That holdup frequently is caused by clients’ failure to provide the content. Because of that, I thought I’d offer three reasons why hiring a Web copy writer is a good idea.

Focus Your Energy
I’ve always been a big believer in focusing your energy where your talents exist, and hiring someone else to do the work that falls outside your gifted area.

Let’s say you own a hair salon. You know how to cut and color hair and run your business, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you are good at writing about cutting and coloring hair or the latest hair trends.

Hiring an experienced web copy writer ensures that the content on your page is well-written in a format that is reader-friendly.

Content is King
Having a Web site that looks sharp is important, but providing relevant information and consistently adding new content to that site is what keeps people coming back.

Many business owners and managers spend the bulk of their time handling the day-to-day business operations and don’t consider routinely updating their Web site a priority.

Hear this: it SHOULD be a priority. Everyone turns to the Internet these days for research and information. We have a generation coming up that doesn’t even use a phone book anymore; they Google it.

Having a regularly updated site increases the chances that when people search for terms related to your business, your Web site appears in the search results.

Get on a Schedule
Your Web site needs to give people relevant information to aid in their buying decisions or to educate, and you need to give people a reason to keep coming back.

By using a professional Web copy writer, the two of you can create a schedule for adding content to your site on a regular basis.

Josh Hallett, a local social media expert, once said businesses with Web sites that include blogs basically train their visitors how often to return to their sites. Update content weekly, and visitors are likely to visit the site weekly. Update it monthly, and you’ll see them once a month.

Getting on a schedule for updating content gets visitors on a schedule for checking out your site.

If you’re interested in creating a new site, updating the content on an existing site, or creating a plan to routinely add Web content, consider the Lakeland and Tampa, FL public relations firm of Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. Our professional web copy writers are happy to help you create site content that keeps people coming back for more.

Call for more information: (863) 614-0555.

In addition to SEO writing, public relations professionals also must be well-versed on how to use the ever-evolving world of social media to assist clients in their public relations campaigns, said Lorrie Walker, president of Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. and a Tampa press release writer.
“I am a firm believer that the future of marketing and public relations efforts is solidly entrenched in the wise use of the Internet,” Walker said. “Everyone turns to the Internet these days when they are looking for a product or service, so a good public relations campaign must include the use of techniques that give clients’ Web sites a prominent presence on the Internet and in organic search results.”

According to a Nielsen study released in January, as well as research from Webvisible that was reported by Marketing Charts, 63 percent of small business owners and consumers use the Internet when seeking information about local companies. Of those Internet users, 82 percent use search engines for that research.

It makes sense for companies to do what they can to ensure that when people use keywords to search for the types of products and services they provide, that these companies’ Web sites appear prominently on search results, Walker said.

There is a wide array of public relations techniques used to assist companies in promoting themselves and spreading the word about their services, products, accomplishments and other newsworthy events, she said, “but no matter what we do today, we always come back to the Internet at some point. There is not a public relations campaign we have conducted since the company began in which the Internet did not play some sort of role.”
The Internet even is changing the way public relations professionals communicate with journalists and bloggers when it comes to pitching article ideas and other promotional ideas for clients, Walker said.

During a recent seminar sponsored by The Dick Pope/Polk County chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, Jan Luongo, president of Tampa-based Alliance Communications, shared some interesting information on social media, Walker said. Luongo said that 99 percent of journalists are going online for research, information and story leads.
“The days of mailing or faxing press releases are all but over,” Walker said. “These days, if you don’t e-mail releases to journalists or send them a link via Twitter (www.twitter.com), chances are journalists aren’t reading them.”

New PR Opportunities
Social media also is creating new outlets for public relations professionals to use when conducting PR campaigns for clients, Walker said.
Wikipedia defines social media as content created by people using various Internet publishing technologies.

Those technologies include blogs, Twitter and social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, to name a few.
During the FPRA’s New Media Communication Tools seminar in March, Luongo shared the following information about users on several social media Web sites:
• Facebook-150 million users in 180 countries
• MySpace- 110 million users
• Reunion.com- 50 million users
• LinkedIn- 35 million users in 170 industries
• Twitter- 12 million users

Luongo said social media uses for public relations include customer service, building brand awareness, promotions, breaking news, file sharing and trending, to name a few examples.

“With all of these social media and social networking opportunities at our fingertips today, it makes it more worthwhile than ever to incorporate public relations into a company’s overall marketing strategy,” Walker said. “These outlets provide countless opportunities to assist businesses in getting their message out to their core audiences.”

Learn More
If you would like to learn more about the public relations services provided by Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc., please visit their Web site: www.lorriewalker.com or call (863) 614-0555.

About Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc.
Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. is a public relations agency based in Lakeland, FL that provides services throughout Tampa and the central Florida area. We offer quality writing and editing services and provide customized public relations packages for small businesses.

Our clients turn to us to cut through the clutter of “fluff” writing and jargon to write compelling copy that accurately conveys their message. They rely on us to provide creative avenues for getting their message out to their market demographic in a fashion that sets them apart from their competition.

We specialize in bringing attention to your business by helping you get your name out there and keeping it in front of the minds of consumers.

If you don’t see your specific needs listed in our services section, talk to us. We may be able to accommodate you. If you request a service we don’t provide, we are happy to recommend a professional who does.

© 2009 Sinai Internet SEO Marketing and Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this article is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.
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In addition to providing information on the services offered by the public relations agency in Tampa, the new Web site, which launched March 1, features a blog that will provide information on various public relations and journalism topics, as well as updates on the company’s accomplishments.

“As we approach our second anniversary, I felt it was time to do a slight redesign to make our blog dominant on the site,” said President Lorrie Delk Walker. “Our blog is where we will share industry information and keep potential and current clients apprised of what we’re doing.”
Chuck Welch, a Lakeland-based blogging and Web design expert, spearheaded the redesign, which includes a Twitter feed and the ability to subscribe to the blog through an RSS feed or via email.

“In a sense, it seems early to embark on a redesign when the company is just approaching two years in business,” Walker said. “But what started out as a freelance writing business for me has quickly grown into a boutique public relations firm that assists small businesses in promoting themselves.”
For that reason, Walker felt it was time to create a site that more accurately reflected the services offered by the PR firm, she said.

Over the course of the next several months, small businesses will find helpful information on promoting their businesses and insight into other successful small business public relations campaigns.

Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. provides Tampa editing and writing services to companies in need of articles, press releases, newsletters, brochures and Web content. The company’s writers have a wide range of experience writing for weekly and daily newspapers, as well as local, regional, state and national magazines.
LWC also assists businesses in promoting themselves through various public relations efforts.

“We specialize in bringing attention to your business by helping you get your name out there and keeping it in front of the minds of consumers,” Walker said.

Learn More
If you are seeking help in the area of public relations in Tampa, FL, please contact Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc., (863) 614-0555, or visit their Web site: www.lorriewalker.com.

About Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc.
Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. is a public relations agency based in Lakeland, FL that provides services throughout the central Florida area. We offer quality writing and editing services and provides customized public relations packages for small businesses.

Our clients turn to us to cut through the clutter of “fluff” writing and jargon to write compelling copy that accurately conveys their message. They rely on us to provide creative avenues for getting their message out to their market demographic in a fashion that sets them apart from their competition.

We specialize in bringing attention to your business by helping you get your name out there and keeping it in front of the minds of consumers.

If you don’t see your specific needs listed in our services section, talk to us. We may be able to accommodate you. If you request a service we don’t provide, we are happy to recommend a professional who does.

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© 2009 Sinai Marketing and Lorrie Walker. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this article is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.