CDMM - Synergistic Business Marketing Blog

Create A Talking Avatar for a 3rd Party Referral

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:28:00 +0000

Create an online talking avatar for yourself. It's a great third-party referral mechanism. It is more effective to have a message delivered by a third party as there is a sense of credibility attached to the process - whether real or imaginary. After all, the reason these avatars are used is because they help get the job done. They work 24 hours around the clock. Why not put one to work for your business?

Want to see an example of an avatar that is helping to draw customers to a Thai restaurant? Visit Paul Robert Guy on Tings Thai Kitchen.

Showcasting Someone Else's PFD and Vlog

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:48:00 +0000

Take a look at this - Between Iraq and a Hard Place: Where's Dan? To showcase what someone else sends you online, all you need is a link placed on a blog. Any free blog site will do for this. Any free Squidoo lens will do this as well. But, if you want to actually create something similar to what Dan has done - and you do not have access to a web server because you do not have a domain name of your own - I recommend you open up a Slideshare account. This may be all you need. However, I want you to know that Slideshare has a module that works within Squidoo. And, a Squidoo/Slideshare pairing my prove more to your liking.

Where PR and Social Media Merge

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Fri, 22 May 2009 21:24:00 +0000

Thanks to PitchEngine.com, I have access to a unique press release service. I am able to get news listed on Google News. In fact, both of my press releases for a recent festival got posted to Google News. Believe it or not, I got a letter of accommodation for that festival from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I admit to being a little unconventional. When I spread news about an event, I get the world involved. I am a big advocate of mutual collaboration. Just visit Hardesters Shopping Center's Spring Fling. I got Canada's Globespan TV to interview a woman in Hidden Valley Lake, CA regarding the local festival. I also got vendors for the festival to showcase "Dear Editor" letters. These letters were used not only to draw the local media to the festival, but also to aid them in promoting it. I may soon have my own (online press room) up-and-running.

My press release service is social media-based. I not only target specific media, I inter-mingle with the PR community. The best way to reach a target market is NOT to push your message AT THEM. The best way to reach a TARGET MARKET is through a THIRD-PARTY REFERRAL. And, the best way to get a third-party referral today is through the dynamics of SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS. See the diagram below.

In addition to having access to a press release service, I have an online talk show, called Power Networking on Talkshoe.com. I have had celebrities like Jon Provost ("Timmie" of the Lassie TV series) and members of the National Speakers Association, such as Rebecca Morgan, as guests. I also moderate a special network on Ryze.com called Clusters: Small Business Group Netweaving. This network is designed not only to educate folks on the use of social media tools, but to help them in small groups get goals they want to achieve reached. Quite simply, it is much easier to GTD (Get Things Done) when you work in a small group of passionate people. I have also created CD's and done direct-mail campaigns for professional speakers, set up Wi-Fi hot spots and market Wi-Fi digital photo frames.

If you know a business anywhere in the English-speaking world - not just your local community - that needs to create some "buzz," please know I am confident I can help.

Contact information:
Email - lamar@mchsi.com
Phone: 707-709-8605
Skype: lamar777
Twitter: lamarjmorgan

PitchEngine - Social Media Meets Press Release

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Mon, 04 May 2009 01:23:00 +0000

Tired of the traditional press release? Sick of Word docs, pdf email attachments and image CDs? PitchEngine makes it easy for you to incorporate PR assets like video, audio and images directly into your press release and share it with your media contacts via email and cut-and-paste links or post it directly to Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook and more!

Your media contacts will be able to make comments, ask questions and find more resources about your company, client or brand right from within each release. No more attachments, no more unnecessary phone calls and voice mails asking for photos, product samples or interviews- it's all available for easy delivery with the PitchEngine SMR. Streamline the media relations process and make journalists, bloggers and writers see what they’ve been missing.

Make Friends With The Foundation Center

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 04:12:00 +0000

The Foundation Center is America's philanthropic library system. More than likely, you will not run across anyone who knows more about connecting the people who need grant money with those that have it than them. For that reason, it would be good to develop some kind of relationship with them - whether you happen to be personally associated with a nonprofit organization or not.

