Susan Murphy of Pleasant Ridge, MI writes:
I’m looking for some interesting avenues in which to promote our client, an environmental scientist who specializes in toxic mold education, detection and remediation.
Connie Morbach, M.S. CHMM CIE, is a respected national authority in indoor air quality (IAQ) who has performed over 10,000 residential/commercial air tests and environmental evaluations.
Since 1994, her team has witnessed the illnesses and devastation caused by many ill-equipped and unscrupulous IAQ/Mold ‘professionals’ in their industry, and they continue to help so many who have suffered from these injustices. She has just started a blog and is tweeting to share her knowledge as well.
Connie has been featured on a half dozen indoor air quality investigative segments for NBC’s the ” Today” show (“Why your gym may be making you sidk” and “Watch out for hidden germs in supermarkets”) , as well as “Rachael Ray” and “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” in the past but she hasn’t had a PR firm since then.
She’s looking to get the word out again about her expertise and I’m hoping your loyal Hounds can suggest some thoughtful ideas.
I’m allergic to molds. One sniff and a paroxysm of sneezing hits me… causing other to ask, “did that hurt?” No, it never hurts, but it is very annoying. I don’t take medication for it because the “cure” is worse then the allergy. So, anything Dr. Morbach has to say… I’m listening.
I know this is not the idea you are looking for, but maybe my spirit of enthusiasm will light an inspirational fire somewhere.
Best of luck.
Can’t wait to hear the results.
Not sure who your target audience is, but I bet the national apartment association’s publication (and others like it) would be interested in using her as a resource or running any of her articles. Many in the industry are interested in learning more about this subject – and preventing it.
Also, with the Legislative session going on right now, are there any bills she can speak to that relate to mold remediation? Might be worth checking out. Are there any homeowners she has helped who had serious health problems because of mold who are willing to go on record? I think reporters would like to put a “face” with this when telling a story. I would also put together a top ten tips/questions list to ask before moving into a foreclosed home in order to find out if there are any existing mold problems. Many papers would probably run as a sidebar. Good luck with your efforts!
Susan, how about contacting the apartment association and offering a list of Connie’s tips or an article for their newsletter? Doreen, this is a great idea.
Here’s my idea, Susan.
Go to Google Alerts at http://www.Google.com/alerts and create one or more alerts for keywords like “mold” or “mold allergy” or “floods” or “flooding.”
Google will deliver to you blogs, videos, news stories, etc. on those topics. Connie can comment at blogs that discuss these topics. She can comment on videos and sometimes even on news stories.
This next part is key: ***She can also find out fairly quickly where major flooding is occurring.***
Let’s say it’s happening in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, along the Mississippi River. You can target radio stations, newspapers and bloggers in LaCrosse and contact them to see if they’re interested in interviewing your expert.
Many years ago in Milwaukee, when there was massive flooding throughout the entire Midwest, I remember hearing a drive-time radio talk show host who interviewed a company in Minnesota that makes pumps that remove moisture from the air. The company president or their PR person was smart enough to call the station and request an interview at the same time people were bailing water out of their basements.
It was a very long interview and I doubt that the company paid anything for it. The company prez gave lots of tips for people whose basements were flooded, and he explained how his machine removes moisture from the air. Why couldn’t your expert do something like this?
What else causes mold in homes and offices? Whatever the source is, that might be another possible Google Alert.
Here’s two ideas for your client:
1. I just saw a TV segment here in Canada (CBC I think) about SNOW MOLD!?
It’s mold that’s caused on your lawn when the snow pack on it melts.
Anyway, the point is – it cut through the clutter on TV and I paid attention to see what SNOW MOLD actually was. Since no one has heard of it, it has a novelty factor (and it can cause allergies in people so your client can comment on that!)
2. Your client could talk about how to safely remove small amounts of mold encountered in the upcoming “SPRING CLEANING” ritual. Millions of people do this every spring and it is almost guaranteed you will encounter some mold (but not enough to call in a professional removal company). Therefore, there is a real need to know how to remove SMALL amounts of mold safely and your client could address that!
Let me know if you/she goes with any of these ideas!
Thanks!
Don Power
Business Marketing Strategist
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
Susan, here’s another idea:
Connie should refer to herself ***everywhere*** as a “mold expert.”
This should appear on the title bar of the home page of her website, in her bio, in press releases, in the mini-bios she writes at the social media sites—everywhere she has info about her background.
