How do you share news online with your customers? Do you just copy and paste press releases to the web or do you change the text to something that will actually reach your customers?
Publishing press releases “as is” to the news section of your company website is often caused by the fact that people don’t really care how they communicate with their customers or at times just because they are lazy. Copy and paste is so much easier. In newspapers space is precious and limited. Each centimeter used needs to be paid for. When you write an official press release you have to keep this in mind. You need to keep the article short and to the point. Stating facts and sometimes leaving out the personal aspect of the message you want to convey.
On the Internet you are not bound by these press rules and regulations and you should not think that you are. Times have changed and you and your company need to adapt with it if you want to have an effective presence online.
If you are in charge of your company’s news page on the web you really need to keep the following in mind.
Create a separate page containing official press releases. Keep your news-page informative and easy to read. Just stating facts will not engage your reader. You should have a conversation with your reader online, maybe even convey the message through a bit of a story. The days of having cold news pages are gone. Tell the whole story and add a bit of personality.
You can add that little bit extra to your news page, add extra photos and elaborate on what happened at the event. Again I stress that if you can engage your reader you will form a bond with your reader.
Remember your website is, and should be a reflection of your company to the world, the image that they get and the experience they have when they visit your website will either bring them closer to you or chase them away. Remember online you do not have to try and use fewer words to make it fit!