While The Foundation Center is headquartered in New York City, it does have branch offices across the nation in major cities - such as Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco. It also has what it calls "cooperating collections" across the US and into Mexico.

If you want to learn the basics of grant-seeking, how to write grant letters - including putting together a grant budget proposal - The Foundation Center is well-qualified to teach you. The library system has been in existence for 53 years.

If you happen to live in Lake County, CA or know someone who does and needs grant-funding assistance, there is going to be a FREE grant-writing seminar, conducting by Scott Ullman of The Foundation Center of San Francisco on Wednesday, April 15th, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Hidden Valley Community Church, 18160 Spruce Grove Rd. Ext. in Hidden Valley Lake. All that is required to attend is to RSVP.

For more information on the seminar and to RSVP, visit www.squidoo.com/TMMF.

Take My Twitter Bird (pause)...Please

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:22:00 +0000

If you are old enough to remember the Ed Sullivan TV Show, chances are you remember a comedian named Henny Youngman. His signature comedic line was "Take my wife(pause)...please!" Well, this post is sort of a play on Youngman's words. But, unlike Youngman, I actually want you to make use of my Twitter bird picture for the benefit of your own blog and Twitter site. To do that, you simply need the code. And, here it is -

<*center*>
<*a href="http://twitter.com/lamarjmorgan"*>
<*src="http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo76/lamarjmorgan/th_TwitterBird.jpg"*><* /a *>
<*/center*>

In order for you to be able to view this code, I have added *'s to the code. You will need to delete those *'s paces for the code to work with your blog as I have done on this page. You will also need to replace "lamarjmorgan" with your actual Twitter username. If you do not have a Twitter account, visit http://twitter.com and sign up. If you would like to follow me on Twitter, just click my little blue bird.

Happy Twittering!

Getting Media Support - A Mutual Uplift Process

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:34:00 +0000

In the spirit of the win/win scenario, here is a marketing approach that turns the marketing sales funnel into a potential megaphone and makes clever use of the personal referral.

Let's say there is an event coming up - a trade show, business mixer, or even a shopping center grand opening. You want to create significant buzz about the event, but have almost no funds for advertising. What can you do? Answer: get folks you know - both online and offline - to help spread your message by sending you actual "Dear Editor" letters via email. Here are the steps:

1) Send email to schools, post to your blog and social networks that you would like to be sent "Dear Editor" letters as email or email attachments which you can in turn capture as JPEGS and post to a Squidoo lens.

2) Explain what the content of those messages need to contain. Encourage the person writing the message to include his contact information because you want that kind of information to be available to the news media for follow-up and confirmation purposes. Since this is a win/win deal, encourage the letter-writer to cleverly also promote his business in the "Dear Editor" letter. The letter needs to be brief. No more than a half-page in length.

3) Capture each message used as a JPEG and load it to a Squidoo lens using the Polaroid Squidoo module. Should the Polaroid module does not meet your needs, us the Text/Write Squidoo module and HTML from a Photobucket.com account. This formula is designed to acknowledge the people helping your promotion. It demonstrates you really do appreciate their help. It should also give the news media a wide selection of "Dear Editor" letters from which to choose for their respected publications.

4) Simply contact the news media using a brief email message with a link to your Squidoo lens. The news media should figure out what you are doing and be impressed with your clever approach. Why? Because you are actually helping them do their job in ways most folks do not.

This is not pie-in-the-sky rhetoric. This process is being implemented for a shopping center grand opening in Hidden Valley Lake, CA. Visit the following link to see what is scheduled to take place at the Grand Opening of Hardester's Shopping Center.

Form A ''Cluster" and Expand Your Reach

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 03:41:00 +0000

While "clustering" in nothing new (just check out what Wikipedia has to say about the term), in economically difficult times, it becomes more important than ever to form alliances with others...that WORK. Believe it or not, alliances work best when those alliances are focused on small rather than large groups of people. How is that done? Take a look at the Food For Thought link on this page entitled, "Clustering."

