Need PR for your App? Sorry, there’s NO App for that!

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Michelle Damico

In the last month, I’ve been approached by three different companies seeking help in generating news for their smart phone apps creations. Currently, I’m working with a brother-sister team that developed BrainAttack App to help emergency room doctors and nurses save lives for stroke patients. Like my clients, all app creators are trying to rise above the noise being generated in an industry that’s growing at lightning speed.

Since 2008, when Apple launched its iTunes App store more than 800,000 apps have been downloaded. Google has quickly played catch up with just under 700,000 apps on Google Play as it marks its first birthday.

If there’s a business problem, there’s probably an entrepreneur who’s created or working on an app solution. Unfortunately, there’s no app guaranteed to get news coverage for your new app. With the mix of traditional and social media required to generate awareness of your app, a one-size fits-all solution just won’t get you results.

There are so many target audiences that can make or break your efforts to generate awareness of your apps. With these hurdles in mind, I offer…

Top 10 tips to build media buzz for your App Continue reading →

Great Tool to Follow Journ Tweeps

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Michelle Damico

Image by The Next Web via Flickr

If you are a news junkie and a Twitter fan, you will want to check out this directory of journalists on Twitter, listed by their media outlet. It comes from Muck Rack, which follows what journalists are reporting and talking about on social media. It also ranks the most active journalists on social media on the Muck Rack Leaderboard, which is a great way to follow trends and developing news.

Muck Rack is a fantastic source for anyone interested in news and communications. It was started in 2009 with about 150 journalists on Twitter and now lists thousands of reporters and editors who are active on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Quora, Google+, LinkedIn and more. What’s best is that the list is actually fact-checked by a team of editors, so you know you’re getting great info.

If you want to get even closer to the action, subscribe to the Muck Rack Daily email to learn on a daily basis what journalists are saying. This is a great resource for anyone who is trying to promote their own business, or who is doing PR and Media Relations on a shoestring! If you subscribe, let me know what you think.

Social Currency: Is your wallet ready?

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Michelle Damico

Image via Wikipedia

Google+, Groupon, Spotify, LivingSocial Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media networks may be capturing headlines, but there’s a quiet revolution going on that could change the way the next generation buys consumer items and transacts business. It’s the movement toward Social Currency, a development that is taking shape through corporate leaders such as American Express or small start-ups like Pegmo.com, based in the Chicago area.

Here’s the premise behind social currency: The best way for a business to strengthen customer loyalty and spread valuable word of mouth is to reward customers for engaging with them. American Express is trying this experiment in Isreal, where its Rewards customers earn points by engaging with AmEx on its Facebook Fan Page.

Chicago-based Pegmo is focussed (for now) on the shop local movement, rewarding creative “Pegs” when you Tweet, post a comment or photo, like, or check-in to the social media property of your favorite restaurant, store, or other local establishment. Collect enough pegs and you’re eligible for $5 to $20 gift certificates from your favorite merchants.

Chicago entrepreneur innovations expert Noel Burkman says social currency is the future, and he believes it will be the next big disruption to the way we interact with businesses. Burkman points to the start-up GiftRocket. Who needs to shop for gift cards when you have GiftRocket?
Burkman says you just visit the site and create a gift card for any establishment, which your friends and love ones can redeem through their mobile devices. Provide the name of a business for which you want to give a gift card. I love a Barrington, Ill. gourmet bakery called Ambrosia Euro American Patisserie. My husband can go to Giftrocket and purchase credits for me an Ambrosia Lemon Charlotte cake for my birthday.

Ambrosia’s not required to be part of any GiftRocket membership plan. They don’t have to be a part of anything. GiftRocket finds Ambrosia on Google maps, specifies the gift amount I’ll receive and sends me an email that I’ve got Ambrosia money in my pocket (well actually in my email). The next time I’m within 20 yards of Ambrosia, GiftRocket will deposit $20 in my Paypal account and I’ve got a decadent cake with my name on it waiting for me in the showcase at Ambrosia’s welcoming cafe. How easy is that?

Who needs cash when you’ve got Social Currency? Will you? How far will you go to engage AND transact socially? Would love to hear your thoughts.

And if you’d like to read more about it, check out these links.

How PR legwork turned a negative reporter into a booster

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Michelle Damico

Chicago Sun-Times (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There’s a great back story to the news coverage I secured this week in the Chicago Sun Times. When I pitched a story idea to columnist Neil Steinberg about the Half-Cap ceremonies held by the Chicago Public School to honor sophomores for making it half way to graduation, he said he was ‘shocked.’ Why honor sophomores for doing what is expected of them — finishing their first two years of school? He called the idea ludicrous and said he’d write a critical piece.

I kicked my self for reaching out to this journalist, but willingly followed through with my offer of an interview of my client, Lloyd Bachrach, the keynote speaker at Half-Cap ceremonies at Fenger and Robeson High Schools.

“Great,” I said to myself, “He wants to talk to my client, and bash him and the school system.” I expected Steinberg to excoriate the program as a waste of precious time and resources.

