The amount of content bombarding the average Internet user today is truly staggering and more and more of it is becoming machine generated and less personal.  Nothing turns a reader off faster than some machine generated content that makes little to no sense.  That is where the human factor comes into play to help your business.  In the post The 7 Best Types of Content for Online Marketing, what we feel are the seven best ways to reach your customers was discussed.  In this post we take those concepts and apply them to various types of posts you can generate to promote your business. Press Releases To the new online marketer a press release may sound like something a struggling NFL player would need to write.  Nothing can be further from the truth.  A press release regarding a new product or service you offer can generate a large amount of traffic for your business. Write your press release just as it sounds when that struggling NFL player has one written, as if you or someone from your business is being interviewed and profiled by a reporter.  Make the release focus on the new product, service, or item you are trying to bring into focus.  Once it is written, proofed, and edited, start to submit it to as many places as you can.  There are several press release distribution sites who will distribute your press release for a fee.  Your local papers and business journals will also accept your press release and often run it free of charge.  Industry publications specific to your business are also a great distribution source for your press releases. Product Reviews Product reviews go beyond customer reviews of things they have purchased and used.  A product review, composed by a professional writer, is designed to highlight the best parts of your products and inform the reader and customer why this product is the best choice for them.  There is nothing unethical about a product review unless you are writing it as a satisfied customer when in fact you are not.  Product reviews delve into the depths of your products and/or services and give details beyond which a typical customer review will provide. Helpful Articles Helpful articles are a great way for service oriented businesses to appeal to consumers.  Write articles that relate to the services you provide to inform your customers on how they can accomplish a part of these services on their own.  By doing this you appear helpful and concerned about your customers. They can also provide a great benefit to businesses who sell products. No matter what type of product you provide, customer confusion on the use of the product will hurt your sales.  Providing free, helpful articles on the use of your product(s) assures your customers that you are there for them while they use your product. Guest Blogging Writing for someone else on their blog that is related to your product or service provides you with the opportunity to have input on your industry and with some free advertising.  Start by approaching blog owners that relate to your industry and offer to guest blog for them for free.  Once they accept you can then approach them about linking back to your site and this can help you drive customers to your site and business.   If you are invited to guest blog do not post a link back to your site unless you have the clear written permission of the blog owner. The opportunities to market your business online are limited only by your own imagination and budget.  Many of the methods mentioned above offer ways for clients to find your business.  There are also hundreds of other ways to market your products and services, such as social media, that are free or low cost.  Spend some time deciding what you are willing to do and spend to spread the word about your business and it will pay off in the end. Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com.  ChamberofCommerce.com helps consumers find local business in the most comprehensive online business directory.