HDTV - The Digital Photo Frame Alternative

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:40:00 +0000

If you are willing to add a PC to your marketing mix, you may prefer to go with a flat screen HDTV rather than a digital photo frame. The Vizio brand of HDTV is particularly attractive in terms of price and quality. You have the option here of watching TV or watching your slide show when you have a laptop hooked up through the HDTV's VGA connector. While the HDTV can be mounted on the wall, I suggest a portable TV stand so you can easily move it into a conference room to utilize for special meetings. I particularly like the Vizio VU42LFHD LCD HDTV. You can see a very nice presentation regarding this marvelous device by going to Tiger Direct.

Need A Beautiful Lift? Join TeamCircle

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:16:00 +0000

Without a doubt, the most beautiful and uplifting business network I have ever encountered is TeamCircle. Although the number of members is impressive, that is relatively unimportant. What matters is functionality of the network and the sharing attitude of the membership. It is extremely refreshing as well as beneficial. Check it out and see for yourself.

Boost Your Business Exposure With Squidoo.com

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:53:00 +0000

There are a lot of Web 2.0 sites out on the Internet competing for your attention. They need your content to sell more Google ad space. You need their web space to promote your business. It really can be a win/win situation. With more than a quarter-million online lenses created by volunteer lensmasters, Squidoo.com is really proving this kind of mutual collaboration works. Not only is Squidoo giving the public the opportunity to create an unlimited number of lenses(now blogs), but it is providing an ever-expanding means for the public to promote what it creates - via special modules, Squidoo groups and a wide range of SEO techniques. As an example, take a look at Squidoo lens designed to help a Northern California town become more Internet savvy. Visit Tools to Move Middletown Forward. Then, visit Squidoo.com and create a lens to further promote your business. You will find lots of help on Squidoo.com for its SquidU Forum. The people there really do want to help you succeed.

Twitter.com - The Simple Suggestion

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:26:00 +0000

Who in business does not want "to grow their audience?" Well, could it be that to efficiently grow an audience you must first become a member of someone else's audience? That mindset seems to be working wonders for a microblogging service called Twitter.com. You join at Twitter.com and are asked to "follow" the postings of other folks. Well, guess what happens by doing that? Believe it or not, folks begins to follow you. I have actually discovered that folks I was not initially following start to follow me. What's more, you are only allowed to send messages (called "tweets") that are 140 characters or less in length. This is really quite amazing. Try using this service and see if your audience does not increase in size. In fact, download Adobbe's free Twhirl to enable you to better manage your Twittering.

The Digital Photo Frame-of-Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:37:00 +0000

If you want to create a REAL BUZZ for your business in a high traffic area, you need to BE the eye candy for the public. The most cost-effective way to be that eye candy is to be the subject matter of a large 20" digital photo frame. Of course, you understand that if you happen to own the frame, you own the network. You could be the only advertiser of the network. Or, you could open your digital frame network to other advertisers and end up making a profit from being the owner of the digital frame - in addition to providing a wonderful service to other local small business concerns.

If you would like to learn more about the wonderful world of photo digital frames, visit FREE Wi-Fi or call Lamar Morgan of CDMM - Synergistic Business Marketing at 707-709-8605.

Mass Circulate Your Blog...Engage In Social Bookmarking

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:25:00 +0000

I doubt anyone writes a blog for himself or herself. Most likely, you write a blog so that other folks - an audience - can read what you have to say. Well, how do you go about growing that audience? One easy and effective way to grow that audience is by allowing technological innovation to go to bat for you. I am referring to "social bookmarking." Here is a method for Internet users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web pages on the Internet with the help of metadata.

Would you like for social bookmarking to go to bat for your blog? Click the Bookmark button on this page and follow the instructions.

Please do not hesitate to come back to this blog and let me and my audience know how "social bookmarking" is working out for you. Whether you are having good success or problems, please share your experience with this audience. If you do have difficulty, perhaps someone in the audience will know how to solve the problem.

Want To Blog Better?...Be Brief

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:19:00 +0000

A friend of mind recently pointed out that blogs are not meant to be like ezine articles. No, a blog, she said was meant to be more like a conversation. After all, what all bloggers should want is feedback from their audience. And, the best way to get feedback? Be brief, but post often.

I think that is good advice...and I am going to take it.

