How To Capitalize on Facebook Opening the Door on Personalizing Fan Page Suggestions

Until recently, Facebook had a glaring oversight when it came to Fan Pages: if you wanted to suggest a Fan Page to someone, you were unable to include a personalized note.

But about two weeks ago, there came a welcome change. Now you can jot a note with that suggestion. So the question you may have is should I include a note?

Absolutely--and it ought to go beyond the obvious "Hey, I think you'd like to be a Fan of XYZ Cause or ABC Organization or LMN Business."

Communicate in terms of what's in it for the individual to whom you are making the suggestion. Tell him or her why they should become a Fan.

Here are excerpts from a notes that I sent to friends last week:

"...I am helping with the Facebook Fan Page for BHG/Gloor and giving away $10 gift cards weekly when folks submit song names with real estate related titles (such as "Our House" or "Homeward Bound" etc.). Come play!"

"...I am helping promote Five Seasons Burr Ridge's Facebook Fan Page. Our Fans win prizes, get helpful fitness tips and keep posted on other related news. Come join us!"

"...I am helping with the Facebook Fan Page for McAdam Landscaping. To our Fans, we award gift cards, provide helpful gardening/landscaping tips and generally add value to their FB experience. Want to come join us?"

If you are tempted to get long-winded, you'll soon find Facebook limits the number of words you can write. So you'll have to keep your message succinct, which is as it should be, anyhow.

ULI Assignment: J.C. Nichols Prize Luncheon Honoring Chicago Mayor Richard Daley

A few days ago, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was named the 2010 laureate for the Urban Land Institute J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development.

Through my ongoing writing engagements for the ULI's Chicago District, I had the privilege of being at the Art Institute of Chicago to chronicle the event.

In addition to gathering brief remarks on video from about a dozen prominent business and civic leaders, I wrote this summary that appears on ULI Chicago's website.

A Delightful Dilemma: Scrambling To Keep Pace With Fast-Growing J.C. Restoration

It's a blast working with a company that is clearly on the grow, as is the case with one of Inside Edge PR's newer clients, J.C. Restoration. Among other developments, the company recently hosted Continuing Education courses at its 102,000-square-foot facility in Rolling Meadows.

And company president Warner Cruz is developing this uncanny habit of winning awards left and right. In May, he was named Small Business Person of the Year in Illinois, leading to coverage in publications such as Hoy (click on the image below).

The latest is the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Chicago Latino Network.

The flurry of positivity creates a wonderful dilemma, as one of my biggest challenges is prioritizing the company's growing list of accomplishments and outreaches. For instance, when shooting and posting video, do we want to put it first on J.C. Restoration's Facebook Fan Page or do we upload it to the J.C. Restoration YouTube channel?

The answer, of course, is to post the good news in as many spots as possible.

Like Hansel & Gretel, publicists need to keep alert to any way we can drop our marketing bread crumbs for folks to find along their day-to-day paths.

And you may not need to know much about the company know, but if your building is damaged by floor, fire or some other calamity, you're going to want to know more how to reach J.C. Restoration,

Finding Creative Win-Wins To Generate Traffic, Inspire Community on Your Facebook Fan Page

Developing and growing Facebook Fan pages is a contact sport.

If you run a business or organization, have you driven a stake in the Facebook ground yet? And if so, what are you doing to give your fan base a reason to keep coming back--and to suggest your page to those in their spheres of influence?

Develop creative ways to spur on interaction with your peeps--and to explore ways to create win-wins with fellow (non-competing) businesses.

Here's one effort that Inside Edge PR has under way, the Halloween Decoration Declaration contest at Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Gloor Realty's Facebook Fan page
The contest will reward three people, including one with a $100 gift certificate at Maya Del Sol, a popular Oak Park restaurant. In addition, the goal is to grow BHG/Gloor Realty's presence on Facebook and throughout the community.

Psst...you can visit (and become a Fan of) the Inside Edge PR Fan page here.

Humor + Humanity in Communication Paves The Way to a Great First Impression

I really am trying to write shorter blog posts--I preach it all the time and you are more likely to read this entire ditty if I stopped right after this sentence.

But I promise this one is worth the extra effort you'll require to dig in here. In fact, extra effort--just a modest amount, mind you--is at the heart of this missive.

Think about your day-to-day journey. You know, the one that can often be filled with so much drudgery and sameness? Honestly, don't you crave a little humanity--and more than a little humor--to come across your path as often as possible?

What if you were to offer those precious commodities, especially at unexpected moments and in unexpected places, to those whose path you cross?

