We have been talking a lot about Content Marketing and using your website and social media to promote your business and educate your customers. However, if you're trying to publish a blog post or article or press release on a day in which there is substantial online activity, it is easy to get drowned out. Cyber Monday, for instance, is a perfect example. Many people are online doing their shopping and researching products. It's a great opportunity for small businesses to get themselves in front of new customers and promote their products or services. However, businesses face immense competition from other businesses and marketing efforts, as well as larger than normal online activity from other bloggers and writers. How do you get your message heard among all the other noise and distractions?

Each time your business adds a new product or service, participates in an event, or does something else out of the ordinary, you should be sending out a press release. A press release is a tool for businesses to share their news and announcements with various media outlets including newspapers, radio stations, tv stations, magazines, journals and of course the internet. One of the best ways to ensure that your shiny new press release reaches the best and largest possible audience is to use a PR company or distribution service.

When speaking with business owners about Internet marketing and blogging, I'll often use the phrase "Content Marketing." In context, I am usually referring to the use of a business blog for marketing, but it means quite a bit more than that. I think it's worth taking the time to review what Content Marketing really is, and how it can be beneficial to a business as a part of their overall Internet Marketing plan.

Content Marketing is often referred to by a number of names, including content publishing, custom publishing, custom media, customer media, customer publishing, member media, private media, branded content, corporate media, corporate publishing, corporate journalism and branded media. They all basically refer to the same techniques and methods.