Restaurant's FREE Wi-Fi Inspires Other Merchants To Be Innovative

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:23:00 +0000

Hidden Valley Lake - A few months ago Charlie McFarling, owner of Ting's Thai Kitchen, decided to do something very clever - become a FREE Wi-Fi hot spot. The idea was that customers would come into the restaurant, order their meal and then get online with their mobile device while their meal was being prepared. They could check email, surf the Web and make free VOIP phone calls anywhere in the world to their Skype or Google Talk contacts. To maintain control of the FREE Wi-Fi, McFarling would need to be the one imputting the restaurant's password into each mobile device. That would entitle each user to an hour's worth of free Wi-Fi.

But, there was a problem. Keeping a Wi-Fi signal free of hacking and viruses would require an Internet connection that was attached to a Virtual Private Network. This VPN would need to be monitored 24/7. How could a little Mom and Pop restaurant manage to afford to do that in addition to having access to the Internet? McFarling needed both additional technological assistance and "marketing buzz" help to make that happen. With the help of CDMM - Synergistic Business Marketing, The Wi-Fi Company of Denver, CO and Video By KitDee he got the help he needed.

First, The Wi-Fi Company put his Internet signal on its Virtual Private Network and made the inclusion of what is referred to as "splash page advertising" possible at the hot spot. CDMM - Synergistic Business Marketing sought local advertisers and assisted in their individual promotions - both at the hot spot and online. Revenue from the splash page advertising was designed to help defer the cost of the secure Wi-Fi hot spot The Wi-Fi Company had created. (Advertisers promote themselves for THREE MONTHS using print, audio and video for just $79. This included promotion at both the restaurant's hot spot and its online Squidoo lens.) Then, Video By KitDee shot videos at the restaurant. These videos helped to stylishly promote the fact that the restaurant had FREE Wi-Fi. Video By KitDee has since gone a step farther and included Ting's Thai Kitchen in the Lake County Chef's Challenge, which airs twice weekly on Mediacom's Channel 8. You can learn more about this challenge by going to www.videobykitdee.com.

Local merchants appears to be paying attention. Recently, a Crave Coffee Shop opened in the Hardesters Shopping Center, across from Ting's Thai Kitchen. Like Ting's, it too is providing FREE Wi-Fi to all of its patrons. While the nearby Greenview Restaurant has no plans currently to offer FREE Wi-Fi, it is looking at an interesting technological innovation for its restaurant. It is considering the possibility of replacing the restaurant's big white board with a 20" digital photo frame. The digital photo frame would enable the restaurant to impressively showcase news of its daily specials, tournaments and other HVLA activities in the form of slides shows and videos. The digital photo frame is portable and could be used for training purposes in the restaurant's dining area on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. But, that is not all. The digital photo frame could be used to showcase products and services of local small businesses. As an advertising tool, the digital photo frame could generate enough revenue not only to pay for itself, but to help provide profit for the restaurant. Two doors down from the Crave Coffee Shop, a Subways Sandwich Shop is currently being built. One has to wonder if Subways will be offering FREE Wi-Fi to the public once their doors are open.

Ting's Thai Kitchen continues to press the technological envelope. You can now find Ting's on Twitter.com. Just sign up for a free Twitter account at http://twitter.com and click Ting's "follow" link at http://twitter.com/tings. All the latest news about Ting's will be sent to your Twitter connection - be it your Twitter web page or your cell phone. Ting's also has a Squidoo lens which showcases a great deal about what both the restaurant and its advertisers have to offer. Check it out at www.squidoo.com/TTK. Believe it or not, McFarling can update his Twitters by simply making a toll-free phone call with his cell phone. McFarling has learned how "to Jott a Twitter." And, so can you. Just go to www.jott.com for more information.