Steinberg said he’d understand if Lloyd backed out of the interview, but I didn’t recommend that to Lloyd. I offered the interview, I believed it was a great story, so I proceeded with planning Steinberg’s interview with my client.

I could only hope that he would be fair and temper his criticism. I considered the negative questions that might be asked and prepared Lloyd as best I could for Steinberg’s potential cynicism. While Lloyd wasn’t looking forward to the reporter’s call, he also worried about the outcome. He has a great relationship with Chicago Public Schools, and didn’t want to spoil that with a potentially negative story that his PR consultant had arranged.

For a week I checked the paper looking for the story, hoping that Steinberg would just abandon it. His column appeared while I was in London giving media training and social media workshops for a client. I was thrilled at the results! By giving Steinberg full access to the information about this program, we completely turned around his point of view. His negative preconceived notions turned into a positive, powerful story with a message.

I think it’s a wonderful PR case study about:

1. The value in sticking to your beliefs in a good story when a leading journalist criticizes it.

2. Why you must still agree to a client interview, despite the reporter’s negative reaction.

3. Giving access to all facts, sources and potential angles is important, especially when the reporter’s approach is critical.

4. Preparing your client for the worst allows for an interview that is devoid of emotion, civil and leads to a greater level of knowledge and undertstanding.

I couldn’t be more pleased over the results and all the hard work that went into helping Lloyd get a positive mention in this column and putting the public school half-cap ceremony in a positive light. What would you have done differently? Any other advice you’d like to share, or have you had a similar experience with a journalist? Leave me a comment, OK?

Post happily written by Michelle Damico

Is Your Biz Missing the Social Media Boat? C’mon, Hop On!

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Michelle Damico

: Image via Wikipedia

The social media bandwagon is getting pretty crowded with corporate marketers and PR professionals. Big corporate players such as Old Spice, Kraft, Coke, Skittles, and others have been one-upping each other with creative social media initiatives over the past few years.

While there’s lots of dazzle in these campaigns, the reality of social media is that you don’t need a big fat marketing budget to experience the direct customer engagement you’ll get from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, and others.

If you walk down Main Street USA, you’ll find that many small businesses haven’t caught the social media bug. It’s easy to understand why. Small business people are the most time-stretched of all the entrepreneurs I meet. They’re often operating on a shoe string, and seek help from family and friends to keep the payroll down. It’s hard enough to consider promoting your small business brand when you’re trying keep the lights on and the doors open.

If you can relate to all I’ve just said, perhaps you might want to take a few baby steps before taking the social media plunge. Here are a few ideas that might save you time and budget.

1. Focus on Facebook. Don’t get dizzy wondering whether you should be on Facebook, YouTube or Twitter. With 500 million users and growing, Facebook is where it’s at. It may not stay the most popular social network forever, but with that many eyeballs, and with the constant media chatter about its popularity, keep your focus on its potential to let you talk directly with your customers.

2. No need for high priced experts. Look in your own backyard for help. Better yet, look in the next room. If you’ve got a kid on Facebook, see if you can capture your attention for a few minutes to show you how to set up a page for your business. Hey, maybe you can dangle an incentive such as a boost in the weekly allowance in exchange for help in creating AND completing a business page. Don’t have a teenage techno wiz available? Small business development centers all around the country are offering social media introduction classes, and often they cost next to nothing.

3. Take advantage of customer relationships. The best small business people get to know their customers through casual conversations. You’ll probably find a few marketing professionals among your customers with experience setting up social media pages and profiles for their clients. Suggest to arrange some sort of barter relationship to take advantage of their expertise.

4. Be a Google Meister! There’s a wealth of how-to information on how to use Facebook. Facebook itself has a wealth of help resources, but don’t stop there. Sites such as AllBusiness.com and Mashable.com offer up-to-date news and knowledge about the best uses of Facebook and social media trends.

5. Inspire Your Customers. Once on Facebook, let them know you too have a presence. Encourage them to find you and “Like” your business page. When they leave comments or give you the thumbs-up sign on your page, comment with a thank you or post something on their wall. Make it relevant to their lives. Offer advice. Explain your products or how to best use them. Post photos of happy customers. Launch Facebook-only promotions. Give them tips. Establish trust. Entice them to come back for more.

6. Scope out your neighbors. See what other stores and businesses are doing on social networks. Join a club in your community. I found more than 88 million results in a Google search of “finding social media clubs,” so go find one, you’re likely to find new customers as well!

7. Don’t be intimidated. If somebody tells you they’re a social media expert just nod and walk away. We’re all just learning this new and exciting way to market your business. So start with a healthy but realistic search for knowledge.

8. Share your experiences with others. Social media is all about developing relationships and establishing trust. Help out others who face similar challenges, and watch your network of fans and customers grow.

Have any other ideas for small businesses dipping their toes in the social networking waters? I’d love to hear them!

Michelle Damico Communications

Chicago-based PR Expert for Excellent News Coverage

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How PR legwork turned a negative reporter into a booster