How about schools? As a parent, the last thing I want is for my children to be sitting in a toxic classroom for the majority of their day. With childhood asthma on the rise, it’s even more of a concern. I know of schools that have been shut down due to mold issues. Positioning your client as an expert consultant on mold in schools could be very beneficial to all. I would do a quick google search for schools closed because of mold. Then put together a TV pitch siting those schools and asking “is your child’s school an incubator for mold?” with your client offering to discuss a list of signs to look for in the classroom as well as symptoms in children. It’s such a timely and important expertise — lots of luck!
~Lisa
You hounds really know how to sniff out solutions. This is all great, thank you so much!
Karen, God Bless You! I’ll ask Connie for her thoughts on this. She’s rarely at loss for a solution.
Doreen, Where do I begin? Great thinking. I’ll check into the National Apartment Association and others like it. Actually, Connie has helped numerous people who have suffered the consequences of toxic molds and other chemical contaminants. One of them happens to be Mrs. Ted Nugent! We just put the call out to Shemane (Nugent) to see if she’d be interested in sharing her story. Meanwhile, Connie is working on a book to educate laypeople about residential mold and she will be incorporating some of these stories. Love your Top 10 list idea. We’re on it! Thank you so much.
Joan, You never miss a trick! Love it. Piggybacking on a breaking story makes Connie’s story all the more relevant and topical. Until today we were only receiving Google Alerts on Connie Morbach, CleanliNEST and Sanit-Air. Terrific idea.
Don, DIY is great too. You have to give to get. Connie has said that she’s even encountered cases where a home for sale was written off as “moldy,” and she’s gone in only to find a small amount of mold that was easily removed, saving the owner from almost a total loss of property value. That’s why it’s so vitally important to find quality, “independent” home and mold inspectors.
Lisa, This is critical, indeed. Connie’s company has inspected numerous schools, libraries, court houses, airports and yes, even hospitals for mold! I think this is a good angle for parenting magazines. Mold is everywhere – the question is, is it good, bad or ugly? Good mold is responsible for some amazing beer and cheeses. Bad mold can cause death. Ugly mold may be nothing more than that – ugly. That’s where the DIY angle can be worked.
Hounds: my tail is wagging and you have me howling with gratitude! I’m all ears… love to hear more…
My suggestions was along the lines of Joan’s. When I think of mold I think of disasters, natural or man-made where there has been a lot of water damage. Pipes bursting in big cities, torrential rains, hurricanes, anything that causes major flooding and water damage. Those are ripe situations for someone with your expertise.
Mold is a huge issue for homeowners, sellers and buyers. Flooding may be a very vivid and immediate cause, but mold loves dark, damp spaces, like behing paneling, where it can grow in peace. Also, the shorter curing times for lumber used in home and other construction means “green” lumber that may be not quite dry. Leverage whatever you do through the National Association of Realtors and all the state Realtor groups. Another possibility is the insurance companies that provide home insurance. There are mold provisions in policies these days.
P.S. Mold CAN be good — think Penicillin and the incredible health benefits it and its derivatives have provided!
I suggest — if you haven’t done this already — joining the U.S. Green Building Council and get active in your local chapter. They usually have ongoing monthly programs, so you could do a session on mold. They also have a huge, yearly conference (15,000 to 20,000 people), and you could submit a proposal as a speaker.This year’s conference speaker list is already determined, but it’s worth it to go either as an exhibitor or just an attendee. The networking is great. Indoor Air Quality is not well-understood among design and construction professionals and this is a great venue for educating them and getting known as an expert to advise project teams.
As an aside, I’m reading a book called “Made to Stick,” which is all about how to sell ideas simply and vividly. It might be helpful in developing a “sticky” marketing message.
In my previous career (engineering and facilities management) I had first-hand experience with this challenge.
Mold and mildew is not only caused by flooding, but by rain and any very humid conditions. For example: If a building was poorly constructed, and there are heavy rains and driving winds (creating horizontal rain), then water penetrates and mold/mildew can start developing.
So, in addition to all of the residential advice, your client may get more leverage by looking to the commercial markets as she has done in the past. Building owners and facility managers (associations for all) are a source of people to address. Either speak at their conferences or write articles, advertorials, and other lead gen materials for their publications.