Build Your Business Online And At FREE Wi-Fi Hot Spots Simultaneously

noreply@blogger.com (Lamar Morgan) — Mon, 26 May 2008 05:36:00 +0000

Wi-Fi hot spots are nothing new. For several years, people have been using coffee shops, restaurants and book stores as places to check email, surf the Web, make FREE VOIP phone and video calls around the world. What is relatively new on the local scene is being able to do this without having to pay a fee. More than ever before, the public is seeing access to The Internet in public places being provided for free. But, how is that possible? Sometimes the owner of the establishment providing the Wi-Fi simply pays for it. After all, Wi-Fi tends to attract a large crowd wherever it is made available. Often, just being able to attract a large crowd on a recurring basis is reason enough to provide FREE Wi-Fi.

However, with the ever-increasing popularity of wikinomics, the idea of mutual collaboration is taking hold around the world - even in small towns across America. For example, in Hidden Valley Lake, CA a small Mom & Pop Thai restaurant recently decided to offer FREE Wi-Fi to its customers. However, they could not afford to pay for both the Internet connection and a secure Wi-Fi account. And, that is where I come into the picture as a special "third party." I rounded up local advertisers to pay for the their secure Wi-Fi account and created a online presence at Squidoo.com to promote how this little restaurant is reaching out to its community. Amazingly, people around the world - including chefs - are encouraging this small restaurant in this special outreach. See for yourself at the Squidoo.com site, Ting's Thai Kitchen.

If you are not familiar with how Squidoo.com works, it provides individuals with the opportunity to create one page blogs (called lenses) that are built with modules. These modules are amazing. Many are provided by well-known online companies like Flickr.com, Amazon.com and Youtube.com. While there is no limit to the number of lenses you can freely create on Squidoo.com, there is an amazing number of Squidoo groups you can request to actually promote your lenses. Consequently, a single web location on Squidoo can promote your idea in a great many ways and places.

This FREE Wi-Fi Hot Spot arrangement with splash page advertising is really win/win/win situation. First, FREE Wi-Fi benefits the general public. They get to check email, surf the Web, make FREE VOIP phone and video calls (via Skype and Google Talk) to friends around the world while waiting to be served a specially-prepared meal of Thai cuisine. It is not costing the public any money to be online in this restaurant hot spot. Second, it benefits the restaurant because the FREE Wi-Fi draws more customers to the restaurant to eat. In fact, the restaurant owner must input a password in every mobile device for Internet access to be achieved. And, that does not happen until AFTER the meal is ordered. Plus, Internet access is only for one hour and then the party is automatically logged off the Net. No one comes into the restaurant to eat a meal and spend the afternoon or evening online. Third, the splash page advertising can feature print, audio and video promotion at a fraction of what newspapers, radio and TV stations charge. The advertisers at Ting's Thai Kitchen are only being charged $79.00 for THREE MONTHS of promotion. Keep in mind that promotion is taking place at the restaurant via the FREE Wi-Fi and online at the Squidoo lens, simultaneously.

What Ting's Thai Kitchen is accomplishing in Hidden Valley Lake can be duplicated by any restaurant that has Internet access. In fact, FREE Wi-Fi does not have to take place at a restaurant, coffee shop or book store. Any place where large group of people gather on a regular basis, FREE Wi-Fi is going to be welcome. You will find FREE Wi-Fi being utilized today in such diverse places as marinas, auto body shops and water parks.

While FREE Wi-Fi Hot Spots can prove beneficial to store-front businesses by attracting more foot traffic, the splash page advertising aspect can be beneficial to any business wanting to pursue it - including home businesses. In fact, the splash page advertisers can request marketing feedback at the end of every month on how many people have looked at their ads and how often. Such feedback is not available through the traditional media of newspaper, radio and TV.

FREE Wi-Fi is a great tool through which a Chamber of Commerce can help its members to be more successful through the mutual collaboration of splash page advertising. It is also a great tool for BNI and other serious networking groups. Even the Small Business Administration, SCORE and the Sirolli Institute with their array of enterprise facilitation chapters around the world should take advantage of all FREE Wi-Fi has to offer. And, last but not least, professional web designers should use FREE-Wi-Fi as a second venue through which to provide additional services to their customers.

The Wikinomics business model is changing the way the world works. FREE Wi-Fi with splash page advertising is part of that change. I encourage you to embrace it. Take full advantage of what this technological innovation involving collaboration can do for your business. People caring...people connecting...people having a good design. That's a business model that generates good business.