly, you need to do a lot of PR. You can’t just put your book on Amazon and send out a press release or two and hope for the masses to come. You need do an aggressive marketing campaign and get out there and promote your hard work. Fortunately, with the help of a Publicity Virtual Assistant it has never been easier.

Publicity Virtual Assistants are virtual assistants who specialize in publicity and marketing. Publicity Virtual Assistants utilize all their expert talents and superb writing abilities for book marketing and promotions, thereby helping authors achieve the success they deserve by providing extensive marketing solutions, innovative publicity campaigns, proofing and editing capabilities, extensive research, administrative support, and so much more. They can handle everything from writing and distributing press releases and articles to creating entire media campaigns and book blog tours.

Diana Ennen, President of Virtual Word Publishing,http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com states, “Today’s Internet has opened the doors to successful book marketing by Publicity Virtual Assistants. Being able to send press releases and articles to a targeted group is priceless and knowing how to effectively research to find that group is even more beneficial. The virtual assistant is already well versed on the Internet and well aware of how to find the right connections. Plus, with the increase in social networking, the virtual assistant is able to make their client known in the right places. It’s a matter of knowing what to do and where to do it that sets us apart.”

Publicity virtual assistants are especially beneficial for those many first-time authors who are overwhelmed with the publishing process. However, their expertise can be used by authors with numerous books as well and what’s beneficial is they can get more exposure for all their books. By partnering with a Publicity Virtual Assistant, the stress of having to know it all is drastically reduced and the author can rely on their PVA to take over and implement much of the publicity campaign.

If you are in need of a Publicity Virtual Assistant, stop by today at http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com for additional information. Also, if you are interested in learning more about becoming a publicity virtual assistant, contact Ennen directly at diana(at)virtualwordpublishing(dot)com.

Hope you find this beneficial.

Surefire Ways to Pack a Punch With Your Ezines & Newsletters

Newsletters, or ezines, can be extremely effective marketing tools for your business. They put your name in front of your potential clients, regular clients, and peers while showing your expertise and professionalism.  They are an excellent means to both market and grow your business and also show your existing clients your creative abilities. 

Now the only drawback is to ensure your newsletter is worthy of being read. I subscribe to a lot of newsletters, but find I regularly only read a few upon their arrival.  When I decided to create my own newsletter, one of the first things I did was to look at those newsletters I regularly read and determine what it was about them that made me want to read them. What sets them apart from the rest?

One of the most important things I discovered was that they provided me with valuable information to help me in my business and which in turn helped me make a greater profit. They often provided information I didn’t already know.  For example, some newsletters provided tips on search engine optimization, new affiliate programs, PR resources, or software shortcuts.  Since I’m always looking to grow my business, this information is valuable to me.  You normally have knowledge in a given field that others don’t.  When preparing your newsletter, think about what expert knowledge you have or can obtain that would interest your targeted market.  Now that’s what you want to add to your newsletter.

In writing your newsletter, keep the following points in mind:

Your Readers

• Know your readers and what they want. 
• Ask your readers for feedback and how to improve.
• Talk to your readers.  Don’t just put information in your newsletter, think about that audience out there reading your newsletter.  How do they feel after reading what you’ve prepared? 

Your Writing Style

• Use short, simple sentences; keeping paragraphs short.
• Write clearly and avoid slang or profanity.
• Use humor and keep a refreshing tone to your writing.
• In keeping your tone friendly, also keep it professional. 
• Have white space between the paragraphs. 
• Use small graphics whenever applicable. 
• Include your logo for business recognition.
• Use plain text. (12-14 point)

Headings

• Entice the reader with your heading to ensure they read the article.  Most people decide whether they will even read the article from the heading.
• Headlines should be slightly larger than the other text.
• Use bold or italics and a good font, but don’t use all caps.
• Make sure that the heading and article talk about the same topic.  It’s great to have an awesome heading, but if your article is on something else, you lose the edge you just gained.

Content of Newsletter

• Content is king!  Just like on your website, it’s vital to have your newsletter or ezine packed full of useful information. 
• Provide articles written by you and other experts.
• Provide any new services or features you’ve added to your business.
• Provide links of relevant press releases, articles, other sites, etc.  This gives readers more information that they can review.
• Provide case studies, facts not known, etc.  Sign up for Google News so that you can get information your clients might not have seen.
• Provide a collection of valuable small business tips, testimonials, etc.
• When providing your tips, list them such as this:  The top ten reasons to …
• Provide a personal message from you.  Many enjoy hearing how you are doing and what’s new happening in their life and business.  Just don’t’ go overboard.
• Provide humorous quotations or jokes.
• Contests / Polls / Freebies / Quizzes / Games!!  Let the fun begin.  Why not include something that makes the reader look forward to taking a break from their busy day to read your newsletter?
• If you want to make money with your newsletter – put in ads or Google Adsense. 

The Final Step — Proofing

§         Make sure everything is 100% accurate with no typos.

§         Make sure you have permission for any copyrighted material.

§         Make sure if you have sources, you have credited them correctly.

§         Make sure that what is about to go out reflects your business well.

Most ezines are “opt-in,” which means that everyone who receives it has actually registered to receive it—they want it already.  Now the only thing you need to do is provide them great information that keeps them wanting it every month.  And once you find a winning strategy stick with it.  No need to change every month.  Let your readers get used to your style and way of writing. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter at http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com

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Diana Ennen is the author of numerous books including Virtual Assistant: the Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, Words From Home, Start, Run and Profit from a Home-Based Word Processing Business & the Home Office Recovery Plan.  She specializes in publicity and book marketing and is president of Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and http://www.VirtualAssistantStartups.com  Articles are free to be reprinted as long as the author’s bio remains intact.

