VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1
Did You Know?
When it comes to direct mail, big mailers are still better, according to Rick Ritter, President of Gryphon Editons in a recent DM case study by Marketing Sherpa. "While you don't necessarily want to do a jumbo-sized envelope because of postage costs, people tend to react to big if you do it right."
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Featured Client - AmazingMail.com
Create. Print. Mail! It's that easy to create impactful, ROI-focused direct mail campaigns or personal holiday cards with one of Sitewire's newest clients -- Amazing Mail.com. Whether you need one card or 1 million - AmazingMail.com is the coolest application in the market today for everyone from small businesses to do-it-yourselfers who want to make and print their own high quality, professional postcards with a single, easy-to-use one-stop.
Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, AmazingMail.com is the only internet direct mail solutions provider with a U.S. Patented process that provides you a superior direct mail campaign experience. AmazingMail.com serves thousands of customers including Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. Postal Service, Microsoft, Gateway, Sony and many more. Not sure how AmazingMail.com can bolster your business? Check them out online at , or call your Sitewire Account Team to find out more.
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Optimized Press Releases
Optimized Press Releases Boost Search Engine Presence and Promote your Brand Online
Top 3 Emerging Trends and Tips to Keep in Mind with Your OPR Campaign
- Christy Cole
You may have already heard the buzz around optimized press releases, a relatively new online marketing strategy used to garner search engine presence and heighten brand awareness online. (And if you are new to this idea, I recommend reading Josh Yeager's newsletter article on the basics and overall effectiveness of OPRs if you've not yet done so.) What you may not realize is just how effective this strategy can be in gaining media attention and consumer generated content through the web as well. As search engines Google and Yahoo! become more stringent on which releases they allow to earn search engine presence and to receive posting in their widely-read news portals, it has become more imperative that the proper tactics be utilized to give your OPR the best opportunity to reach your target audience. Below are just a few guidelines that will help you do just that:
- Text Links
- Most press release submission sites such as PR Leap and PR Web enable you to hyperlink the URLs you embed within the press release copy. Not only does this tactic enable those who are reading your release to quickly check out your Web site, but it also helps build link popularity, ultimately improving your site's search engine visibility.
- RSS Feeds
- Several press release submission sites such as PR Web offer upgrade options that now allow for the creation of RSS feeds. This bypasses the need for journalists and consumers alike to have to search through news sites and search engines to find your news, instead delivering your OPR directly to your targeted audience. As the media industry is relying more heavily on the web and RSS feeds for story ideas and as consumers utilize RSS feeds to create consumer generated content on blog sites and message boards, attaching an RSS feed to each of your OPRs can spread your news exponentially.
- Podcasts
- From recorded interviews about press releases to motioncasts that combine photos, videos and chat, Podcasts bring your news to life. As one of the first major newswires to offer these services, PR Web allows users to easily submit a recorded interview that is then turned into a Podcast. Submission sites like PR Web promote the Podcast, giving your news the fresh spin and personal touch that consumers love. A properly structured Podcast can generate remarkable search engine rankings, increase customer loyalty and increase visibility online.
These are just a few of the benefits and features of a properly managed Optimized Press Release campaign. For more information on how OPRs can assist your company in achieving heightened search engine visibility, brand awareness and media coverage, please do not hesitate to contact your Sitewire representative today or click here to contact us.
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Sitewire Announces Major Success in Eighth Annual Baby Diaper Drive
Sitewire Marketspace Solutions announced that it recently exceeded company goals by devoting time and resources to collecting supplies for the Homeward Bound Baby Diaper Drive. Filling the gap by collecting months of emergency supplies and cash donations, the Baby Diaper Drive benefits the families at Homeward Bound, Arizona's largest transitional housing provider.
Since its founding in 1990, Homeward Bound has been assisting homeless and families of domestic violence with children as they transition into economic independence. Known for providing families with a "hand up, not a handout", Homeward Bound sees 95% of the families that complete its program reach self-sufficiency. Many of the families served by Homeward Bound can't cover the essentials of diapers, wipes, baby formula and more. The Baby Diaper Drive, collecting emergency supplies, keeps these baby bottoms dry and tummies full year-round.
Contributing to Homeward Bound's Baby Diaper Drive, Sitewire conducted an in-house drive with a goal of collecting 15,000 diapers. For its third consecutive year donating time and resources to the Baby Diaper Drive, Sitewire divided its employees into three teams challenged with collecting the most diapers. After a month of efforts, the Account Services & Sales team came out on top, exceeding even the company-wide goal with over 15,000 diapers. As a whole, Sitewire nearly doubled its initial goal, collecting close to 29,000 diapers.
Sitewire can attribute much of its success to the Arizona Futbol Club (www.azfc.org), a youth soccer league whose teams competed to bring in the most diapers. In the true spirit of kids helping kids, the teams donated over half of the diapers collected by Sitewire. Headed by Mark Whitney and Robin Thomas, the 99 Hammers won the league competition, collecting 1,476 Diapers for those in need.
"I think it's pretty cool that we can help kids less fortunate than we are and everybody needs diapers," states Michael Markette, 13, AZFC 93 Hammers.
To learn more about the success of the 2006 Baby Diaper Drive and how you can make your donation, please visit .
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Featured Employee - Lacey French
For more than three years, Lacey French has been honing her marketing expertise at Sitewire Marketspace Solutions. A graduate of the The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication at Arizona State University, Lacey heads up Sitewire's brand new Creative Services team. Lacey's competent team consists of marketing experts who specialize in Copywriting, UI services, OPR and design. The Creative Services team is dedicated to managing and delivering all creative work, ensuring that the client's creative vision is effectively met.
Her keen business sense, phenomenal PR and marketing acumen combined with one of the most genteel personalities in Arizona, render Lacey an extremely effective manager and mentor to her creative services staff.
Outside of the office Lacey enjoys challenging hikes up Tempe's famous "A" mountain, hosting intimate wine get-togethers in her fabulous Old Town Scottsdale digs, missing friends and family back home, as well as the effusively upbeat renditions of Chicago's All That Jazz.
As a testament to Lacey's tenure, it should also be noted that she has performed "tens of thousands" of KW searches during her online marketing career and understands the true value of a positive SEO ratio.
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