Folks would rave about you. You'd generate the right kind of buzz. And, according to a recent survey, you would be 87 percent more likely to become a millionaire.

OK, so I made up that last one. Just trying to practice what I'm preaching and inject some humor into your life.

These ruminations flow after a decidedly pleasant encounter I had today with the Terms of Service for a new outfit called Patch.com. Yes, you read that right: terms of service--that dry legalese that hardly anyone ever even looks at, let alone reads (at least, that's how I operate).


For months, I've been hearing rumblings of Patch and noticing veteran journalists, including at least one former editor of mine, have jumped aboard with the company.

But it was only today that I dug a little deeper. (Here's the link for the Oak Park, Illinois patch, if this is all news to you.)

Because I plan to post stories and other content on behalf of various Inside Edge PR clients in the future, I decided that I really ought to click on the link for Patch's terms of service.

I was treated to a living, breathing narrative that communicated all the required points (read: legalese), but it did so in a way that was a downright delight.

Some excerpts:

"We ask that you read these Terms of Use carefully before registering or using the Service. If you do not accept these Terms of Use, we promise not to get mad. But in that case, you may not use the Service."

"You are responsible for the security of your password and will be solely liable for any use or unauthorized use under such password. Therefore, if you share a computer with others, don’t allow your Internet browser to automatically save your password. Also, don’t write your password on a Post-It note and leave it on your desk for all to see."

Later, after spelling out some of the no-nos that will get your butt kicked off of Patch, there was this simple summation:

Instead of trying to memorize all that, you might boil it down to three main policies: “Keep it clean,” “Don’t try to trick people,” and “Treat others as you’d like to be treated.” Easy, right?"

By the end of it all (and by now you shouldn't be shocked to learn that I read to the end), my regard for the company had skyrocketed. Bear in mind, I know little more than what I've already described, and this halo effect has already taken root.

How would you like your customers, clients, audience base, fans, whomever, to begin with that kind of overwhelmingly positive impression?

That's the power of effective--human, humorous, real--communication.

So what are you doing--in your e-mails, in your voicemails, in any interaction that you're having with others--to do that little something to bring a smile to someone's face?

Do people dread or look forward to hearing, or reading, from you again? The answer lies at least partly in whether you take the extra effort that, in Patch.com's case, inspired me to give them this rousing shout-out.

Teeming With BHG/Gloor Realty Promos, Activity

For the second straight year, Inside Edge PR client Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Gloor Realty is holding a clothing drive.

(The photo here is from last year's initiative, which led to more than 2,000 items being donated.)

This year, the effort launches on Oct. 17 and has been expanded to include toys. If you're looking to do some fall cleaning--and clearing-out--of articles that remain in good condition, we would appreciate your consideration.

Also, I've recently upped activity on the BHG/Gloor Realty Facebook fan page, including a weekly feature dubbed "Tuneful Tuesdays."

The lifeblood of any Facebook Fan page is interaction and engagement with those fans, and so we've offered a modest incentive (a $10 gift certificate to Erik's Deli, a longtime Oak Park restaurant) to spur on suggestions for future songs with real estate-related names in their titles.

The River Forest Citizen Corps Wants YOU

Last week, I had the honor of writing and distributing a news release on behalf of my friend, Jim Flanagan.

It bears the headline, "River Forest Citizen Corps Seeks to Educate, Enlist Volunteers for Emergency Preparedness" and can be found here at TribLocal.com.

Over the past year or so, Jim has led a group of volunteers who have poured their time and energy into bracing for times of crisis. Special heads-up for those of you who reside in River Forest, there are two meetings later this month (Sept. 23 and Sept. 25) that will provide more details.

On a separate note, to learn a bit about how Jim serves those approaching or in retirement, through Bentron Financial Group, there is also a recent post about a free seminar that Jim is presenting on Oct. 2 in Lisle.

PR Icing on the Cake For Tom & Eddie's Debut

A great, busy week wrapping up for Inside Edge PR, with much of it revolving around Tom & Eddie's hugely successful Grand Opening on Friday at the Shops on Butterfield at Yorktown Center in Lombard.

For a PR sampling, simply type "Good Taste Guard" into Google and see what pops up first.

As of this moment, it's this news release on an unorthodox step that Tom & Eddie's took to secure an extraordinary "cheeseburger cake" created by La Petite Sweet of Westmont in conjunction with the Grand Opening.

You can also see learn more about the making of the cake in this Q & A that I conducted with La Petite Sweet's Diane Eenigenburg during Tom & Eddie's VIP Party. (That's me, in the photo below, standing on Friday in front of Tom & Eddie's.)

Clearly, not your run-of-the-mill restaurant debut.
Of course, it's all for naught if the food isn't any good.

Fortunately, what is plainly evident is that the food is fantastic, from a positive review by the Chicago Tribune's Phil Vettel to rave remarks on Tom & Eddie's Facebook Fan Page.

Growing A Facebook Family With Tom & Eddie's

One of Inside Edge PR's favorite clients, Tom & Eddie's, is ramping up quickly toward its Grand Opening at the Yorktown Mall in Lombard, Ill. on Friday.

The past few weeks, in a complementary role to the outstanding lead work provided by Ginny Richardson Public Relations, one of my primary responsibilities has been posting content and providing updates to the restaurant's Facebook Fan Page.

An especially fun subplot the past few days has been spurring on comments via contests offering tickets to the Sneak Peek & Eats "soft opening" that began Monday and ends on Wednesday.

For example, in tonight's contest, we ask Fans to share another Tom & Eddie combination (other than Tom Dentice & Ed Rensi, the restaurant's co-founders, pictured below with business columnist and media personality Terry Savage).

Over the last three hours, from "Tom Brokaw and Eddie Van Halen" to "Tommy Tutone and Eddie Albert," there have been more than 15 responses. Meanwhile, the Facebook Fan base grows daily by more than a dozen individuals.

By the way, Sneak Peek & Eats is much more than fostering good will by providing free meals.

Akin to Major League pitchers and catchers being the first to report for Spring Training, it's a time for the entire restaurant team to begin working out some kinks and get ready for the public opening.

In much the same way, generating a lively, ongoing conversation on Facebook is not some frivolous exercise. Rather, it's an effective way to build community even as you are responsive to the views of those who choose to join that community.

When individuals feel that their voices are being heard, respected--and rewarded, on occasion--then they are much more likely to suggest their friends join in as well, and to talk favorably about a given brand or business in their day-to-day travels and interactions.

One last note: did you know you could win a weekly free burger meal for life when you come to Tom & Eddie's during its Grand Opening on Friday? And this prize isn't too shabby, either: a free weekly burger meal for a year--80 individuals will get that reward.

Check out this GR-PR news release for those and many other details.

Home Insulation Tips Expand Comfort Zone

One of the cool things about working with a variety of clients is that it stretches me well beyond my comfort zone. Really, a more apt word than "comfort" might be "familiarity": it's not so much that I'm initially uncomfortable with a given industry, or topic within that industry, as I am largely clueless about it.

In the process of being thrust beyond my comfort, or familiarity, zone, I gradually expand what is comfortable, or familiar, to me.

A recent case in point: talking with Scott Grafft (pictured) of EnergyMen to gather enough raw material to write a news release about home insulation, on behalf of EnergyMen, the company that Scott and Gary Quateman operate.

The Chicago-based firm personifies its work as "Home Comfort Heroes" as EnergyMen helps homeowners transform their abodes into energy-efficient shape.

I am not handy around the house--I have trouble locating the toolbox, let alone figuring out why my wife is asking me to grab a wrench that some guy named Allen apparently left behind years ago.

But in time, through working with EnergyMen, I am confident that I'll at least be able to start talking a good house game. You can see the news release, "Home Insulation: 3 Keys to Energy Efficiency," at TribLocal.com.

Oh, and one last thing: Allen, if you're out there somewhere, drop me a line and we'll figure out a way to get this wrench back into your hands.

When's The Best Time To Send a News Release?

If it's Friday, then that must mean it's time to squeeze in that media outreach campaign before reporters, editors, producers and other news-disseminating decision-makers take their weekend break.

Not.

Generally speaking--and unless it's such an urgent matter that your piece of news positively, absolutely must get out pronto--you are better off holding off until the following Monday or Tuesday.

Why is that? For the answer, just click on my Tip of the Inside Edge video clip below.



For more from my video archive, click on the Inside Edge PR channel.

Partnering With J.C. Restoration & EnergyMen

It's been exceedingly hectic at Inside Edge PR the last month, so today's ditty will consist of a brief mention of two firms that have recently retained Inside Edge PR.

(Come to think of it, their addition has been a significant reason for the rapid pace of work.)

One is Rolling Meadows-based J.C. Restoration and the other is EnergyMen, with Chicago headquarters and clientele throughout the region.

More details of each firm in the time to come.

Meantime, check out this Warner Cruz profile, about J.C. Restoration's president being named Small Business Person of the Year for Illinois, and 2nd Runner-Up nationally.

Not Shy About Sharing My Parenting Column

Over the first three years of my twin children's lives, I blogged extensively for the Chicago Parent website.

One of those pieces related the rationale for my antipathy toward the potentially harmful (and often inaccurate) characterization of children as "shy." It was published recently as the "Family Guy" column in Broward Family Life, a parenting publication in Florida.

Editors aptly fashioned this headline: "Sticks and Stones: Words That Wound Are Not Always the Obvious Ones."

Broward Family Life also published a Father's Day tribute that I wrote about my dad in May 2008.

I realize the image of the page on which my recent column appears (above) is as decipherable as hyeroglyphics. If you want to read the piece, you can click here and scroll to page 39.

Entrepreneur Features My Blagojevich PR Stunt

Nearly a week after closing arguments in former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial, the jury is still out on whether he is bound for the slammer, a reality TV show, or somewhere in between.

But Entrepreneur.com, at least, has weighed in with a verdict on a Blago-inspired PR stunt that Inside Edge PR concocted for a hair salon client, Charo's Hair Design and Day Spa of Elmwood Park, Ill.

The stunt, chronicled previously in this blog, came on the heels of Blago's arrest some 20 months ago.

In a piece that appeared online Tuesday, freelance writer Geoff Williams deemed the stunt to be a flop, though he did note some up-side as well. He also covered nine other PR stunts and teased out lessons from each, making it relevant material for anyone in the public relations and marketing fields.

I really don't mind the "flop" characterization.

As Williams rightly notes, "Blagojevich didn't take the salon up on the offer; he likely didn't see much of an upside to accepting. A smattering of local outlets reported on the gimmick, but the stunt went nowhere."

On the positive side, Williams wrote, "It's good practice to invent marketing stunts that won't cost you much if they don't go anywhere. Baron doesn't think Charo got a lot of business from the stunt, but she didn't lose any time or money, either. Try to avoid a marketing stunt that, if it fails, could cost you a lot of time and money that you can't afford to lose."

And here in August 2010, the hairy hijinks did get some more national publicity, with links to both the Inside Edge PR website and that of Charo's Hair Design.

How fortuitous, too, that it comes at a time when Blago is very much on the collective public's mind. Who knows? Maybe he will still take up Charo on her offer, which is good through January 2011.

If so, you can be sure that I'll appeal to Entrepreneur.com to alter its "flop" verdict.

Honoring Pat Liss, Five Seasons' PR Tipster

Frequently, I write about new arrivals in an organization. But another satisfying part of my work is to honor excellent individuals upon their exit.

Such was the case earlier this week with Pat Liss, concierge extraordinaire at Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Burr Ridge for the first 9 1/2 years of the club's existence. Her last day was July 23.

For more than a few reasons, I will miss Pat and her welcoming, warm personality as I entered, roamed around and exited the club during my visits to the site. From a purely PR standpoint, here's one of the reasons: she tipped me off to numerous outstanding story ideas in the 3 1/2 years that I have provided public relations support for the Five Seasons clubs in Burr Ridge and Northbrook.

Pat was the one who sparked my media outreach about Five Seasons member Rick Rodrigues when, as a 55-year-old grandfather, he deployed to Iraq in 2007.

Spurred on by my news release, a media blitz ensued: the Chicago Sun-Times' Andrew Herrmann wrote a front-page story on Rick, TV stations profiled him, and national outlets also pursued his story.

All of that buzz--and the positive glow that cascaded on Five Seasons, whose training staff was preparing Rich physically for the rigors ahead--can be traced back to Pat.

Her insatiable curiosity about what is happening in others' lives and her others-focused desire to put the spotlight on them also happen to be powerfully effective PR traits.

So I was pleased to be able to turn the lens squarely on Pat last week, at her retirement celebration. You can see a TribLocal photo gallery of the event, which also links to the full release that I wrote.

In addition, Pioneer Press has picked up on the story.

Merging Content Opens Story-Telling Avenues

When Dr. Richard Powell sees a new patient in pain, he can empathize perfectly: that was how he first encountered the world of chiropractic.

So starts a recent Inside Edge PR news release on behalf of Dr. Richard Powell of HealthSource of Elmhurst.

The rest of the release, headlined "His Pain Leads To Others’ Gain: Elmhurst Chiropractor Marks 25 Years of Helping Patients," blends a biography that I developed about Dr. Powell as well as excerpts from testimonials that I wrote about two of his patients.

The outreach reflects the power of re-purposing individual story-telling elements--regardless of industry--into a new piece targeted to a different audience.

Here, Dr. Powell's bio and the two patients' stories are geared mostly toward an internal audience, such as existing and new patients. When combined and edited, however, they can speak to an external audience, such as local media outlets.

You can read the entire news release at TribLocal.com.

Tom & Eddie's in Crain's Chicago Business

On the front page of Crain's Chicago Business this week is this feature story on an exciting new upscale burger restaurant called Tom & Eddie's.

Since April, Inside Edge PR has had the good fortune of working on behalf of Tom & Eddie's, which opens at The Shops on Butterfield at the Yorktown Mall in August.

Here's a link to a prior blog post about Tom & Eddie's as well as the initial news release announcing the restaurant, as posted at TribLocal.com.

Crain's also produced this video telling Tom & Eddie's story.

How `Why' Injects Life Into News Releases

We've all heard the expression of "raining cats and dogs."

In the arena of news releases, however, there is an all-too-common experience that I'll dub "yawning cats and dogs." That's an expression for the lifeless, bland collections of words that do a disservice to the word "news."

This came to mind a few weeks ago, when a college friend asked for advice on creating a news release for an upcoming art exhibit featuring his work. At my request, he sent me a release that he used a few years ago.

Reviewing it in a few minutes was enough for me to see that it was like so many other so-called news releases--written without any creativity, imagination or sense of story-telling.

If you are looking to develop as a publicist, or in any way as someone seeking to attract attention from the media and your target audience, I hope you find the response to my friend (below) helpful.

"What you sent is a very common style of release. What, who, when, where. What it lacks is “why”. And that’s the heart of great story-telling.

Why do you paint? Why did you paint the pieces that are on exhibit in July? Why should people care? Why is it different from others in your genre?

Here are some questions I’d ask you, to elicit a story that the media would gravitate to more often:

What your earliest memories of painting? As a 1st grader? When was it, and what parallels between then and now? What’s different?

What other hats have you worn in life—professionally and personally, and how do those roles play a part in your art?

Who are your biggest influences—in life, in your art?

What are the adjectives that you would ascribe to your work? What have others said? Where are you headed with your art? What do you want to spark in those who view your art?

Tell me about a recent piece that you finished and that will be part of your show in July--what was the journey you took with it? What inspired you to do it? How did it change as you created it? How did YOU change as a result of having created it?

The key is to have a story that weaves in the facts of your show, but it does not make the show “the thing.”

You, and your journey and your impact on those around you via your art—that is the real thing. The show is simply a vehicle to tell the broader story."

Looking for more guidance and inspiration?

At Inside Edge PR.com, you can find plenty of samples of news releses that I've written.

Public Service, Pics Drive Five Seasons' Outreach

Remarkable athletes, accomplished coaches, fund-raising programs and family-friendly activities.

Since 2007, those broadly stated categories have formed the bulk of stories that I've shared as publicist for the two Five Seasons Family Sports Clubs in the Chicago area (Burr Ridge and Northbrook).

But last week represented a new opportunity to raise awareness about the Burr Ridge site at 6901 S. Madison, as Five Seasons hosted water rescue training for the Tri-State Fire Protection District. At TribLocal.com, you can see the news release, which went to a variety of other local media outlets as well.

In light of photographs' supremely vital role in drawing attention, I also created a photo gallery.

Something to keep in mind when posting photos: it's not enough to simply slap up a bunch of images. The more descriptive captions you can offer--such as the names of individuals in the photos--the more likely the media will use the photos in other formats, such as the old-fashioned print version.

No Topic Too Far Afield For This Sports Nut

My first piece of journalism, 26 years ago last week, was about Chris Lapriore, a high school tennis star in my hometown of Marshfield, Mass.

For most of my first half-dozen years as a reporter, the bulk of my work was sportswriting. Football, basketball, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, wrestling, track and field, golf...if it involved some element of physical competition, there was a good chance I covered it.

But over the last 20 years, my opportunities to write about sports have come in fits and starts. Along the way, I created an inflation index for home runs, wrote a stats column for Sports Illustrated for Kids, and reported on sports icons like Tiger Woods and LeBron James.

Still, the sports-related work has been largely bumped off my plate. So if there's an occasion to weave in an athletic reference, I jump all over it. Such was the case three weeks ago, when I tied in the Chicago Blackhawks' Stanley Cup triumph with my summary of a NAIOP-Chicago meeting ("The Rumors Are True, Capital is Back").

I didn't waste any time, either, referring to the hockey franchise's great win in the very first paragraph.

I look forward to my next gratuitous sports tie-in, especially if it has to do with a certain Bay State team winning its third World Series in the past six years.