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November 2007 > Finding PR Gold in Junk
Finding PR Gold in Junk
Who would have thought that junk would make such compelling news?
Within two years of founding their Washington, DC-area junk-hauling business – called College
Hunks Hauling Junk – Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman were getting their
faces in print and on television.
Washington SmartCEO magazine featured a photo of the two young entrepreneurs
(Friedman is 25 and Soliman is 24) flexing their muscles, part of a four-page
article on their company headlined "One Man's Junk." The Washington Post featured an article on the company headlined "Getting a Load of a Business Opportunity," and The Washington Examiner, Waste Age, Guide to Retirement Living, and the local CBS and Fox television affiliates also ran stories.
Friedman, the company's CEO, contends it was "persistence, timing, and a bit of luck" that led to the business becoming a media phenomenon.
"The media loves human interest stories, and they also look for experts on specific topics. Because we were such a new business, we decided to try and leverage the human interest side of our business," says Friedman, adding that the company's brand image – polished, hard-working college students doing inglorious work – was a big selling point in getting the attention of the media.
Friedman notes that because small- to medium-sized businesses don't have the advertising and marketing budgets of their larger competitors, they must rely on grassroots techniques to get the word out to potential customers.
"PR is by far the most important tool that you can leverage to supplement your company's other promotional efforts. It validates your brand and gives proof that you are not a fly-by-night company," Friedman says. "Third-party recognition from the media gives your company an immeasurable level of credibility and exposure."
But the company's most successful PR has been through word-of-mouth from satisfied, happy customers. GotVMail's virtual phone service has helped validate the capable, professional image that College Hunks Hauling Junk portrays to the media.
The state-of-the-art technology platform provided by GotVMail has helped College Hunks Hauling Junk stay connected with its customers and offer unmatched customer support.
"GotVMail has helped substantiate the image we have represented to the general public, which is that of a highly successful, unique and viable company," Friedman says.
By the Numbers
The percent of companies who plan to advertise on social networking channels, such as MySpace, LinkedIn and Facebook, in 2007.
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