Have you ever read a great press release and wondered how it is done? Or perhaps you’ve seen an author comment on how their books started selling and thought, what did they do to achieve that success?  The answer is simple.  They teamed up with a publicity virtual assistant who is handling all their PR Marketing needs.  That’s right!  A publicity virtual assistant is the one who is helping them get more PR by writing and sending out all those press releases, taking over their social media campaign, setting up and maintaining book blog tours, and pitching the media.   I bet you wish you had one right now!

Fortunately Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com is proud to offer the Publicity Virtual Assistant Summer Success Series.   The series is intended to help virtual assistants master their publicity skills so they can offer that niche to clients, but it’s also a great resource for those that want to learn how to get more publicity on their own.  The series will cover how to write articles, press releases and blogs, how to pitch to the media, master social networking for your marketing campaign, and so much more.   The program will also offer insights into how a publicity virtual assistant can be a valuable and affordable addition to your business.

The classes will be held for the next 5 Tuesdays at 2:00 P.M. EST and all classes are recorded so you can download and listen at your convenience.  As a bonus you can now receive the audio to the free call that discussed 5 ways to get more PR, 3 secrets to pitching the media and mistakes often made in getting PR.  Simply contact Diana Ennen at Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com for that recording.  All of this and more for just $99.00. (Early bird special for $69.00 ends June 20^th.)

Diana Ennen, President of Virtual Word Publishing, will be teaching the classes.  Ennen specializes in publicity and marketing and has appeared or gotten her clients in such major media as USA Today, Woman’s World, Fox News, CNN Radio, Reader’s Digest, Entrepreneur, Forbes, and so many more.   Ennen is also available to handle your PR campaigns if you’d prefer to let a pro take over.

If you need help with your PR Campaign and want to learn how to write killer press releases, articles, and blogs, then sign up now.   For more information contact Ennen at Virtual Word Publishing http://tinyurl.com/23h48nr or email her at diana@virtualwordpublishing.com.

The holidays are upon us. For most business owners that means an increase in sales – or at least it used to. In today’s frustrating economy, small and large businesses alike are facing record lows when it comes to sales.  Even those in the service industry are seeing less and less clients. So what’s the answer?  Think 10?  Try these 10 ways to survive and thrive this holiday season.

Top 10 Publicity Ideas to Market Your Business This Holiday Season

1.    One great way to boost sales and awareness of your company is to enlist the help of a publicity virtual assistant. These experts specialize in helping you to get more publicity.  They can handle everything from writing and sending out press releases to creating entire media campaigns. Let them write better descriptions for your products, find the best keywords to drive traffic there, do research to find where best to locate your target audience, and then finally handle all your PR needs. Publicity virtual assistants take the time to learn their niche and to develop a relationship with their clients so that they can bring amazing results.  See, your holiday sales can meet and exceed last year’s sales after all.
2.    Do specialized holiday marketing. It’s not too late to take advantage of all that can be done this year to make more sales.  Consider having a Black Friday sale or a Cyber Monday sale.  Add a contest to your site.     Send out postcards and gift certificates.
3.    Article  & Press Release Writing and Distribution – Article marketing works.  It’s a great way to get more exposure for your business and when done right, can result in front page Google rankings, more clients, & lots of sales.  Get active and write a press release about your business making a holiday or New Year connection. For example, share how you are giving back during the holidays, any promotions you have, etc.
4.    Get speaking — Set up speaking engagements for the New Year.  In January businesses go back to all work, no play after the holidays.  It’s a perfect time to get out there and connect with businesses and line up speaking engagements.  Also, consider a teleseminar series too.
5.    Create a Holiday Blog Tour.  If you have products or tips for the holidays, connect with other bloggers.  Ask if you can provide some holiday tips.  Bloggers are busy this time of year too so they will appreciate the added help.  And the best news, you get more exposure.
6.    Set up a Google Adword Campaigns – More people are online now because of the holidays.  And a lot of those people will be checking out the search engines to find Christmas Gifts.  It’s a great time to set up a Google Adword campaign and get that added exposure for your business.
7.    Reconnect with ALL your clients and let them know how you appreciate them and perhaps how you can help them with other needs they may not even know you offer.  Send a personalized holiday card or greeting.   For local clients stop by their office and drop off presents, popcorn tins for the staff and/or their favorite coffee for their afternoon pick-me-up.  For potential new clients, drop off a Holiday cup full of wrapped candy with your business card or perhaps get your business name printed on the candy bar.
8.    Set up a marketing campaigns designed especially for and around your company or brand.  Write down a marketing plan for the year that will focus on brand recognition.  Most importantly, make sure your brand represents your company the way it should to your target audience.
9.    Update your website.  Take a look at your website and see if it is the best that it can be.  Pay special attention to your homepage and keywords.  Look to the overall appearance, the professionalism of your wording, the explanations explaining the benefits you provide, etc.  In fact, everything in your site needs to convince a client to work with you.  Now ask yourself, does it do that?  Is this something I can be proud of?  Too often we throw together a website, just to have it done.  Remember this can often be a client’s first impression of you.  Is it selling you well?
10.    Don’t forget your social networking.  Even ½ hour a day can make a considerable difference,  Remember to build relationships and share more than sell.

The holidays are a great time to make money, even in this economy.  If you’d like additional tips stop by SoYouWantToBeaWahm.com today.  Also, share with us your tips for the holidays.

Jill Hart, Founder of Christian Work-at-Home Moms http://www.cwahm.com/ and Diana Ennen, President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com/ have teamed up to write So You Want to Be a Work at Home Mom: A Christian’s Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business http://www.soyouwanttobeawahm.com/.  Start or expand your business today with their help.  Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains.