Large corporations recognize the impact of press releases and use them frequently as a standard element in their marketing strategy. But smaller companies frequently fail to incorporate press releases into their marketing efforts. A recent survey of companies with fewer than 100 employees indicated that two of the most common reasons that smaller companies don't use press releases are the perception that small companies have little of interest to contribute to the media and the belief that it's more important to invest heavily in high impact brochures and collateral materials to build an image and a presence in the market place first. Contrary to popular belief, a company does not need to be big and it doesn't need to be well known for a press release to work its magic. In fact, the well-written press release will do much more for the growth of an unknown company than any other single marketing tool.
Press releases are probably the most cost effective marketing piece that a company can invest in.
They can be mailed out in bulk, faxed or even e-mailed at minimal costs. The key to a successful press release lies in its ability to tell your story quickly, factually and inexpensively in a format that the media and consumers welcome. The criteria for its success lies in making the story newsworthy and making sure that it gets into the hands of the right people. A single press release can be distributed to newspapers, popular and trade magazines, radio and television announcers, talk show hosts and webmasters. These are the people who are in the business of stimulating interest in the happenings of the business community.