Almost any commercial building is a candidate, including office buildings, schools, universities, apartment complexes, government facilities, etc. Again, seek out the associations that serve these people to make it easier to reach them en mass.
Also, labs (national and regional) that test the samples for mold and mildew may be another avenue for her to “partner” with. Maybe they can do something jointly. The labs want more business so how can she help them get that business? They team up on a project of some kind.
My third tip:
Connie can buy a subscription to “Expertclick: the Online Yearbook of Experts” at http://www.Expertclick.com.
It allows her to post up to 52 press releases per year and have them distributed, and get a profile in their online yearbook of experts as a “mold expert.”
Journalists visit this site frequently and look for specific types of experts. Tell them I sent you and they’ll knock $100 off the price of a subscription. Full disclosure: I’m an affiliate and earn a commission on sales.
Brian, You’re right. We need to tap these “opportunities,” whether it’s Hurricane Katrina (or other national disasters and their implications), mold in public spaces (schools, courtrooms, libraries, etc) or the increasing epidemic of asthma in children. We’re working up a release now to address “elder care” in that the elderly are living longer and staying in their homes longer as a result. Many are immuno-compromised and need to realize how important Indoor Air Quality is to their health. Sometimes it’s as simple as a good cleaning (ridding home of years of dust, old papers, and replacing cardboard storage containers with plastic).
Joan, Fabulous advice. It’s true she really needs to leverage her “expert” status in both mold and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issues. I mistakenly got the impression that she didn’t want to be called an expert. When checking back, per your recommendation, I learned she didn’t want to be known as an expert “witness,” i.e. hired gun. Thanks for helping us clear that up.
Catherine, all good! Thank you. And you’re right about the lumber issue. Connie often says, “green is not always clean!” Good points.
And back to Karen’s post on mold allergies: Connie would love to hear more about where these attacks occur, as mold is everywhere. However, the dose and type can make a difference. Many molds that grow indoors on damp buildings are more problematic than outdoor molds.
Susan, here are some contacts to spread the word.
Pat Culpepper owns Progressive Foam Technologies and is networked with everyone in the building trades whether its new construction or remodeling. He is a good guy and can connect you with others. Maybe even include something about you in his own website. He has been well connected with the EPA is the past. http://www.progressivefoam.com
The National Association of Remodelers is involved with the leading residental remodelers in the US. Can contact the Executive Director, Mary Busey Harris, to find out what events, workshops, newsletters, local chapters, etc are available. http://www.nari.org
The National Association of Homebuilders is one of the major players in the country on clean air and the environment. They have a Green Building Program that is accomplishing a lot. I am sure they have plenty of opportunities to speak at workshops at regional and national conventions. http://www.nahb.com
Owens Corning is probably the leading supplier of materials of all kinds to the building and remodeling trades in the US. Contact headquarters in Toledo, Ohio. They just recently had products designated as GREENDOOR Indoor Quality Certified by the Greenguard Environmental Instiltute. http://www.owenscorning.com
All of these companies/groups have consumer outreach programs.
Hope this helps.
Doug
Joan, Thank you for throwing me another bone! 😉 I will have the “mold expert” look into this.
Doug, Wow! You threw out the motherload! Wonderful resources and information, thank you so much.
Thank you again Hounds. You’re a breed apart: all best in show!
I like the idea of the “Mold Expert”. I hate to beat a dead horse but, a youtube channel for the Mold Expert that includes copies of the segments of the shows mentioned. Nothing helps educate people as much as seing it. I personally did not think mold went beyond having a dirty bathroom until I saw an episode on Extreme Home Makeover and realize how important it was to check the source of the mold.
A blog would be a great idea as well as a press kit sent to magazines like O, Real Simple and others that have a large amount of mothers in their readership.
Roxana, You’re spot on! We’ve established a YouTube account for her and already uploaded a few of her videos. We’re in the process of tracking down all her news coverage and investigative reports now and plan to put up as many as we can locate as they are very enlightening.
On that note, you’re right. I’ve learned so much – maybe more than I wanted to know – about mold and its insidious effects. As in most cases, and this one too, knowledge is power and protection! Thank you again for your thoughtful ideas.
There are so many great ideas here! You may decide to go to a place like InspiredLemonade.com to have them give you some ideas. They seem really reasonable and are really professional. Oh, and I’ll be looking more into the mold issue. Snow mold? Wow!!! That seems impossible, but I suppose anything is possible when you get little organisms procreating:)